Both teams have had a great run in their respective pool matches so what better way to decide the league with a contest of the 2 top teams. It has been a wet week and the Picky outfield pitches were soft to say the least. It was going to be a mucky affair. Both teams have met over the years and the matches are always very even so we knew it was going to be a hard match to win. Strathmore won the coin toss and were kicking to Orkney to get the match started.
From that point the match became a war of attrition with both teams clashing in the rucks, scrums and making big tackles. Every turnover, every penalty won became a victory. 20 minutes had passed before Strathmore drew first blood when they got 3 points from a penalty kick in front of the Orkney posts. The score did not stay like that for long when Zander Baillie put his laces through the ball resulting in a fumble catch by Strathmore and Ashton Bruce capitalising on this error and performed a kick and chase to result in an Orkney try. The score was now 5-3 to Orkney. Again, both teams went to work on each other with the most physical match that either team had played this season. Lots of big tackles were made and after 30 mins the score was still 5-3,thus showing how even this contest was. Eventually, Orkney got a penalty that Zander opted to kick for 3 points bringing the score to 8-3 in favour of Orkney. At the 60-minute mark, tensions escalated and the referee, Jo Inkster, had to reach for her yellow card for an altercation between Finlay Daintith and one of the Strathmore players so we were down to 14 men. Strathmore were on the Orkney 5 metre line and only had one thing in mind, getting a try to bring the match to an even score which they did as they tapped and drove at the Orkney defence to bring the score to 8-8, they missed the conversion so the score remained even. 10 minutes to go and this was anyone’s game. Orkney found an extra gear and for the last 10 minutes, they laid siege to the Strathmore defence with relentless phases of attacking play. All the hard work that the lads have done this season with their training and team work showed as our 18s played a blinder for those last 10 minutes and it started to pay off when Balfour Norquoy scored our 2nd try of the day with Zander converting to bring the score to 15-8 but Orkney were not out of the woods yet as only 7 points separated the 2 teams. Orkney needed another try to seal the victory and that came at the hands of Lewis Moncrieff when he scored another try for Orkney in the dying minutes of the match to ensure that Orkney retained their league champions status from winning it last year. Hats off to Strathmore as that was a proper battle of 2 of the top teams in youth rugby. The coaches are very proud of how the boys performed not justin the final but all through the season as they progressed through their campaign to win the league. They have brought home the first silverware of the season for the club and hopefully not the last. Roll on the Caledonia Cup campaign next year. Darren McGee Squad from L to R Back Row - Zander Baillie, Lewis Moncrieff, Magnus Montgomery, Finlay Daintith, Ben Paterson, Michael McGee (VC), Tom Hamilton (C), Ben Sinclair (VC), Magnus Craigie, Ashton Bruce, Darren McGee & PJ McGrath Front Row - Jeff Dougall, Matthew Meason, Jack Doyle, Balfour Norquoy, Caleb McEwan, Jack Innes, Cameron Boyd, Ian Moar, Finlay Flett & Jason Buchan Comments are closed.
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