Under 17’s Match Report 14th September 2008
CUMNOCK HALT THE PINK AND BLACK ATTACK!!
Ayr 17 Cumnock 21
Cumnock Under 17’s programme of summer training paid dividends as they travelled to Ayr for their opening league fixture of the season. As expected this was a fiercely contested match, in which fitness levels could well have been the difference between the sides.
Cumnock knew they would be under pressure from a large well drilled Ayr pack and came out in fighting spirit to put down a marker of their drive and determination to compete. The first fifteen minutes of play saw Cumnock pounding the Ayr line and only some stout defending by the home side held the attack at bay. It was as a result of this style of play that led to the opening try for the visitors. From a breakdown on the Ayr 22 metre line, the Cumnock pack drove relentlessly and worked through four phases of play to feed the ball to Mark Bennett to crash over. The boot of Kyle Johnson was as reliable as ever and the conversion was in the bag.
Ayr came back from the restart and responded with some fine play from their forwards which saw them camp on the Cumnock try line. Despite some fine tackling from Graham Hunter, Greg Hamilton and Conor Nisbet, Ayr crossed the line twice but failed to convert either – a deficit which was to prove costly as the game progressed. Half time came with the score at 10 -7 in the home side’s favour.
Ayr returned to the field on form and opened their account early in the second half with a long range drive from the pack to touch down under the posts. There was no error in the kick which followed and Ayr pulled ahead 17 -7.
Cumnock redoubled their efforts at this point and held Ayr out for the ensuing fifteen minutes with tries being held up by the aforementioned Hunter and Hamilton. This set up the ideal platform for what happened next. Some dominant tackling from Craig Greer and Donald Hunter turned the ball over and the superb Alan Haynes wasted no time in spinning a precise pass to Bennett. He in turn punted the ball up the field and outran the Ayr winger and full back to touchdown under the posts. Johnson converted with ease and brought Cumnock back within three points.
This boost galvanised the Cumnock men and saw them immediately back on the attack, knowing that a victory was within reach. From a lineout in the Cumnock half, the ball was spread wide through the back line to flying winger Gavin Kerr. Kerr deftly chipped over the Ayr defence but was cynically taken out of play, unnoticed by the referee. Undaunted Cumnock resumed their attack and winning a scrum on the left side of the field scrum half Scott Houston lofted a well timed pass to number 8, Greer who fed the back line. Quick hands saw the ball out to Bennett who chipped over the Ayr full back. The ensuing chase and tackle from Bennett saw the ball dislodged from the full back’s grip and Bennett touchdown for his hat trick. Johnson again converted just as the final whistle blew, recording an outstanding and well deserved victory, 17 -21 to Cumnock.
Delighted coach, Morton Houston praised the effort and determination of all the players. “ This was a marvellous team effort with contributions made from each and every player. I could not select a Man of the Match from such a wealth of skill, industry and determination and this will be recorded as a team victory. The boys have worked extremely hard and deserve this win today. This was the result we wanted to set us up for the coming season. To open our season with a win away from home over the defending league champions is the best start we could have hoped for.”
Sunday 14 September 2008
Sunday 7 September 2008
Cumnock Under 17’s 68 Dumfries Under 17’s 14
Cumnock Under 17’s produced a resounding victory in their final warm up fixture before the start of their league endeavours next week. The home team meant business from the kick off and opened their account after only four minutes with a well taken try from No 8 Craig Greer who powered over the line from short range. On form stand off Kyle Johnson followed up within minutes as he teased the Dumfries defence with a show and go to score under the posts. A careless pass gifted Dumfries with their only try of the first half and highlighted the need for accuracy as the new season commences.
There followed a passage of play for which Dumfries had no answer as the Cumnock back line consistently exploited gaps to rack up four tries in quick succession – a second for Craig Greer, two from flying winger Tony Foster and one from Mark Bennett. All six tries were converted by Kyle Johnson, taking the half time score to 42 -7 in the home sides favour.
