Whitecraigs v Cumnock / Kilmarnock Cougars (match abandoned after forty minutes)

Report by Kevan Aitken

However the team travelled to Newton Mearns short of numbers due to a combination of injuries, holidays and indifference so this was always going to be a tough fixture.

Whitecraigs generously loaned three players and the match began in lively enough fashion. The home team scored first but a swift reply from the Cougars with a flighted kick from stand off David Smith was chased and caught by Gregor Paxton who ran in a wonderful try from forty yards to score under the posts, with Smith adding the extra point. The game then turned for the worst, with firstly hooker Robbie McLaren then team captain Stuart McEwan going off injured, giving their opponents a two man advantage. Whitecraigs exploited this with three further converted tries to lead 15-4 at the break.

Things went from bad to worse in the next period with an injury to centre Taylor Howie adding to the Cougars woes. The forwards were struggling to contain the larger Whitercraigs pack, although great work from Scott Faulds and Andrew Harkiss in the rucks made life difficult for their opponents. Some great defensive work on the wings from Gavin Wight and Keiran Frater kept their opposite numbers at bay for long periods. Some increasingly bizarre decisions by the referree, including penalising vice captain Gregor Aitken asking for an explanation and the superior numbers saw Whitecraigs on the scoreboard again. A serious knee injury to G Paxton towards the end of the period saw the Cougars coaches abandon the game and take the players off to avoid further injuries.

With the ground still rock solid from the dry spell (despite a downpour before the match kicked off) player safety is paramount and the rising injury toll required players to move to unfamiliar positions, again increasing the safety risk. The Whitecraigs coaches agreed with the Cougars decision and the the game ended amicably, if somewhat disappointingly given the way that the team have been playing all season. It remains to be seen if the players can lft their spirits for the final game of the season against East Kilbride in two weeks time.

Team

G Paxton, T Howie, G Aitken (v-c), G Wight, D Smith, S McEwan (c), R McLaren, A Harkiss, S Faulds, R Phillips, I Barr, C Gordon, K Frater