Perthshire 30 – 27 Blairgowrie

Enthralling derby win sees Perthshire top the Caledonia Midlands Conference.

A large crowd had gathered from across Perthshire to watch the hotly anticipated derby match unfold. They were treated to a magnificent display of rugby, with the teams giving 100% on the pitch and the crowd equally enthusiastic off the pitch.

Both sides initially tested each other’s defences, and it was Perthshire who scored first through the boot of Calum Bruce, then the teams exchanged penalties bringing the score to 6-3. The game suddenly burst into life with Blairgowrie scoring a try after building pressure and Perthshire penalties undoing their good defensive efforts, 6-10.

The match see-sawed back and forth before Perthshire managed to capitalise on some territory and got into Blairgowrie’s 22. After a few missed chances, a clever piece of line-out work allowed Simon McGarry and Ross Goodison to combine and score a try in the corner, the latter touching down.

Perthshire failed to cleanly take the restart, giving the ball back to the visitors. Blairgowrie worked hard, built momentum, and started to trouble ‘Shire. However, Aidan Watson seized his opportunity, taking a clean intercept and sprinting 40 metres down the pitch to score under the posts. Calum Bruce slotted this conversion too, giving Perthshire a 10-point lead.

Some resolute defence from the home team, despite further ill-discipline making life hard for themselves, allowed Perthshire to escape a Blairgowrie onslaught, and the first half ended 20-10.

The second half began in much the same way, with both teams working hard and trying more ambitious moves. Calum Bruce kicked an early penalty to push Perthshire further ahead. Blairgowrie, then with some concerted possession and pressure, managed to bundle over for a converted try.

As the game progressed, both teams gave no quarter, and the referee worked hard to control the game, especially at the breakdown. It was Perthshire who scored next, against the run of play. They managed to work into the opposition 22, and Rory Bayne used his quick feet in a chaotic phase to take the ball right up to the line. After a few short carries, Calum Chalmers burst over to score. Calum Bruce, reliable all day, added the extras, at 30-17 the Eagles had a 13-point lead with the final quarter remaining.

Blairgowrie’s belief remained undeterred as they continued to use the ball and profit from Perthshire’s high penalty count. After knocking at the door in countless attacks, the visitors breached the line and dived over in the corner. To make matters worse for ‘Shire, Simon McGarry was sent to the sin-bin for 10 minutes due to the cumulative number of penalties in the red zone.

Resolute defence, typified by the unyielding efforts by Man-of-the-Match Tom Whamond, kept Blairgowrie out despite the 1-man advantage. Once restored to 15 ‘Shire were still under the cosh and Blair again barged over the whitewash for their fourth try. The conversion just missed, it set up a grandstand finish with just 3 points separating the teams and 5 minutes to go.

Both sides gave their all, forcing the other into errors as the pressure mounted ever higher. It looked like Blairgowrie had run out of luck as Perthshire stole the ball and kicked out to end the game. However, the referee judged there were still seconds left and allowed Blairgowrie one more line-out in Perthshire’s half.

The Eagles managed to disrupt & steal this line-out and, this time, kick it out and the full time whistle blew. The crowd erupted in cheers, celebrating Perthshire who’s win saw them top the Caledonia Midlands Conference and in recognition of the magnificent spectacle from both teams giving absolutely everything on the pitch.

The next stage of the league will see the play-offs as the Midlands teams await the conclusion of the North Conference before any fixtures are arranged. Both Perthshire and Blairgowrie will go through to stake their claim for the Arnold Clark Caledonia Regional League Division 1 title and promotion to the National Leagues.

Photographs taken by Peter Wilkinson.

Dundee 2XV 7 – 62 Perthshire

A Positive Start to the League for Perthshire.

Perthshire 1XV kicked off their Arnold Clark Caledonia Region League Division 1 campaign with a convincing 62-7 victory away against Dundee 2XV. Despite the lopsided scoreline, Dundee 2XV showed flashes of great play, but they were ultimately overwhelmed by a dominant Perthshire side.

Perthshire took control early, with Calum Bruce calmly slotting a penalty to put the visitors ahead 3-0. Aidan Watson, who would later be named Man of the Match, powered over for the opening try following a well-timed assist from Ollie Martins Da Silva, who was making his senior league debut. Calum Bruce added the conversion to extend the lead to 10-0.

