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| GLENROTHES 11 - CAITHNESS 20 by Iain Grant |
| Wed 14th Sep 2005 |
Something has to give when Caithness and Highland square up tomorrow in a top-of-the-table battle in BT National League Division 3.
The north pair have made impressive starts to their campaigns, winning both their opening matches with something to spare.
It is the first time the Greens have locked horns with the first XV of the Inverness-based outfit in a league match.
The match has added bite with the Greens this season challenging their opponents' long-time status as the Highlands' premier club.
Last Saturday, Caithness were less-than-satisfied despite chalking up a nine point win in Fife.
The new millennium has seen Glenrothes' star fade with successive demotions after they dropped out from the Premiership.
A steady exodus of their leading performers has made them reliant on a young side, packed with recent graduates from the club's colts.
They regrouped well from their opening heavy defeat at Helensburgh with a much-changed side ensuring an uncomfortable afternoon for the visitors.
For most of the match, the outcome was in doubt as the Greens' forward forays were all too often aborted by basic errors and a lack of imagination.
The attacking spark from the previous week was absent and it was not until their third try eight minutes from time that victory was all but assured.
The frustration with their sub-par performance was capped in the last action of the match when a brainstorm by ref Nigel Pennie denied the Greens what looked a perfectly valid fourth try and the bonus point which it would have brought.
One aspect of their game which did survive largely intact from their opening win against Falkirk was their defensive patterns.
The home side were pressured relentlessly on their own ball and once again some of the Greens' most potent attacks came from turnovers.
Andrew Sangster, at number eight, was one of few visitors to feature in the opening stages with some strong charges and selfless work at the breakdown.
A couple of promising plays came to naught when Jamie Begg spilled the ball in a tackle and James Mill was forced into touch.
The Fife outfit took a 10th minute lead when James Dunbar landed one of two penalties.
Caithness struggled throughout to generate sustained momentum with possession squandered to opponents who grew in confidence as the game wore on.
Their feel-good factor increased on 28 minutes when a line-break by full-back Richie Castle-Smith created the space for right wing Andrew Miller to sprint over near the right touch-flag.
Dunbar's missed conversion kept the lead to 8-0.
The visitors hit back from the resumption when strong midfield pressure forced a Glenrothes three-quarter into a risky pass.
The resultant loose ball was gathered by Duncan Sangster who showed the would-be cover defence a clean pair of heels as he raced in under the posts to allow James O'Brien to convert.
Five minutes from the interval, the Greens went ahead when O'Brien made a dart from a scrum before Duncan Sangster picked out a perfect angle to scythe through for his second score.
O'Brien missed the conversion.
Caithness kept the pressure up with Begg making good yardage to set off a move which ended with another spilled pass.
The momentum was kept up after the interval with a slick move sending James Mill haring down the left touch-line.
He chipped ahead with Castle-Smith showing good pace to get the touchdown in-goal under strong pressure from Duncan Sangster.
The Caithness defence underwent a stern test with the Glenrothes pack, inspired by the introduction of ex-Scottish blindside Dave McIvor, making strong inroads.
A William Mill interception looked to have cleared the danger but Caithness infringed at a ruck on their own 22 and Dunbar duly spliced the posts on 52 minutes to cut his side's deficit to 11-12.
Glenrothes continued to call the shots and had a strong claim for a penalty try when one of their players appeared to be held back as he tried to pounce on the ball as it bobbled towards the Caithness try-line.
The Greens survived and after stealing possession executed a long-range attack which should have brought them the reward of a try after 61 minutes.
A well-judged raking kick by O'Brien had Dunbar in trouble as he sought to control the ball near his own line.
He was quickly engulfed and Mr Pennie signalled a penalty against the Glenrothes winger.
The ball was prised from his grasp and kicked on to allow Russell Mill to dive on the ball in-goal.
Mr Pennie nonplussed the Greens by whistling, not to signal the score but to ignore the obvious advantage and award the penalty.
The Greens did get some joy from the subsequent play when an opponents strayed offside and O'Brien nailed the penalty from in front of the posts.
The four point lead looked fragile as the home side launched another series of potent attacks.
But they were put back on their heels when Caithness contrived to run in their third try of the day.
O'Brien found space to release hooker Steven Campbell who in turn released Jamie 'Pop' Sinclair to jink outside one opponent and inside another to touch down.
O'Brien struck the cross-bar with a drop-goal attempt before the fly-half delivered another pin-point crosskick in the final action of the day.
Sinclair did well to gather at the third attempt before galloping free down the right.
The celebrations were again cut short by Mr Pennie who disallowed the try and awarded Caithness a penalty where Sinclair had gathered the ball.
Asked afterwards by this scribe to explain the award, he muddied the waters by indicating that he had pulled up Sinclair for a knock-on, even though the ball never touched the ground.
"How many times is he allowed to juggle the ball?," was the cryptic response to what was not his first perverse ruling of the day.
Glenrothes coach Ewen Robertson justifiably claimed his side put up a decent showing.
"We played a lot better that the previous week," he said.
"We've still got a long way to go but we're a young side and we're learning all the time."
Caithness coach Colin Sangster admits his side under-performed on Saturday.
"The players felt the whole thing was a wee bit flat."
"They have taken that on board and they know they have to get themselves up for away games as well as home ones."
"It was also a game which last season we may well have lost."
Sangster has problems for tomorrow's match with O'Brien back at university in Leeds; skipper Andy Morris on international tug-of-war duty in Italy; and Campbell at a rifle shoot on the Isle of Man.
David Pottinger is set to deputise at hooker; James Hamilton will come into the second row; while Blair McIntosh is to take over the No 10 jersey.
Prop Roddy Gray is meanwhile promoted to the bench.
Sangster is expecting a feisty challenge from Highland, who scored an impressive 27-17 win over Helensburgh in Inverness on Saturday.
He said: "There's no shortage of incentive for both sides tomorrow and it's sure to be a red-blooded affair."
The match at Millbank kicks off at 3 p.m.
Caithness -- J. Begg, J. Sinclair, R. Mill, D. Sangster, J. Mill, J. O'Brien, W. Mill, J. MacMillan, S. Campbell, D. Buchanan (J. Foubister h/t), E. Boyd, A. Morris (cpt), E. Sutherland, A. Sangster, G. Sutherland (D. Pottinger h/t). Replacement (unused) -- B. McIntosh.
Glenrothes -- R. Castle-Smith, C. King, D. Clark, J. Dunbar, A. Miller, G. Tipling, M. Delorey, L. Fowlis, I. Bell, S. Bell, D. MacGregor, J. Davies, D. Campbell, D. Buchart, G. Linton. Replacements used -- D. MacIvor and S. Taylor.
Ref -- Mr N. Pennie, Crieff.
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