Carrick Blown Away by Clydebank
Clydebank faced Carrick at home with a number of regular
players once more missing from the starting line-up but the
depth of the playing membership proved to be sufficient to
handle Carrick on a wet and windy day at Whitecrook.
With the wind advantage in the first half not being used as much as
it could it took a strong performance from the team as a whole to hold
out in the second half to get a 16-7 win.
The first half should have given Clydebank a firm base to work from
with the strong wind at their backs but it wasn't to be. The first
contact saw No8 Scott McIntosh carried off with a hamstring injury which
unsettled the team for a time.
Clydebank regrouped and started to put pressure on the Carrick
defence. A penalty for Clydebank on seven minutes opened the
scoring with Ross Moffatt converting.
Sustained pressure gave Clydebank two further penalties on the
quarter hour mark but the swirling wind proved hazardous for Moffatt
who failed to convert either one.
Soon after, a break and chip ahead by Moffatt set up David Smart who
followed through and collected the ball at the same time as the Carrick
defender. Both players grappled for the ball as they crossed the
line. The Carrick player maintained sufficient contact as the ball
was touched down for the referee to give Carrick the benefit of the
doubt yet Clydebank were awarded an attacking five yard scrum.
Clydebank kept up the pressure for the next five minutes with Derek
Nolan eventually crossing the line but once more Carrick were judged to
have prevented the touch down.
Carrick had survived the onslaught but Clydebank would convert
another penalty just after the half hour point to take a 6-0 lead.
Clydebank pushed again in the final minutes of the half and forced
Carrick back to their line. Another penalty by Carrick on the five
yard line looked like another kicking opportunity for Clydebank but a
quick thinking Derek Nolan took a quick tap penalty and charged the line
and touched down for the first try. With the conversion missed
Clydebank led 11-0 as the first half ended.
With the wind advantage in the second half Carrick were confident and
this showed when their backs took their first chance to run through
the Clydebank defence and touch down to narrow the gap. The
conversion put the score at 11-7 and gave the Clydebank support a nasty
scare.
Several minutes later Carrick looked like they would repeat the feat
but the Clydebank defence stopped them short of the line. The
resulting scrum was won by Clydebank and Ross McCombe cleared the danger
with a long kick for touch against the strong wind.
Clydebank regained their composure once more and set about the task
of getting up the park to put the pressure back on Carrick. A
break by Paul Andrew on ten minutes did just that. Several phases
of play later and Clydebank had a line out on the Carrick five metre
line.
Another fine take in the line out by Don Ross set up the maul that
swept over the Carrick line. As the maul crossed the line Joe
Moore was in procession and he touched down for the second Clydebank
try. The missed conversion left the score at 16-7.
Clydebank kept their heads and maintained the pressure on Carrick.
Several more times Clydebank broke through the Carrick defence.
James Roberts made a sneaky break down the wing after peeling off from
the base of a maul. Catching the Carrick defence off guard he made
a forty yard run deep into the Carrick half.
Clydebank repeatedly drove at the Carrick defence which this
time held strong.
Eventually, the final whistle blew and Clydebank held out for their
fifth win out of five.
The 2nd XV broke their duck for the year as they triumphed away from
home against the Police beating them 38-27. A number of new starts
at the club pulled on the red and black for their first match and all of
them scored in the process.
There were six tries in all with old heads Jim Welson, Neil McKenzie
and Colin Dow each crossing the line while new starts Ross Strachan,
Andy Lyle and Stephen Barnett each got a try. Four conversion by
Mick Duncan (3) and Colin Dow (1) completed the scoring.
Team Photo