Ollie Martins Da Silva continued to orchestrate the attack, setting up Aedan Milne for a try. Another accurate conversion from Calum Bruce pushed the score to 17-0. Aedan Milne soon added his second try, this time assisted by Rory Bayne, with Calum Bruce maintaining his perfect record from the tee, taking it to 24-0.

Dundee had a few moments of great play, attempting to disrupt Perthshire’s rhythm with strong defensive efforts and brief attacking forays. However, just before halftime, Ollie Martins Da Silva executed a brilliantly read interception, racing clear to score a try, and with Calum B’s perfect conversion streak continuing, Perthshire surged ahead to 31-0. Dundee struggled to break down Perthshire’s defence and failed to score any points in the first half.

Perthshire maintained their momentum into the second half. Rhys Darlington opened the scoring with a try that was converted by Calum Bruce to make it 38-0. Shortly after, Shaun Barton made a brilliant break, offloading to Aedan Milne, who completed his hat-trick. Another successful conversion from Calum Bruce extended the lead to 45-0.

Rory Bayne added another try, though Calum Bruce missed the conversion, bringing the score to 50-0. Simon McGarry then scored after receiving a well-timed pass from Ollie Martins Da Silva, and Calum Bruce added two more points to make it 57-0.

Dundee, to their credit, kept fighting and were rewarded with a well-deserved try after a period of sustained pressure. They converted successfully, bringing their tally to 7 points.

However, Perthshire continued to dominate the final stages, with their last try coming from Ollie Martins Da Silva, who finished off a slick passing sequence involving Lewis Murrie, Calum Bruce, AJ Guthrie, and Shaun Barton. Although the conversion was missed, the final scoreline was a commanding 62-7.

Despite the scoreline, Dundee 2XV had several moments of impressive play, particularly in defence and during their late attacking surge. However, Perthshire 1XV’s cohesive team performance, marked by strong attacking moves and defensive performance, was too much to handle.

Man of the Match: Aidan Watson – not just for his early try but for the way he controlled the game showing his leadership skills and experience to manage frustrations, guiding his team mates and demonstrating a different side to his game.

Notable Performance: Ollie Martins Da Silva had an outstanding senior league debut, contributing two tries and several assists, proving himself a key player in Perthshire’s commanding win.

Photographs taken by Peter Wilkinson.

Determined but Defeated

Kirkcaldy 2XV 69 – 0 Perthshire Eagles

It was a challenging afternoon for the Perthshire Eagles as they went down 69-0 to the newly reformed Kirkcaldy 2XV in a trip to Beveridge Park. The hosts were clearly out to make a statement as contenders for the league title but despite the one-sided scoreline, there were positives for the Eagles to take away from this encounter, particularly in terms of endurance and discipline against a team with superior numbers.

Kirkcaldy rushed to 2 quick scores before Perthshire, inspired by Jonny Venter, went on the attack. Working well with Lewis Gray at scrumhalf they found spaces and made yards. The support was not there to capitalise as Kirkcaldy were fast and accurate at every breakdown. A counterattack saw the Fife men fly back down the pitch to score their 3rd try.

Undeterred Perthshire went back again and this time solid carries from Gus MacFarlane & James Marley told as ‘Shire patiently worked up the pitch. Another attack by Jonny Venter sliced open the field his offload making it to Thomas Pounder who was caught and stopped inches from the line. Kirkcaldy turned over and cleared the line but were soon back under the cosh as from 70m out Perthshire worked the ball to the right and Thomas Pounder rounded the last winger and was off. Chased by 5 men he chipped and was taken out before he could regather. Jonny Venter scooped up the loose ball and sprinted to 5m out before offloading to Sam Hutchison, who couldn’t quite stretch across the whitewash. The forwards carried but couldn’t cross either. Despite Kirkcaldy seeing a yellow card for repeated infringements the Eagles were unable to capitalise and were punished as the home team engineered a counterattack before another 2 tries ended the half 31-0.

