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You are here: Match Reports/2007-08/1st XV/Stew Mel 20th October 2007

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“HILLS” FALL SHORT

Hillhead Jordanhill 16pts Stewarts Melville 20pts

For their fourth consecutive home game in SHE Premier 2, “Hills” recorded a losing bonus
point in falling to their visitors from Edinburgh by one goal, two tries and one penalty goal to
one goal, two penalty goals and one drop goal. Over the game, despite efficient ball winning
from their forwards, “Hills” could not make enough of their possession with “Stew Mel”
possessing the more dangerous runners in broken play.

Certainly, “Hills” will wish to make better starts, as once again they conceded a try in the
opening passages of play with the visitors taking the game right into the home twenty two,
where a close range scrum lead to try in the right hand corner after only two minutes.
Somewhat chastened by this reverse, “Hills” upped their play, particularly through the “bull
like” charges of tight head prop, Joe Stafford, who gave all the visitors’ defenders a bruising
time of it in the 80 minutes. Andrew Eggleton, from full back, was also prominent in attack,
but whenever “Hills” threatened in the “Stew-Mel” twenty two, poor discipline at the
breakdown cost them dearly in conceding ruck penalties. It was left to no. 10, Kern Boyd, to
open the scoring with his first successful penalty goal of the afternoon from some 35 metres.
“Hills” continued to attack in the second quarter but without any real confidence from their
threequarters, with attacks from both Mitchell and Robertson fizzling out. The rest of the
scoring in the first half was confined to an exchange of penalties from Jimmy Moran of the
visitors and Kern Boyd of the “Hills”. Half time was reached with “Stew-Mel” eight points to six
ahead.

From the start of the second half, “Hills” looked livelier and probings from both their half
backs, Andrew Gilman, no. 9, with his sniping runs and Kern Boyd, no. 10, from his kick
placements, kept the visitors in their own half. The stand-off eased his side ahead by one
point with a snap drop goal from the left which crossed the bar in a somewhat “inebriated”
fashion; nevertheless “Hills” were now ahead for the first time in the match. But the
Edinburgh men who required no invitation to run at the opposition came back to capitalise on
a loose line-out to transfer the attack to the other side of the field and register a converted
try. “Stew–Mel” were now six points ahead and entering the final quarter, with the next score
bound to be crucial. It came the visitors way when an innocuous grubber kick through the
“Hills” lines was inexplicably left for Park to fly hack into the home in-goal area to take “Stew-
Mel” to the comfort of an eleven point lead.

This stung the “Hills” into action with replacement prop, “Vince” McAulay, making an
immediate impact with his barrelling runs. Fierce pressure was exerted in the final ten
minutes of play, but all “Hills” had to show for these endeavours was a fine McAulay try,
goaled by Boyd. For “Hills” , the final intensity of play took them within the bonus point range
but no closer.

“ This was again disappointing, but despite this setback, I believe we are still improving,”
noted “Hills” head Coach, Keith Robertson. “We are going to have to take our final fifteen
minutes of play with us down to Jedforest next week and build on that. We have to continue
working hard at training and for each other on the pitch.”

Hills 1st XV – Andrew Eggleton, Donald Robertson , David Paterson , Will Marshall, David
Mitchell ( Andy Leslie ), Kern Boyd, Andrew Gilman, Gavin Blackburn ( Nick McAulay ) , Ewen
Weir , Joe Stafford , Stuart Todd ( Douglas Crichton ) , James Howarth ( Duncan McCartney
) , Stuart Ross, Cammy Kerr ( C ) and Stuart Rose . Subs. All used