Cumnock Under 15s 14 Whitecraigs Under 15s 15

Report by Ian Park

Going in the final Cumnock were very much the underdogs with Whitecraigs completing the league season unbeaten but that didn’t deter the improving Cougars side.

It was always going to be a tough game and from the off Whitecraigs ran at Cumnock but great tackling and cover prevented any early score. With the Cougars constantly defending in the opening 15 minutes Whitecraigs eventually got the opening points, unable to break through the Cumnock defence they opted to kick a penalty to go up 3-0.

Building on their solid defence Cumnock eventually started to make line breaks and yards into the opposition half, unfortunately it was during one of these breaks that Cumnock lost their scrum half to a shoulder injury and another hospital visit for the Kerr family. The cougars were now in the game and were matching their bigger opponents, keeping possession and working the phases deep into the Whitecraigs half. The pressure finally paid off with the Cumnock centre crashing over close to the posts for their first score which was converted to lead 7-3, despite further pressure from Whitecraigs, Cumnock finished the half with the lead.

Half time was frantic for the coaches with many of the boys who had put in a huge shift needing a break and the replacement scrum half going off ill, leading to much shuffling of the team, it’s the hardest the coaches have worked all season.

Despite the changes the team showed the strength they have throughout the squad as they continued to compete. Whitecraigs again got the first points of the half with try in the corner that wasn’t converted to narrowly lead by 8-7. Throughout the game Whitecraigs discipline had let them down with the penalty count against them and a few conversions with the referee but no more action from the referee was deemed necessary. The game was now being played almost exclusively in the Whitecraigs half but it was them that crossed the line again with a break from their own half, won from a line out that was nearly straight, the ball finding their speedy centre who scored under the posts giving them an easy kick to go 15-7 up.

The game was far from over and Cumnock, now camped in the opposition half, used all their squad to continue to press with time running out. The Cougars were making good line breaks which unfortunately they were not turning into points but they continued to pressure their opponents. The final score of the game came from the Cumnock centre who broke a couple of tackles and ran under the post from the 22, the extra points came to make the score 15-14 with a few minutes left.

Cumnock now had the opposition rattled but were running out of time, from the kick off the Cougars had to keep the ball alive and carried the ball back into the Whitecraigs half, despite disruptive penalties from the Glasgow team Cumnock had to keep the ball moving. Deep into added time with the Cougars edging forward Whitecraigs eventually turned the ball over and desperately scrambled the ball into touch to narrowly win the game 15-14.

The result shows the huge improvement this Cumnock team has made during the season, the coaches were delighted with the boys commitment, attitude and most of all their discipline in a tough game. It was also good to see the huge travelling support of parents, many of whom enjoyed the magical mystery tour to Dalziel. This may be the last game of the season for the u15’s but training will continue over the summer to hit the ground running with a full team for the start of next season.