Dumfries returned to the field with a revised game plan which involved tying the ball in and restricting access to Cumnock’s back line. While this was good advice and resulted in more competitive play it did little to halt the scoring onslaught from Cumnock. A further try from Craig Greer completed his hat trick for the day. From the restart, Cumnock took the ball to the defence and some excellent support play from Craig McWhirter saw him on hand to finish off another fine example of flowing rugby. A stolen ball from the back of a scrum caught the Cumnock defence napping and allowed Dumfries their sole try of this half.
The next move saw Mark Bennett look as if there was no way through the Dumfries centres. A retrieved up and under fell perfectly into Bennett’s hands, was fed via Ross Black to a speeding Gavin Kerr who outstripped his opposite man for a well deserved score in the corner. In the dying minutes of the game Cumnock rounded off their performance with a try from full back Conor Nisbet who took his opportunity with ease. Nine of the ten tries were converted bringing the final tally to 68-14 to Cumnock.
Man of the Match was Alan Haynes whose work rate and industry both on and off the ball was outstanding. This week will see Cumnock Under 17’s make their final preparation for their tough opening league fixture against Ayr next Sunday. Coach Alan Hall said after the match “ There were some moments of brilliance this afternoon but the boys will need to maintain this high octane performance next week and erase lapses of concentration. Ayr are a well drilled outfit and any errors on Cumnock’s part will be punished.”
There followed a passage of play for which Dumfries had no answer as the Cumnock back line consistently exploited gaps to rack up four tries in quick succession – a second for Craig Greer, two from flying winger Tony Foster and one from Mark Bennett. All six tries were converted by Kyle Johnson, taking the half time score to 42 -7 in the home sides favour.
Dumfries returned to the field with a revised game plan which involved tying the ball in and restricting access to Cumnock’s back line. While this was good advice and resulted in more competitive play it did little to halt the scoring onslaught from Cumnock. A further try from Craig Greer completed his hat trick for the day. From the restart, Cumnock took the ball to the defence and some excellent support play from Craig McWhirter saw him on hand to finish off another fine example of flowing rugby. A stolen ball from the back of a scrum caught the Cumnock defence napping and allowed Dumfries their sole try of this half.
The next move saw Mark Bennett look as if there was no way through the Dumfries centres. A retrieved up and under fell perfectly into Bennett’s hands, was fed via Ross Black to a speeding Gavin Kerr who outstripped his opposite man for a well deserved score in the corner. In the dying minutes of the game Cumnock rounded off their performance with a try from full back Conor Nisbet who took his opportunity with ease. Nine of the ten tries were converted bringing the final tally to 68-14 to Cumnock.
Man of the Match was Alan Haynes whose work rate and industry both on and off the ball was outstanding. This week will see Cumnock Under 17’s make their final preparation for their tough opening league fixture against Ayr next Sunday. Coach Alan Hall said after the match “ There were some moments of brilliance this afternoon but the boys will need to maintain this high octane performance next week and erase lapses of concentration. Ayr are a well drilled outfit and any errors on Cumnock’s part will be punished.”
Sunday 31 August 2008
Kilmarnock Under 18’s 34 Cumnock Under 17’s 33
Gearing up for the new season, Cumnock Under 17’s have been in action twice this week in friendly fixtures. A hard fought, 33-12 victory against a well drilled Carrick Academy senior team on Tuesday night laid down a marker for the style and standard which will be expected of this team if they are to fulfil their potential in the coming season.
This fixture against Kilmarnock’s Under 18 was a further example of what lies ahead. Cumnock battled valiantly against a substantially bigger team in the first half but with no reward for their efforts. As the half time whistle blew, Kilmarnock exited the field with a comfortable 24-0 lead, having capitalised on their scoring opportunities as they arose.
Kilmarnock would have been forgiven for thinking they were playing a different team from the restart. The half time team talk had clearly achieved its desired effect as Cumnock resumed play on the attack. From a scrum in their own half, Cumnock won the ball against the head and executed a well rehearsed move to draw in the Killie defence and free Conor Nisbet to score Cumnock’s opening try. The conversion was slotted over with ease from the touchline by Kyle Johnson.
