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You are here: Match Reports / 1st XV / Stew-Mel 14th October 2006

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“ SUNSHINE OVER HUGHENDEN”

Hillhead Jordanhill 25pts Stewarts Melville 17pts

On another Saturday stolen from mid summer with Hughenden bathed in warm sunshine,
the “Hills” finally emerged from their poor start to Season 2006/7 to put on a winning
performance and record what was, in the end, a deserved victory again their opponents,
Stewarts Melville, by two goals, one try and two penalty goals to one goal and two tries.
Yet, it was not until the 70th minute of the game that the “Hills” finally made all their
second half pressure show to edge in front of their opponents.

Most of the rugby, however, in the first half was played by the visitors who, at every
opportunity, spread play wide to their flying machines on the wings, messers McCall and
Gordon, who had their opposite numbers always watchful and wary. But in truth, the “Hills”
handed their opposition two of their three first half tries. The first found hooker McMurchy,
after only two minutes of play, clear to run unopposed to the line following a deft switch of
play from a line out in the home twenty two. Immediately after the “Hills” first score from a
rolling maul by Cameron, the Stewarts Melville kick off was fielded by “Hills” but then
inexplicably passed to no-one in particular. The opposition kicked through, the ball was
fielded for a second time by a “Hills” player who then obligingly returned the ball to the
opposition winger, Gordon, who accepted the gift to cross the line to score a converted
try. This took the capital men to 12 pts to 7 ahead, and worse was to follow when, from
what seemed a relatively innocuous mid field passing movement, the opposition squeezed
through to score to the right of the posts with Clark touching down. This was
unconverted, but also was Stewarts Melville’s last kick at goal, such was the momentum
that the home team built thereafter. Ross Curle, fielded initially on the wing, brought “Hills”
back into the game with two fine penalties, both awards being for offences at the
breakdown, a pattern that was to continue throughout the rest of the game.

“Hills” began the second half 5 pts behind their visitors, and kicking towards the Gartnavel
end. It started a period of play in which the “Hills” belied their league position to apply
sustained pressure within the visitors half. Certainly, the Edinburgh men did not help their
cause by their frequent infringing, which caused referee Ian Clark to show “yellow” to three
of the visitors, and indeed for a ten minute period, Stewarts Melville had only 13 players on
the field. But at times, “Hills” were too deliberate in their “pick and drive” routines giving
their opposition time to regroup, but their relentless ball winning, combined with the move
of Curle to his more natural stand off position, allowed the game to open up. Eventually,
the visiting defence was penetrated by the stand off who raced into space to score just
beside the posts. The conversion was a formality, and now after 70 minutes, the “Hills”
were three points ahead at 20-17. Further pressure resulted in another score when the
visitors failed to protect line out ball won close to their line, allowing second rower, Marty
Lane, to touch down for a deserved try.

There was little time for the visitors to rescue anything from the game, which, initially, they
had looked like dominating; and the final score remained at 25pts to 17 for the “Hills”.
While the result leaves “Hills” in bottom place on points differential, the manner in which
the team progressed their business bodes reasonably well for an upturn in fortune. Yet,
the players would do well to remember their concentration levels must remain high
throughout, as poor starts have sapped their confidence in at least four of their league
games this season. But there is now hope.

“Hills” 1st XV –David Frame, Ross Curle ( Cammy McCulloch ), Andrew Eggleton, Will
Marshall, Stuart Todd, Jamie Hunter ( Ross Curle ), Andrew Cameron ( Jamie Hunter ), Joe
Stafford ( Willie Brown ) , Stewart McMillan (Ewen Weir), Bobby Agnew ( Joe Stafford ),
Stuart Rose, Chris Tulloch
( Marty Lane ), Stuart Ross , Murray Allan, Cameron Kerr ( C ) Subs – All used

Next up for Hills is Hamilton away on Saturday 21st October. KO 3pm