Cumnock Under 16 Match Report

Cumnock Under 16s 58 Uddingston/Waysiders Drumpellier 5

Cumnock under 16s got there season off to a great start with a comfortable victory against a team that pushed them hard in their West of Scotland Cup encounter in April this year. Following an intense pre-season focusing on speed and strength work the Cumnock players all seemed to be a yard faster than last season.

Numbers were good with 24 players attending and everyone of them contributed to the victory.

Cumnock played some scintillating rugby with many free flowing moves showcasing their excellent off loading skills. Each player looked to attack space and off load when their options ran out. This was equally true of forwards such as Mitchell Smith, Zak Ben Sliman and Robbie Stewart as it was for backs such as Chris Smith, Ross Marr and Hamish White.

Tries when they came were plentiful. Jock Welsh, the Sorn shepherd, celebrated his appearance on One Man and His Dog next week by scoring 4 tries, all from long range, including a 60 metre belter. Dylan Chidwick sealed an impressive performance with one of his own whilst others were added by Ross Marr, Andy Houston and new man Euan Wallace. Wallace playing his first game for the team had a great debut with many line breaks and hard tackles. The scoring was rounded off with conversions for Ross Marr and Owen Young.

Coach Andy Watt commented after the game, “ The first game of the season is always a worry. You hope that all the work you have done with the boys will show in the game but you can never be sure until the game gets under way. I was really pleased with how everyone contributed to the victory. The players seemed really hungry and displayed a great blend of skill, speed and power. It was great to see players like Declan Grange and Mitchell Smith step up and perform really well.”

Next week Cumnock 16s play their first conference game away against Allan Glens.