Undr 15s in Semi Final Drama

Semi Final Drama

Cumnock 15 Dalziel/Strathaven 13

Cumnock under 15s entertained Dalziel/Strathaven at Broomfield in the semi final of the West of Scotland Cup. Following 3 close encounters with their opponents this year this was always going to be a nail bitter. The crowd were treated to an exhilarating end to end game whose result was in doubt until the final whistle.

Cumnock got off to their traditionally slow start and Dalziel hammered their line before crossing for a deserved 5-0 lead after just 5 minutes. Cumnock rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in. Following an amazing Adam Watt tackle on a huge Dalziel prop, Cumnock managed to turn the ball over. They then worked their way up the park before pressing on the Dalziel line for what looked like a certain try. However poor composure and a tough Dalziel defence saw this chance slip away.

With about 25 minutes gone Dalziel broke away and were stopped just short of the line before good hands put their winger in in the corner. A missed conversion left the score as 10-0.

With 5 minutes to go Cumnock pressed up the park and a great break from on form Captain Andy Houston took them 30 meters up the touch line. Strong driving play from the forwards led to Mauchline powerhouse, Jamie Drummond, ploughing over for a score. Owen Young slotted the difficult conversion to leave it 10-7 to Dalziel at half time.

In the second half Dalziel added to their score by slotting a penalty in front of the posts. Cumnock started to get up a head of steam as the Dalziel forwards seemed to tire. They pushed up the park and went close with a set penalty which led to a scrum 5. From the scrum Jamie Drummond picked up and ran a great curve before steam rollering over the Dalziel defence for an unconverted score.

One point behind and Cumnock once more pressed through strong runs from Rob Drummond, Jock Welsh and Jamie Caldwell and clever tactical kicking. Eventually they received a penalty award in front of the posts which Owen Young slotted as cool as can be for what turned out to be the winning score.

The last 10 minutes saw Cumnock play a tactical kicking game to keep Dalziel pinned down. Dalziel showed terrific determination and threw everything but the kitchen sink at Cumnock. Cumnock were able to hold on and were delighted to hear the final whistle go for a narrow and hard fought win.

Coach Alan Montgomery commented after the game, “ This was always going to be a tough game. We really struggled in the first half with poor ball presentation and some dodgy choices made. In the second half our half backs showed much more control and we looked after the ball much better. Our midfield came up hard and made their tackles and our back 3 nailed their men. There was a great improvement in our rucking which starved Dalziel of some ball. We are delighted to scrape a win against quality opposition especially with some key players out injured. A cup final is a great way to finish the season especially as this will be the first full cup final a Cumnock junior team has contested. Lastly I would also like to thank the crowd from both teams that turned the occasion into a really enjoyable event.”