In the second half Captain Hector Inglis led by example never giving up and inspiring his team to keep working for every ball and tackle. This showed as centres Pete Cowen & Dave Hutchison used the space created skillfully by flyhalf Jonny Venter to get in behind and cause chaos in Kirkcaldy’s’ defence. When defending debutant Cameron Fisher and Calum Duncan repeatedly put their bodies on the line, while Jamie Yellowley was a nuisance at the breakdown frustrating Kirkcaldy’s quick ball.

The home team had a full bench and this told as their score grew. The Eagles managed to see out the full 80 minutes without any injuries or players leaving the pitch, showcasing resilience under pressure; exemplified by Sam Hutchison who chased back numerous runners stopping more scores. The ‘Shire discipline was notable, with only a few minor incidents in the closing stages of the game, while Kirkcaldy 2XV struggled to maintain their composure, accruing a significant number of penalties throughout the match.

From a team performance perspective, the Eagles’ scrum, anchored by Stevie Wilkie & Cameron Craig, stood out as a solid area, holding its own against a tough opposition pack. Endurance will be a key focus for future training sessions.

While the result was not what the Eagles were hoping for, they showed moments of grit and determination that will serve them well in the season to come. In the end the scoreline did not reflect the effort from the Eagles who were unlucky to not add their own points. Gus MacFarlane shone bright in a tough game and was deservedly named Player of the Match for his all-around performance, demonstrating skill and determination in every phase of play.

Onward to the next challenge, another trip to Fife, as the Eagles take on Dunfermline 2XV, a 3pm kick-off at McKane Park.

Strong start to the 7s season for the Men’s Squad.

Perthshire made the short journey west along the A85 to local club Crieff with two squads of players hopeful to get off to a good start in the 7s season in preparation for our own tournament in 2 weeks.

Perthshire A were drawn into what would turn into a tough group of Morrisons FPs and Alloa.

Perthshire B were drawn into another very competitive group with Hydro and Crieff A.

Perthshire A were first to head onto the pitch wearing the traditional Perthshire colours to play Morrisons FPs who had already beaten Alloa. The message from coach Matt Stevens was to get a good fast start. That’s exactly what ‘Shire A did, scoring two quick tries in the first half to take a 14-0 lead. This set the tone for the rest of the fixture with the final score ending 45-10 with ‘Shire showing some great 7s skills, but with still room for improvement.

Perthshire B were next onto the pitch, donning the alternative strip of red & black. They played a well drilled Crieff A side who were clearly well prepared for their home tournament. The home side the winners but with ‘Shire showing some promising signs when they had the ball.

In to the second round and it was still all to play for for both teams. Perthshire B faced Hydro. Its was a very open, end to end, high scoring game with plenty of flare and some monster hits from big hitters Shaun Barton and Kieran Ramsay. The result was shared in a 24-24 draw.

Perthshire A next faced Alloa in what turned into a fiery, physical match. Alloa started the brighter of the two teams with two well taken tries from offloads. Perthshire rallied to get one back before halftime to get themselves back into the game. Unfortunately poor discipline and ball retention cost ‘Shire A and they went down 25-10 to the Clackmannanshire side.

Both the Perthshire teams were in the hand of points difference: ‘Shire B managed to scrape into the Plate semis with a better points difference than Hydro who had lost heavily to Crieff A. Kirkcaldy awaited them in the next round.

Meanwhile, ‘Shire A had secured themselves a spot in a Cup semi thanks to their impressive win in the first match against Morrisons. They were to face Morrisons Futures in their semi final match.

Kirkcaldy had clearly put some good preparation into their 7s season, moving the ball well, avoiding contact where possible and striking with speed and accuracy when opportunities came their way. ‘Shire B definitely did not embarrass themselves, with some flowing moves of their own but eventually they just ran out of energy to contain the Kirkcaldy attack.

Hopes of silverware now rested on the ‘Shire A team. The message at the start of the game from Matt Stevens was the same: fast start and look after the ball. The team did exactly what was demanded of them with two quick tries to take a 2 score lead. Morrisons Futures though came back with typical youngster energy. In the end though, hypnotising moves from Rory Bayne and tries from Tom Colvin & Rabson Chipakupaku were enough to see the Shire side through to the final, winning by 2 points.

