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The
fourth round of the Scottish Hydro Electric Cup is probably
the one day in each season when Boroughmuir fans can turn up
for their Saturday afternoon’s entertainment completely safe
in the knowledge that their side will come away victorious.
Cumbernauld’s job was to show as much fight and spirit as
they could, and they proved they were lacking in neither as
they strung some nice moves together and ended up with the
try they thoroughly deserved through captain Euan Crichton.
With
some regular starters unavailable for selection, there was
an unfamiliar look to the ’Muir starting eleven with Ed
Mills and Phil Bloomer starting their first competitive
games for the 1st XV. It was Bloomer who opened
the scoring in the third minute, charging onto a pass from
James White, he burst through the Cumbernauld defence and
raced in to touch down under the posts. Ed Mills converted
the try, netting his first points for the side.
A
combination of dogged home defence and Boroughmuir passes
going to ground meant that it was a further seventeen
minutes before the national champions troubled the scorers
again. When that score did come, there wasn’t much surprise
that it was Charlie Keenan who scored it. The speedster
bagged four at this stage of the competition against
Broughton last season and ended up with the same tally
today. His first set up by fly-half Greg Cottrell’s inside
pass leaving him with only full back Jordan Reid to beat,
which he did with the ease expected of him. Malcolm
Clapperton took over the kicking duties for the rest of the
half, and his first effort curled between the posts from out
on the right flank.
There were three more tries to come in the first forty
minutes – two of which were converted via Clapperton’s boot.
From the restart after Keenan’s effort, fellow winger Rory
Couper got himself on the board. He was found by Calum
Cusiter, coming onto the ball at pace down the blindside and
battering his way to the try line from forty metres out.
Couper had the next score as well. When a move between Mills
and Keenan broke down on the right flank the ball was moved
quickly left across the line, Graeme McCallum showing a soft
pair of hands to flick the ball out to Couper who darted in
for the score.
It
was after Couper’s score that Cumbernauld had their best
period of the half, twice taking quick tap penalties as
scrum half Raymond Au and full back Jordan Reid worked them
towards the Boroughmuir line. A lapse in discipline saw
Conor Costigan sent to the sin bin for failing to retreat
the requisite ten metres after a penalty was awarded to the
home side, but they failed to take advantage, letting ’Muir
clear their lines.
There was time left for one more ’Muir score before half
time. When Alan McLeod dropped a pass in midfield it was
thoroughly punished, Keenan and Clapperton shipping the ball
out to flanker Olly Brown who backed himself from seventy
metres, sprinting outside the cover defence and touching
down.
Brown moved from flanker to inside centre for the second
half as coach Eamon John made changes to his side, including
the return of Ally Ness to the Boroughmuir first team after
far too many years out injured. Ally perhaps got a little
carried away early on when he was penalised for a stamp, but
for the rest of the half his hard running and big tackles
were a much more positive contribution.
The
first try of the second period came when Keenan raced in for
his second of the day. Ed Mills broke down the right and
played a lovely pass out of contact to Brown. Doing well in
his new role, Brown found Keenan on his inside and put the
winger clear for the score. With Clapperton off the pitch,
Mills resumed his kicking duties but his effort tailed off
to the right of the posts.
It
was the next try, however, which drew the biggest cheer of
the day. From a Boroughmuir scrum thirty metres from their
own line, quick reactions from Raymond Au saw him steal the
ball from under Cusiter’s nose as it popped out of the
scrum. McLeod was on hand to drive towards the line, and the
flanker found his captain Crichton in support to crash over
for the score. Reid missed the conversion, leaving Crichton
alone in his glory.
Boroughmuir reasserted their authority with a quick
retaliatory score. Freddie Lait won superb turnover ball in
the tackle and from Cottrell’s chip ahead, substitute winger
Rob Cairns picked up without breaking his stride and
outpaced the Cumbernauld defence, scoring under the posts.
Mills was this time successful with his conversion, as he
was with another three in what remained of the match.
Keenan bagged the first of the remaining tries, another
chance to show his electric pace when White found him well
out of contact, and from the restart it was Cottrell’s turn
for a try. Brown, standing in the first receiver position,
made the initial break and when he was brought down, Ness
was on hand to take over. The lock forward – plying his
trade in the back row for the day – could probably have made
the line himself, but unselfishly decided to make sure of
the score, offloading to Cottrell who dotted down under the
sticks.
Cottrell was at the heart of ’Muir’s tenth try, his quick
break taken on by Fergus Pringle, who in turn found James
White on his shoulder. With open space ahead of him, White
pinned back his ears and outpaced Ross Gilmour to score
behind the posts.
It
was fitting that Keenan should have the final say in the
scoreline – Mills obligingly missed the conversion from wide
on the right – as the winger had been ’Muir’s dominant
threat throughout. He seemed to link up well with Brown in
the second half, and it was the flanker-turned-centre who
again provided the assist and there was never any doubt that
Keenan would outsprint the defence in the race for the line.
Job
done would best describe the day from a Boroughmuir point of
view, but the day was about Cumbernauld getting their chance
to have a crack at the big boys. They showed as much heart
and determination as anyone could have expected from them
and it’s unlikely that Euan Crichton will have to buy
himself a pint for the next week or two. For ’Muir, bigger
fish lie in wait in future rounds, but they’ve taken the
first step on the road.
Boroughmuir: Ed Mills;
Charlie Keenan, Malcolm Clapperton, James White, Rory Couper;
Greg Cottrell, Calum Cusiter; Conor Costigan, Davie
Cunningham,
Freddie Lait; Fergus Pringle, Graeme McCallum; Olly Brown,
Phil Bloomer,
Joni Hare. Subs Used Sean Crombie, Ally Ness, Greig Scott,
Rob Cairns |
