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Wednesday, 25 February 2009

2008 season 2nd team remaining fixtures

From Jim Morton on chatboard

The league management have made changes to Div 6 with regard to the outstanding fixtures that we have still to play. We now have only 3 games to play to end our league season. The games are:
28th Feb Paisley Home 12.00 kick off
14th Mar Hamilton Away 3.00 kick off
21st Mar Allan Glens Home 3.00 kick off

Monday, 23 February 2009

Glasgow Under 17 starting lineup for Wednesday 25/2/09

Link to Scottish rugby website

It has been announced that Craig Greer is starting in position number 1 for the Glasgow Under 17 vs Caledonia RFC Under 17 game on Wednesday 25th at 7pm at Stirling RFC.

Have a good game Craig.

report from Scottish rugby website game on wednesday

Sunday, 22 February 2009

I've seen the future and its got a roof!

Cumnock Cougars travelled to play a series of matches against East Kilbride on 22nd Feb however this was not at EK's normal home ground but in the covered astro pitch at the Hamilton Palace sports complex. Whilst there are certain limitations to this type of facility these pale against the positives the most significant being that the vagaries of the Scottish weather are removed from the mix.

If we are to continue with micro and mini rugby during the winter months a facility such as Hamilton Palace make perfect sense however the age old problem of securing the necessary finance for projects seems as likely as Frank Hadden naming me in the next squad for the next round in the Six Nations.

On a nother point, Euan Kerr and I had a conversation with senior coach at EK who advised of a SRU backed initiaitive to pilot summer rugby. The proposal was fairly detailed and inv olved a significant number of clubs with factors taken into consideration such a s holiday periods and the like. Whilst there are some problems to deal with in the summer not least of which is rock hard pitches surely this would be a positve move for our young players - We await the results with interest

Harry

East Kilbride mini/midi reports Sunday 22nd February

P4
Cumnock visited East Kilbride today for 2 thrilling and hard fought games. The team played very well in both games improving as the day went on but were unfortunate to lose both games. The try scorers today were Alex Houston and Calum Bell, support play coming from Kory Galloway, Austin McBirnie, Lucy Watt and Adam Watt.

P5
The P5 boys put in 2 great performances today narrowly losing their first game 4-3. After a short break the boys came out firing on all cylinders blowing their opposition away with a 5-3 victory in the second game. Tries coming from Sean Houston, Scott Teece, Calm Park and Calum Bell ably assisted by Jack McSeveney, John Watt and Tyler Wallace

Cumnock P7 Report

East Kilbride 13 Cumnock 5

Cumnock travelled to an indoor astru-turf pitch at Hamilton Palace to play East Kilbride. The facility was excellent, with conditions obviously excellent for playing rugby. However, the pitch as set-out was very narrow, not much different to the training pitch at Cumnock Academy . This meant that there was not enough width for Cumnock to play to their strengths, getting quick ball out wide and running into the corners. The pitch suited the East Kilbride style of play with the ball kept tight with their large pack and only moving wide once Cumnock players had been sucked into any rucks or mauls.

The Cumnock tries from G Aitken, Z North (2) and J Reilly (2) came from some good passages of play with the ball moving about quickly through various sets of hands.

The coaches were disappointed with the way some players didn't get involved at the breakdowns despite spending weeks practising rucking and mauling. Too many players were content to stand back and see what happened rather than competing for the ball. On the positive side, the half backs and centres were linking up well with good positive runing and tackling from Kerr, Reilly, Aitken and North. This was the first defeat since before Christmas and hopefully it will be a wake-up call for some of the players

