Cumnock 12 Stewartry 12

Report by Morton Houston

The conditions were still very cold and wet but the players from both teams dug in and produced a very entertaining game.

Playing with the conditions in the first half Cumnock dominated territory against a strong and committee Stewartry outfit. Cumnock scored first following a sweeping move that eventually saw Jamie Drummond feed Calum McClownie who skipped inside 2 defenders to score. The lead was short lived however as Stewartry capitalised on some loose tackling to run the length of the park to score.

Cumnock got back into the driving seat and threatened on numerous occasions only to be thwarted by determined tackling from the visitors. Eventually however Jamie Drummond latched onto a pass and ploughed through 3 defenders to score.

In the second half Cumnock found themselves up against a strong wind and early onset hypothermia. The players from both teams knuckled down bravely and fought toe to toe for the next 30 minutes. Wallace Findlay and Dillan Chidwick had tremendous contributions with line break after line break, Unfortunately the last killer pass eluded Cumnock in terrible handling conditions. That was until following sustained pressure Jamie Drummond forced his way over again to extend Cumnock’s lead.

Stewartry were not beaten however and they worked 2 clever tries to take the lead. Cumnock trailed 3 by points (there are 3 points for a try at this level) with 5 minutes to go. They were not giving up however and they launched attack after attack. Eventually Chidwick found a gap on the outside and sprinted clear to score and win the man of the match award. With only seconds to go Cumnock broke away again and only a terrific covering tackle stopped Chidwick claiming the winner.

Coach Alan Montgomery said after the game, “ I was very proud of the fight and determination from the boys today in what were terrible conditions. Dylan Chidwick was great in attack as was Jamie Drummond and Wallace Findlay. I was particularly impressed with Jamie Caldwell who had his best game of the season. He tackled his heart out and won ball after ball at rucks. This wasn’t a perfect performance but it showed great heart and determination and that will keep the team improving.”

Next week Cumnock S1 and S2 teams play Greenock at home.