STEWARTRY 15pts WAYSIDERS DRUMPELLIER 7pts.
The gale force wind blowing across the Geenlaw was to neither teams advantage and definitely not for open rugby.
Both teams had decided it was a day for playing eight man rugby keeping the ball in the forwards and try battering through two solid defences. Stewartry kicked off but had to defend two early lineouts as Waysiders drove deep into the Stewartry 22. Fingland at stand off cleared the danger to halfway. In four minutes Stewartry were awarded a penalty the first of many giving them the chance to attack the Waysiders line. Kerr, Muir and Smith took play into the Waysiders 22 and it was Muir and Kerr again who broke through to win a five metre lineout. Andrew Kerr damaged a shoulder in the attack and was replaced by brother John. The Stewartry forwards led by captain Tommy Cannon were driving deep into the Waysiders defence but the visitors soon countered the moves with some forward play of their own. The game flowed back and forth with the referee a busy man with numerous infringements from both teams. Four minutes from half time a penalty kick to the corner gave Waysiders the chance to win the lineout and drive towards the Stewartry line where they scored at the posts. The conversion was added 7-0 to Waysiders at half time.
Waysiders kicked off the second half but it was Stewartry’s Danny Boyd who made good progress from a quickly taken penalty Stevie McCulloch was winning good lineout ball but Fenwick ,Fisher and Porteous were finding it hard to break through the Waysiders defence. In fifty two minutes a quick penalty for Stewartry by Fenwick gave club coach John Muir the chance to ghost through and score his first try of the season. Continued penalty awards against Waysiders saw them lose a forward to a yellow card for another dangerous tackle in the sixty seventh minute. Stewartry took advantage of the extra man and good back play by Muir, Fingland, Boyd and Cannon gave Farquhar the chance to score a second try for Stewartry.
The conversion was missed 10-7 to Stewartry with nine minutes left. Stewartry urged on by their windswept loyal band of supporters kept the game in the Waysiders 22 right to the end of the game when a bit of a free for all saw prop Ian McMorran take advantage and crash down on the line in the corner for Stewartry’s third try. The final kick of the game the conversion was missed but the points were not required as Stewartry ran out worthy 15-7 winners in one of their hardest games of the season. Both teams have to be congratulated for the effort they put in in the worst weather possible.
Stewartry Squad. J Muir, D Thomson, Danny Boyd, C Fenwick, A Kerr, J Fingland, J Farquhar, T Cannon (captain), D Burton, M McCulloch,
S McCulloch, J Fisher, M Smith, R Cunningham, L Henderson, J Kerr, IMcMorran.
STEWARTRY BLOW WAYSIDERS AWAY WITH A GALE FORCE VICTORY