‘Shire A were all out on their feet. Injuries had started to creep into the squad and legs were beginning to get heavy and stiff. Sensing this, experienced coach Matt Stevens rallied the troops. “Everyone always gains that extra bit of energy for a final,” he told the squad as they took on much needed food and water.

The message from co-captains John Kelly and AJ Guthrie was simple: enjoy the moment, play our rugby and keep the ball. Gordonians were undoubtedly going to be a tough challenge, but nothing we couldn’t overcome if we played to our full potential.

Gordonians were well prepared. ‘Shire matched them for the opening stages with defence holding strong. Then, one offload and Gordonians were away. Advantage GoGos. The match flowed as momentum pendulumed between the teams. Trading scores and putting on a show for the large crowd who had gathered for the main final of the day. When the ref blew for full time Perthsire had been beaten 25-35, but smiles were still across the faces of all in the squad.

A massive thank you to all involved in organising the event in Crieff. Also a big thanks must go to coaches for the day Matt Stevens, Graham Smith and Graham Binnie.

Perthshire travel to Cupar for the Howe 7s this weekend as they continue to prepare for Perthshire 7s on May the 11th during the Perth Beer Festival.

Perthshire 51 – 22 Ross High

Despite the dark & wet, ‘Shire shine with 8 try victory.

The frost had thawed but the weather was wet. Not appealing conditions for the players nor the few hardy souls who came to watch. However, these spectators were rewarded with the best performance of the season from Perthshire.

In did not start too well for the Eagles, running back the kick-off Kieran Ramsay, on his return from injury, made good inroads but the tackle that brought him down also broke his nose and he was off within a minute. Cameron Craig entering the match much earlier than anticipated.

This did not deter ‘Shire who looked eager and dangerous with ball in hand. After a couple of phases Rory Bayne found the gap to go through. Chipping the ball on, it was a foot race which the covering fullback just won to save a try. Ross High cleared but it this was only a temporary reprieve.

Big hits in defence, led by Dan Rae forced a turnover. At the scrum ‘Shire exploited holes in the defence to push forward. The visitors slowed it down illegally, penalised by the referee, Lewis Murrie took it quickly and made a 40m dash before he was caught and offloaded to Dan Rae who carried & shipped it to Angus Walker. He was just denied, but recycling the ball a short pick & pass gave Ben Marshall the momentum to stretch over for an unconverted try.

Ross High now took the ball on but to no avail through the ‘Shire defence. A turnover by James Mair ending their attack. However they soon returned, ratcheting up the pressure and some hard direct carries by the men from Tranent worked into the ‘Shire 22. They were rewarded with a penalty in front of the posts which they converted, 5-3.

At the restart Cameron Craig took a nasty twist to end his match hobbling off with a knee injury so Dan Rae moved to the forwards with AJ Guthrie coming in to the centre. The match restarted with a scrum, seizing a massive blindside, Lewis Murrie took the ball and sprinted past the halfway line to before offloading to Thomas Pounder who went deep into the 22 before being brought down. The support was there and few carries worked the ball infield before getting sent out to Ross Goodison who used his footwork to better the defender, then with a burst of pace crossed the try line. Calum Bruce adding the extras from in front of the posts.

The momentum swung back to Ross High who after a series of short carries worked up the pitch to the try line before ‘Shire pinched the ball. The referee judged this illegal and awarded Ross High a penalty; they tapped and went one way then back towards the touchline, the last man crossing the whitewash in the corner for an unconverted try, 12-8.

With such poor conditions and a heavier pack Ross High tried to use the high ball to put ‘Shire under pressure. They had not counted on fullback Rory Bayne who repeatedly took possession in acres of space and then picked his line to run it back with interest throughout the match.

Perthshire’s third try came from this set-up, as Rory Bayne caught then ran back the ball before offloading to John Kelly, who tried to grubber through. Ross High secured the ball only to kick it back into Rory Bayne’s arms again, and this time he did all the work to run round and through 5 defenders on his way to the line. It was a tough angle from out wide, but Calum Bruce struck it well to convert, 19-8.

