|
|
 |
| GREENS FINISH WITH A FLOURISH by Iain Grant |
| Fri 16th May 2008 |
Crisis, what crisis? That was the refrain from the home support going into this final match of the Scottish Hydro-Electric National League Division 2.
Several weeks ago, the game had the potential to be a relegation decider. But back-to-back defeats condemned Grangemouth to their second successive demotion and confirmed the Greens would start their third campaign in NLD2 after the summer.
Saturday's runaway victory allowed Caithness to jump two places to finish eighth. That is one place lower and six points fewer than last season but is a position the club would have gladly accepted in the dark midwinter weeks when relegation fears loomed large.
The challenge of an under-strength Grangemouth side was quickly swept aside on Saturday by a home outfit who produced, in spells, some marvellously fluid, entertaining rugby.
Before the first quarter had elapsed, restored skipper Ewen Boyd had made sure of a bonus point with his side's fourth try of the afternoon. There were several memorable touchdowns among their final haul of eight, none more so than scrum-half Kris Hamilton's glorious solo effort on the hour mark.
Gaining possession midway between his own 22 and the 10-metre line, he was confronted with a full three-quarter division.
Hamilton outflanked each in turn before executing a perfectly weighted chip-kick over right winger Stuart Doig from the halfway line. He ran down the touchline to gather and outstrip the cover to cross near the corner before dotting the ball down behind the posts.
Ten minutes earlier James Sinclair had swerved and stepped his way past a handful of would-be tacklers from just inside his own half to engineer a clear run-in from the 22. Within a couple of metres of the line, disaster struck as the fly-half pulled a hamstring which allowed his counterpart Tony Hayes to get back to make a smother tackle.
These flashes of individual flair apart, what would have been most satisfying for the home coaching team was the teamwork which underpinned the victory. The Greens showed a willingness to keep the ball alive, with their impressive off-load count key to them racking up a half-century of points for the first time in this campaign.
Grangemouth were behind before hardly any of their side had managed to touch the ball. Their porous defence was exposed with barely a minute on the clock when Sinclair's pop-pass had William Mill scorching a diagonal to the line.
The visitors were attacking the swimming-pool end in the prelude to the second try three minutes later.
A turnover caused by sloppy hands allowed Sinclair to thump the ball upfield. His chase and follow-up tackle allowed the Greens to recycle possession and Hamilton was able to chart an undefended passage down the left touchline.
Three minutes later, the rampant home side had further success following an incisive series of phases from the halfway line. Lock Grant Anderson's surge to the final breakdown created the perfect platform, with Norman Foubister cutting inside two defenders before his pass gave Stevie Campbell a clear run-in.
Boyd's try was created by Mill's kick-through and then the centre and winger Danny Gordon enveloping Doig as he sought to clear his lines five metres from the try-line.
The ball was stripped from the winger and Hamilton's sniping break and pass put his skipper over from close range. Stand-in kicker Foubister's fourth successful conversion made it 28-0.
Norman Foubister of Caithness fends off a Grangemouth opponent during the final game of the season in National League Division 2. James Gunn Photography
The momentum was broken on 22 minutes when a sparky break by Grangemouth ended with loose-head Steven Groat shrugging off two tacklers before feeding Craig Gibb to touch down. Full-back Gordon McGuire added the extras.
The visitors were now seeing a good bit more of the ball and Sinclair's all-embracing tackle on the free-running Doig could well have prevented them gaining further encouragement.
The set-piece was emasculated early on when an injury to visiting tight-head Chris Keegan and the absence of any front-row cover meant the scrums were uncontested.
That frustrated Caithness who, however, were dominant in the line-out and who outshone their opponents in the all-important scrap for supremacy after the tackle.
A scrappy start to the second period was livened up by a coruscating run from Caithness full-back James Paterson. The Aberdeen University student was eventually downed deep into opposition territory, from where his side forged further ahead on 52 minutes.
From a scrum, Campbell wrong-footed two opponents before sending left winger Gordon Macleod in for his richly-deserved first try for the club.
Within a couple of minutes, Pat-erson's pace and running angle was unmatched as he cantered over for try number six.
Hamilton's sublime try was followed by a somewhat more prosaic effort, Evan Sutherland's inside pass putting right winger Danny Gordon in behind the posts 13 minutes from the end. Foubister's conversion – his second of the half – ended the scoring.
Grangemouth defended manfully in the latter stages despite the sin-binning of try-scorer Gibb.
Careless handling by Caithness also played a part in keeping the score down, but all in all this was a highly satisfactory way to finish what has been a demanding and angst-filled season.
The players can now enjoy a well-earned rest, though the increasingly compressed close season means that within six weeks they will be regrouping to prepare for another campaign.
Caithness: J. Paterson, D. Gordon, W. Mill, N. Foubister, G. Macleod, J. Sinclair, K. Hamilton, R. Pottinger, S. Dunnett, L. MacNicol, E. Boyd (captain), G. Anderson, A. Morris, E. Sutherland, S. Campbell, Replacements (all used): J. Foubister, D. Pottinger, K. Foubister.
Grangemouth: G. McGuire, S. Doig, R. McPherson, T. Chapman, P. Johnston, T. Hayes, D. Rollings, S. Groat, D. Ward, C. Keegan, S. Binnie, D. West, C. Gibb, C. Gillanders, G. Telfer. Replacement (used): A. Middleton.
|
| Back to News |
|
 |
|
|
|
| Stewartry |
1 |
5 |
| Berwick |
1 |
5 |
| Newton Stewart |
1 |
5 |
| Caithness |
1 |
5 |
| Waysiders Drumpellier |
1 |
4 |
| Highland |
1 |
4 |
| Alan Glens |
1 |
1 |
| Aberdeenshire |
1 |
1 |
| Hawick YM |
1 |
1 |
| Glasgow Accies |
1 |
0 |
| Kilmarnock |
1 |
0 |
| Annan |
1 |
0 |
|
 |
| 1st XV Season (2009/10) |
| Kilmarnock 81 - 5 Caithness |
| 17th Apr 10 - KO: 12:00 |
| Venue: Bellsland |
| :: Match Report |
 |
| 1st XV Season (2010/11) |
| Caithness vs Kilmarnock |
| 4th Sep 10 - KO: 15:00 |
| Venue: Millbank |
| :: More Fixtures |
|
