Stewart's Melville RFC

Ardrossan Accies vs Stew Mel, 20/1/07

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Squad

The Stewart's Melville FP RFC team to play Ardrossan Accies in the fourth round of the Cup at Memorial Field on Saturday, kick off 2 pm, is:

15	Jimmy Moran
14	Richard Borthwick
13	Sky Laurie
12	Murray Allan
11	Gavin Sharp
10	Stuart Ker
9	Rob Primrose
1	Areta Tanoai
2	Adrian Duncan
3	Ally Duncan
4	Dougie Naismith
5	Stephen Dalgleish
6	Phil Hendry
7	Pete McLean
8	Stuart Clark (captain)

16	Shaun McMurchy
17	David Calder
18	Jebb Sinclair
19	Colin Goudie

Two changes to the line up from last week's game. Gouders has a sore neck so drops down to the bench, with Gav Sharp starting in his place. Also, Sky is in at 13 again, as Coxy is still injured – Sky started against Accies (Edinburgh version) last week, but was not named on the website.

On the bench, David Calder comes into the squad for the first time to replace Andy Statham, while Canadian Jebb Sinclair also debuts as replacement for Scott Brewster.

The bus for Ardrossan will leave Inverleith at 10 am on Saturday if any supporters would like a lift through. If you're driving, directions to Memorial Field are here.

Malky's Musings

The conditions turned out to be better than we had feared when we arrived in Ardrossan on Saturday, and it was clear that, although the pitch looked heavy, we might still be able to avoid the trench warfare of the previous week at Raeburn Place.

We started the game playing into a stiff breeze and, almost straight from the kick off, displayed a level of composure which has been noticeably lacking over recent weeks. The half back partnership of Rob Primrose and Stuart Ker was orchestrating events well, and the forwards were succeeding in getting us the ‘go forward’ that the coaching staff have been craving.

Ardrossan competed strongly at the breakdown and tackled aggressively, but our superior possession, and the resultant pressure, led to two early penalty goal attempts. Both of these were converted by Jimmy Moran, and we led by 6 points within the first quarter. The home side then narrowed the gap with a penalty of their own after we were adjudged to have killed the ball illegally at the breakdown. We continued to control the ball well, however, and, on 35 minutes, following a concerted period of pressure in the opposition 22, we were awarded a penalty try when Pete McLean was stopped just short of the line by an offside defender. Jimmy slotted the conversion and we entered the break up 3-13.

We started the second half strongly, and, after an excellent break from Phil Hendry and some good interlinking play, Jimmy Moran went over in the corner to extend our advantage to 3-18. The conversion was missed, but, with the wind at our backs, it looked like an uphill struggle for the home team. To their credit, Ardrossan continued to fight hard, and they also played some enterprising rugby, with their back row covering a lot of ground and carrying ball well. Their only reward, however, was another penalty goal, with our defensive line proving difficult to break.

On 74 minutes, Jimmy Moran scored a further penalty goal, and, moments later, we claimed our third try of the game as Stuart Ker attacked the line at pace and forced his way over underneath the posts. Jimmy converted to take the score to 6-28 with only five minutes left. Not to be outshone, Borth rounded off the scoring in injury time, narrowly evading his large opposite man to score from turnover ball. Final score 6-33.

All in all this was a good result, and, more importantly, a good performance in difficult conditions. Ardrossan acquitted themselves well, and, hopefully, will progress well in the Shield competition. The hospitality shown to us after the game was first class, and it was good to see the boys participating in a boat race against their erstwhile opponents. We wrapped the boat race up comfortably, but, then again, we have always been Premier class on that front.

Malky

Stew Mel Stats

Result	Won 6-33
Sequence	0-3, 0-6, 3-6, 3-11, 3-13 (half time), 3-18, 6-18, 6-21, 6-26, 6-28, 6-33
Tries	Penalty Try (35 mins), Jimmy Moran (41 mins), Stuart Ker (76 mins), Richard Borthwick (85 mins)
Conversions	Jimmy Moran 2 (first and third tries)
Penalties	Jimmy Moran 3 (9, 18 & 74 mins)
Cards	None - from the sidelines, the game appeared to be played in a pretty good spirit throughout, with the ref ably demonstrating how to keep control of a game without the use of cards
Referee	TBC
Single Sentence Summary	The state of the pitch and our patchy league form made this look like a potential banana skin, but the boys put in a good shift, pretty much snuffing out Accies as an attacking force and running in some good tries as our hosts started to tire
Leading Lion	Tempted to recognise Borth for managing to avoid getting almost any mud on his jumper during the game - a bit quiet on the wing, was it, Richard? - but had better go for Dalgy, who worked like a Trojan today and demonstrated his usual willingness to make the hard yards and put in the hits that count
Bevvy Bulletin	Stuck to the bottled Stella before and after the game, as the draft beers on offer in Accies' neat wee clubhouse were of the T*****ts variety. On the way home, young Borthwick again played a blinder in ensuring that the £200 cairry oot we picked up at Morrisons in Ardrossan included some fine bottled ales - Banana Bread Beer, anyone?
Pie Points	Where do I start? Before the game, genial Ardrossan president David Frazer insisted that I have some steak pie in the clubhouse - and bloody good it was, too, with cabbage, peas and potatoes to mop up some great gravy. Then, after the game, there was chunky home made soup and possibly the best pies of the season - piping hot and cooked to perfection, with loads of tasty filling and truly mouthwatering pastry. Ardrossan Accies - we salute you!

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