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| PERTHSHIRE 22 - CAITHNESS 0 by Iain Grant |
| Fri 11th Nov 2005 |
This valiant BT Cup second round defeat against a side two leagues above the Greens can be spun two ways.
The reverse ends their recent sequence of annual jousts with Premiership clubs in the open stages of the knock-out tourney.
Victory on Saturday would have landed them a home tie versus Gala, one of the biggest names in Scottish rugby.
On the plus side, the Greens now have a decent chance of a run in the BT Bowl, a competition restricted to National League side outfits.
On Saturday, they demonstrated they can compete with the best of that standard, given that Perthshire currently sit top of NLD 1.
Some within the club may already be romatically eyeing a place in the final at Murrayfield.
But officials are keen to keep the lid on such fanciful notions, knowing that such a goal would only be achieved were the Greens to enjoy the luck of the draw and negotiate their way past four opponents who harbour exactly the same aspirations.
First up is a trip to play old Highland and North District League rivals RAF Lossiemouth.
The Greens on Saturday recovered from a sticky start at the Eagles' home at North Inch to give a decent account of themselves.
The game had just kicked off when blindside flanker David Pottinger was forced to retire with a damaged shoulder.
The Greens were under pressure for the opening quarter when they conceded two converted tries.
The first came after 17 minutes when number eight Gary Coull finished off a setpiece move.
Three minutes later, they struck again -- this time countering from one of the Greens' few early attacks.
Visiting hooker Steven Campbell's kick-through was run back with interest.
A raid down the left was snuffed out near the corner but the ball was quickly recycled and spun right.
Ref Nigel Pennie did not see a possible obstruction in 'Shire's midfield with a kick into the opposite corner being gathered by winger Jamie Ridgway to cross unopposed.
Kiwi stand-off Jesse Westerlund converted both with centre Alan Brown adding a penalty just before half-time.
After the tries, the visitors gradually imposed themselves as an offensive outfit to enjoyed a fair share of both possession and territory.
The pattern continued after the break with the defence of both sides regularly tested.
The Greens had a few scoring opportunities before conceding a third try near the end.
A back row move was the prelude to Ridgway being set free to run in his second of the afternoon.
Caithness in the last few minutes threw caution to the wind, running unpromising positions from their 22 in a bid to get on the scoreboard.
Centre Duncan Sangster was almost in with one of his trademark outside breaks, only to be flattened with a team tackle, which left him sporting a corker of a black eye.
Caithness coach Colin Sangster was generally pleased with how his side dealt with what was always going to be a tough assignment.
He said: "For a good 60 minutes of the game, it was really nip and tuck.
"They are a good side that keeps the ball well and were a bit stronger than us at the contact point.
"They had some dangerous runners and were very good at slowing down and turning the ball over at the breakdown.
"They also defended very well -- they weren't going to give you any soft tries."
Sangster was happy with the setpiece, with the Greens' line-out again emerging with credit.
He also praised his side's defence and how his men had reacted to losing a man and two tries in the early stages.
He said: "I thought we really got stuck in.
"After the start we had, we could easily have capitulated and lost by 50 or 60 points.
"Who knows what would have happened had we got out the blocks earlier and kept our ball just a bit better than we did"
Sangster said the contest was 'a slight level up' for the Greens but he did not think it looked like the teams were two divisions apart.
"They said we were the best organised side they have come across.
"If we could play like that every week, we'd have no problems in the league we play in."
It's back to league action tomorrow when the Greens hit the road again -- this time to Edinburgh.
Opponents Trinity Accies are on a roll, their 21-12 cup triumph over St Andrews University on Saturday following three straight league wins.
Sangster said: "They will be on a bit if a high.
"It will be a tough match but we enjoyed a really good training session on Tuesday and I'm looking for us to be clinical on Saturday and really impose ourselves against Trinity."
Pottinger misses out while both Russell Mill and James Mill remain sidelined with injuries.
Centre Hamish Boyd, who had a run-out with the Seconds on Saturday, is set to join the travelling squad.
Caithness v Perthshire -- R. Mackay, James 'Pop' Sinclair, W. Mill, D. Sangster, J. Begg, M. Henderson, G. Fryer, J. MacMillan, S. Campbell, J. Foubister, E. Boyd, D. Budge, D. Pottinger, A. Morris (cpt), E. Sutherland. Replacements (all used) -- D. Buchanan, R. Gray, L. MacNicol and James 'Pigeon' Sinclair.
Ref -- Mr N. Pennie, Crieff.
Just two north sides have survived to join Premiership outfits Aberdeen Grammar and Ellon in the third round of the BT Cup.
Orkney, 74-0 victors over Aberdeen Wanderers, now entertain Selkirk while Aberdeenshire, who won 30-3 in Paisley, face Edinburgh University.
RAF Lossie gamely went out 16-7 to NLD1 outfit Duns while Highland went down 19-7 to Ardrossan Accies.
Highland and Wanderers both received byes in the BT Bowl.
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| Caithness vs Kilmarnock |
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