EK Too Strong for Emerging 'Nock Side

The Cumnock team headed to South Lanarkshire with a full team however the holiday weekend had forced some positional changes to the side which made this a tough trip for the team.

From the KO, Cumnock worked the ball back and forth trying to find gaps in the well organised EK defence. Despite the possession it was EK that scored first through the visitors losing the ball deep in EK territory and the hosts running a try in from long distance. This became a theme for the rest of the game with Cumnock holding possession for decent periods of time and then coughing up the ball cheaply to which the hosts would capitalise and score.

It was not all doom and gloom however as this team is in a building phase this season and for the second week running it had new players who are still learning the fundamentals of the game. What was clearly evident was, along with their team mates, a desire to get involved and put in their best effort.

Coach Harry Reilly commented “There has been a common issue running through this U15 side this season when it comes to defence and in particular their tackling. This team can be effective as an attacking unit with some exciting runners that cause their opponents endless problems however this can only happen when they have possession. First and foremost, any successful team must be able to defend solidly, stop their opponents and take the ball from them.” Coach Thomas Bowditch added “…our commitment to making the proper tackle, particularly from our more experienced players, needs to be better. Our players are doing the hard bit by getting into position to make the tackle then choosing the wrong type of tackle. Decision making in defence looks as though it will be our theme in training for the next wee while.”

Team List :- Ruairidh Airlie, Arun Cameron-Cooper, Luke Cameron-Cooper, Keiran Makin, Andrew Wilson, Kerr Robson, Andrew Rodger, Evan Smith, Cameron Smith, Iain Stobbs, Reece Morrison, Lewis Douglas, Kevin Van Der Leest, John McIlwain, Cameron Toman

The team has seen a number of new players joining the team over that past couple of weeks which is excellent news for the team and bodes well for the season. The Cumnock RFC U15 side is still keen to recruit players so if you are interested come along to training on Tuesdays and Thursday for 1800 start at Cumnock Rugby Club or call 01290 420292 for more information.
Next game in the conference for the U15 team is Sunday 25th September at home to Greenock with a 1400 KO