Ross High missed a shot at goal after a high tackle and tempers began to fray in the forwards. This added a bit of mettle to ‘Shire who channelled the aggression as exemplified by a Lewis Murrie tackle on his opposite scrum half at the back of a scrum, the ‘Shire forwards surging over to win the penalty.

Now in the opposition half ‘Shire were trying too hard in the conditions and lost the ball, Ross High kicked it away, but Rory Bayne was waiting and ran it right back again. Having sucked the defence in there was a space in the midfield and at first receiver Ben Marshall tipped on to Club Captain Rhys Darlington who suddenly found clear grass in front of him. The prop ran, and kept running right into the 22, before finally getting caught. A cross field kick attempt missed but returning for the penalty the pack took charge, within 2 phases of taking it short, James Mair scored in the corner.

The conversion was missed but almost immediately from the restart Angus Walker jackaled to win a penalty and Calum Bruce was on target. The referee called half-time with ‘Shire ahead 27-8.

The second half started with a bang. Combining in defence Tom Colvin followed by Simon McGarry forced a knock-on and ‘Shire scooped up the ball. From the middle a wide pass went out to Rory Bayne who seared into the 22, drawing all the defenders to him before releasing John Kelly who injected more pace to blitz down the touchline before running in between the sticks. Calum Bruce converted, 34-8.

Minutes later Rory Bayne again broke free and was stopped 5m out. The ball went to the right then was whipped out to the left, the passing not quite crisp enough stalling the pace so Simon McGarry was just denied in the corner and ‘Shire were then penalised at the ruck. Ross High missed touch and rued it as Tom Colvin was on the end of a flowing move with multiple offloads to score a try under the posts, 41-8.

The game turned on its head for the next 20 minutes. Gone was the attack and flair that started the half. It was turgid, brutal forward plays or direct runs and all Ross High. Try as they might the Eagles could not get out of their own half. The penalty count crept up but the resolve did not, demonstrated by solid tackles from Ben Marshall and Laurence Knight, then Simon McGarry stripping the ball to save a try over the line.

The visitors came back again, even with the fresh legs of Kieran Maclean and Aedan Milne on for Thomas Pounder and Angus Walker, the siege was not lifted. Eventually Ross High bludgeoned their way over after some hard runs getting the better of a softened Back & White line, 41-15.

More needless penalties, compounded the pressure, Perthshire fortunate the referee’s patience was saintly as it must have been close to a yellow card such was the penalty count.

Ross High looked good to score having worked an overlap but a forward pass saved ‘Shire. From the scrum deep in the 22, AJ Guthrie dummied and found a gap, he was stopped but, quickly recycled, the ball went out wide to Rory Bayne who jinked his way in behind Ross High, before offloading to Aedan Milne. With 60m to go and not much space the winger showed all his pace, poise & power to outfox the defenders and cover the whole distance to score in the corner, a stunning try!

Minutes later a scrum on the left touchline at halfway was set, the ball came cleanly out to the back line who running different lines confounded Ross High who could not live with Aedan Milne as he crossed again, though this time not from as far out. Calum Bruce just missed the conversion, 51-15.

The game ended 2 minutes later after Ross High scored their third try following a quick tap taking advantage of an disorganised and tired ‘Shire defence.

Plenty of positives for ‘Shire to build on, at times things just worked and the rugby looked good. A solid shift from the forwards allowed the space and time for the backline, superbly marshalled by halfbacks Lewis Murrie & Calum Bruce, to show their quality. Head Coach Smudge will have some selection conundrums with all players putting in a shift. The final game of 2023, will see Perthshire travel to Newton Mearns to face Whitecraigs and aim put right the 5 point loss when the sides met at the North Inch earlier on this season.

Meanwhile the Eagles lost 0-52 to the league leaders Crieff. A tough game where the players never really felt they got going. However, on the positive side there were Perthshire debuts for David Wakefield, Kieran Cruden and Jim Leishman; and brothers Jonny and Andrew Venter made their first senior rugby starts. Special mention must also go to Mark Morgan, who put in a Man-of-the-Match performance in his first game since collecting his bus pass! The Eagles will keep training over winter to be prepared for the next fixture on 13th January.

Photographs taken by Peter Wilkinson.