From the restart, Cumnock were immediately on the offensive. A scrum on the halfway line saw Cumnock thread the ball through their back line to scrum half Scott Houston. Houston deftly chipped the ball over the Kilmarnock full back for a certain score when he was taken out off the ball. The referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty try which was again converted by Johnson.
Kilmarnock fought back and followed the same pattern of feeding the ball to their comparatively huge forwards to crash over for an unconverted try. Cumnock responded straight from the restart and quickly advanced through a combination of strong forward play and silky running from the back line. An infringement on the 10 metre line resulted in a Cumnock penalty. Man of the Match Scott Houston took a quick tap, threw an outrageous dummy and sailed over the Kilmarnock line for his second of the match.
Cumnock had a sense of the tide turning at this point and the final twenty minutes of the game offered a glimpse of what could be for this talented young team. Winning the ball against the head, No 8 Craig Greer picked up from the base of the scrum and powered his way over to score. Johnson converted, bringing the tally to 29-28 with 10 minutes left to play. A further Kilmarnock forwards try nudged the score to 34-28 and with three minutes left, Cumnock dug deep as Houston thrilled the Cumnock support with an action replay of his previous try. In torrential rain and the kick from the touch line, Johnson narrowly missed the conversion. The final whistle blew recording a score of 34-33 in the home side’s favour.
Coach Morton Houston said after the match, “ Despite a poor start, gifting Kilmarnock with a 24 point lead, the boys fought their way back in to contention against an older and bigger team. There were many positives in today’s performance and this was a good opportunity to identify clearly areas for development.”
This fixture against Kilmarnock’s Under 18 was a further example of what lies ahead. Cumnock battled valiantly against a substantially bigger team in the first half but with no reward for their efforts. As the half time whistle blew, Kilmarnock exited the field with a comfortable 24-0 lead, having capitalised on their scoring opportunities as they arose.
Kilmarnock would have been forgiven for thinking they were playing a different team from the restart. The half time team talk had clearly achieved its desired effect as Cumnock resumed play on the attack. From a scrum in their own half, Cumnock won the ball against the head and executed a well rehearsed move to draw in the Killie defence and free Conor Nisbet to score Cumnock’s opening try. The conversion was slotted over with ease from the touchline by Kyle Johnson.
From the restart, Cumnock were immediately on the offensive. A scrum on the halfway line saw Cumnock thread the ball through their back line to scrum half Scott Houston. Houston deftly chipped the ball over the Kilmarnock full back for a certain score when he was taken out off the ball. The referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty try which was again converted by Johnson.
Kilmarnock fought back and followed the same pattern of feeding the ball to their comparatively huge forwards to crash over for an unconverted try. Cumnock responded straight from the restart and quickly advanced through a combination of strong forward play and silky running from the back line. An infringement on the 10 metre line resulted in a Cumnock penalty. Man of the Match Scott Houston took a quick tap, threw an outrageous dummy and sailed over the Kilmarnock line for his second of the match.
Cumnock had a sense of the tide turning at this point and the final twenty minutes of the game offered a glimpse of what could be for this talented young team. Winning the ball against the head, No 8 Craig Greer picked up from the base of the scrum and powered his way over to score. Johnson converted, bringing the tally to 29-28 with 10 minutes left to play. A further Kilmarnock forwards try nudged the score to 34-28 and with three minutes left, Cumnock dug deep as Houston thrilled the Cumnock support with an action replay of his previous try. In torrential rain and the kick from the touch line, Johnson narrowly missed the conversion. The final whistle blew recording a score of 34-33 in the home side’s favour.
Coach Morton Houston said after the match, “ Despite a poor start, gifting Kilmarnock with a 24 point lead, the boys fought their way back in to contention against an older and bigger team. There were many positives in today’s performance and this was a good opportunity to identify clearly areas for development.”
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