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| WHITECRAIGS 5 - CAITHNESS 41 by Iain Grant |
| Fri 7th Oct 2005 |
National league rugby, if nothing else, sharpens one's knowledge of Scotland's geography.
The latest stop in the Greens' demanding away schedule on Saturday was the well-to-do east Renfrewshire settlement of Newton Mearns.
The trip to the venue, seven miles south-west of Glasgow, was the second of three successive treks to play near or in the city.
Whitecraigs' home at West Lodge includes one of the country's top playing surfaces.
At 70 metres wide, it is as wide as Murrayfield and its surface is flat and lush.
It proved a happy hunting ground for the Greens as they ran in seven tries to move to within a couple of points of the top of National League Division 3.
The early play proved less than auspicious for the visitors who were firmly on the back foot.
According to coach Colin Sangster, hardly any of his charges touched the ball during the opening 20 minutes.
He said: "They kicked off. We made a hash of gathering it and from there, we never got out of our own half for just about the first half-hour.
"We struggled to get any meaningful possession."
The home side failed with a kickable penalty to increase their frustration at not being able to turn their pressure into points.
It got worse for them when the Greens conspired to score with their first attack.
A foray down the blindside led by William Mill and David Pottinger ended with a 30 yard dart by Stevie Campbell.
From the breakdown, the ball was quickly moved right to allow James Sinclair to cross.
Michael Henderson, making his first appearance of the season, missed the conversion but did land a penalty and score a try to put his side 13-0 up.
The second try came after James Mill gathered a punt in midfield and set off on a jinking run and linked with his support to send Henderson in near the left corner-flag.
Whitecraigs responded with a touchdown when James Mill slipped as he went to field a kick and the capricious bounce of the ball fell straight into the hands of a home winger.
Caithness dominated the second half in which they scored 27 unanswered points.
The fourth try to secure the bonus point was bagged midway by the hour-mark and the Greens could easily have racked up a larger total.
The pick of the five tries after the interval was a well-executed three-quarter-move which saw William Mill racing in unopposed.
It was one of two tries scored by William Mill, with Duncan Sangster and Campbell also touching down before Henderson rounded off the scoring with his second try, which he converted.
Sangster said: "We finished really strongly to score three tries in the last 15 minutes but there should have been others.
"It could have been a 60 pointer."
The Caithness pack, who badly missed line-out specialist Ewen Boyd, did not reach the heights of previous outings.
Most of the plus points were in the backs where William Mill linked well with Duncan Sangster in the centre.
Coach Sangster said: "The forwards didn't fire on all cylinders but if the backs had played even remotely like they did on Saturday against Helensburgh the previous week, we would certainly have come away with a win."
The match provided a debut for flanker Ryan MacKintosh, who did well during his run-out.
Tomorrow, Caithness take a break from league action to start their BT Cup campaign with a first round tie away to Glasgow District League side Jordanhill.
Sangster is keen his men do not under-estimate opponents, who are effectively the third string of Premiership outfit Hillhead Jordanhill.
The coach cautioned: "Because they are part of a big club, they could pull in some players for the cup.
"I've no doubt they'll have some useful players and we'll need to be switched on from the start."
With Boyd at a wedding and a clutch of players carrying injuries, the coach could take the opportunity to freshen up the travelling squad of 19.
Roddy Gray should return while James 'Pigeon' Sinclair is another who could figure.
Caithness -- R. Mackay, J. Sinclair, W. Mill, D. Sangster, J. Mill, M. Henderson, G. Fryer, J. MacMillan, S. Campbell, J. Foubister, D. Budge, A. Morris (cpt), I. Sutherland, A. Sangster, D. Pottinger. Replacements (all used) -- D. Buchanan, J. Begg and R. MacKintosh.
Highland kept up their excellent start to the season by coming from behind to win 31-19 at Newton Stewart.
Falkirk crushed Trinity Accies 76-8 while Lismore jump two places into fourth after their 48-10 victory over Glenrothes.
Hawick YM leapfrogged the inconsistent Helensburgh after beating the Loch Lomond side men 34-16.
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| 1st XV Season (2010/11) |
| Caithness 25 - 27 Kilmarnock |
| 4th Sep 10 - KO: 15:00 |
| Venue: Millbank |
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| 1st XV Season (2010/11) |
| Stewartry vs Caithness |
| 11th Sep 10 - KO: 15:00 |
| Venue: Greenlaw |
| :: More Fixtures |
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