East Kilbride 44 - Cumnock / Kilmarnock Cougars U16 19

This was the final pool game in the Cup first round and both teams were looking for their first win. The first half was played at a fair tempo even given the heavy ground conditions. The first try for the Cougars was scored by the ever alert Bradley Smith who drove over the line from short range. Mid way through the half another penetrating break by Smith released Gregor Aitken into space. His well timed pass to Gregor Paxton allowed the young centre to score under the posts, leaving an easy conversion for David Smith. It looked as if the score would be tied at 12-12 going into the interval but a break away try in the dying seconds gave the home team a five point advantage.

East Kilbride upped the pace straight from the start of the second half and the Cougars just couldn't find a way back into the game. Uncharacteristic handling errors and poor tackling allowed the hosts to score a further five tries before scrum-half Aidan Kerr managed to touch down late on after putting his opposite number under pressure at the back of a scrum. David Smith added the extras, bringing the game to a close.

With a mix of players from Cumnock, Kilmarnock and Marr and some players new to the sport this squad is pretty much in the development stages. Further training sessions are planned and with no games coming up there is time to develop the players skills.