mini section are training next Sunday times tba

Saturday, 21 February 2009

Uddingston 0 Cumnock 1st xv 56


This was never going to be, just another Saturday, this was a long awaited Saturday for some of the clubs, parents, coaches and of course what today was mostly about, four young players who have come up through the youth section and becoming of age to play first team rugby.
With a slight wind blowing, there was nothing really else you could complain about, considering what we have had lately, condition underfoot were good which was to prove favourable for the Cumnock backs. Four guys don’t make a team though, and it was the forward driving that was to put the early pressure on the home side, sucking in most of their defence, finally allowing Elliot to unleash a miss pass out to Bennett, but it was Houston also on his debut, popping up in support to receive what looked a slightly forward pass to score his first senior try, converted by Bennett. From the restart the young guns were linking once again, this time, it was a great take from Nisbet going across field, fed Bennet in his own 22metre, who then proceeded to scythe his way through the opposition to score between the uprights and convert. Play was then camped at the middle of the field for the next ten minutes, with a series of scrums, none of which Cumnock were too worried. With an ABC line up of a young Alan old Bobby and experienced Chad they had the front row sown up. It was Uddingston however that stole one against the head, Houston making up for the misdemeanour, intercepted their pass out to the backs and make a break with only the fullback to beat, he returned his earlier favour and slipped the pass to Bennett. From the restart once again Houston put in the chip ahead, Harkin put in the chase, then Thomsom overturned possession and this time it was Hill to feed Bennett. With halftime approaching, for some unknown reason, which the coach wasn’t happy about, Cumnock tried to run the ball out of their own 22metre finally conceding a penalty. With almost everyone asleep it was the alertness of Harkin who noticed a quick one being taken, but infringed before they had covered 10metres, getting sin binned for his actions, but in the end proved to be a good call. Half time 35-0.
Also making his debut, swapping new for old, Donald Hunter replaced a tired Horton and in the centres like for like McPheators came on for Hill. Uddingston looked now to have upped the tempo in the forwards with play mostly in the Cumnock half, but again good defensive work from Fulton and Kerr resulting in a knock on, Harkin playing the advantage put in a long clearance kick from his own 22metre line, McPheators and McMillan with the follow up chase, the latter getting the luck of the bounce and getting the try. As in the first half, we then encountered a spell of play around midfield again, although most of the time seemed to be spent at line outs, where once again with the inclusion of Andy Nairn Cumnock had got it just right. From the only No.8 pick up from Kerr of the game Cumnock went down the blind side but were finally bundled into touch. From the ensuing line out the home side failed to find touch, Harkin capitalised on the weak effort with a good run to pop it to non-other, Bennett to score. The remainder of the game was played in the opposition half, Brady trying to keep his forwards focussed on the game plan, when the ball slipped out to McMillan who had only a 10metre dash to the line, but for some reason he thought he had only 5metre, as he touched down a bit premature and was then pushed into touch. A steal from Nairn at the line out and quick ball from Houston to Elliott saw Bennett come through on the crash for try number 6.
The coach said he was pleased with the youngsters performances, he also recognised that it seemed to help and up the game of the others, he also praised the defence thus not allowing the opposition on the score sheet and with a bit more training together this can only improve.

More pics on chatboard thread, please send me more pics if you have it.

Sunday, 15 February 2009

Stewartry 26 Cumnock S1/2 14

The S1 & 2 team undertook the long and winding journey to Castle Douglas, coming up against a fairly strong Stewartry side. Cumnock were fielding a side with several inexperienced players with two of them making their debuts. The first 20minutes were fairly even with the Stewartry boys only scoring 2 tries and unfortunately they were not countered, however it could have been worst had debutant Telbell not charged across the field to take out the opposite winger 5m from the try line. After the break Cumnock came out guns blazing with Man of the match Telbell scoring in the corner.

After some crunching tackles by big Iain, Robbie and Euan, Christopher made break and scored under the posts going on to convert his effort. In the final 20minutes Cumnock scored two great tries, another Debutant Dempster using his magic feet to pass the opposition and go over, while the other one was more of a team effort with Iain making the original impact while good support play meant George was able to stroll over the line. Unfortunately some missed tackles meant that the score line flattered the home side winning as they did 26 - 14. Auld Jim the head coach said after the game “ There has been a great improvement since the last game, and all the boys have shown a lot of potential” As noted before Man of the Match award was given to Telbell for an outstanding first game, while the eejit award was given to Callan for being sick on the bus!

Saturday, 7 February 2009

Saturday 7th February Cumnock homes games off

Cumnock 1st xv vrs Loch Lomond and Cumnock 2nd XV vrs Paisley are both off.

Sunday, 14 September 2008

CUMNOCK HALT THE PINK AND BLACK ATTACK!!

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, 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.”

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.”