Published: Friday, 11th January, 2008 12:30
Boughtwood boots wins Peebles bonus point
By H.L. Parker
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Kirkcaldy 13, Peebles 9
Drew Moore waiting for the ball to start another Peebles attack.
AS if by magic, the sizeable contingent of Peebles fans crossing the Forth Bridge on Saturday morning found that the snowy fields of the Borders had been transformed into the green ones of Fife.
Sadly, for the Travelling Faithful, that was where the magic ended after a fiercely-fought SHE Premier III tussle in which 3 Dan Boughtwood penalties proved insufficient against the impressive home side’s converted try and their penalties.
Whereas Kirkcaldy – following their Gytes defeat in mid-October – extended their ensuing unbeaten run to ten games with Saturday’s result, Peebles’ winning run on the road was terminated on the eight-game mark.
Said the visitors’ Director of Rugby, a disappointed Bob Hogarth, “I have to admit the right team won today.
“Kirkcaldy deserved it for their set play – particularly the set scrums,” he said.
“I thought their line-outs worked well for them too – an area where we usually outshine them.”
But what of Peebles’ spirited second-half revival?
“In the second half the boys stuck in terrifically well,” Bob went on.
“We certainly had our chances late on when went very close to scoring from a driven line-out.”
“A try then would surely have won the game for us. But to be fair to Kirkcaldy, that was probably the only time we looked like scoring a try against them.”
“However it was a good competitive game and I’m delighted we got a bonus point from it because it keeps us a point above Kirkcaldy in the table.”
“With five games to go,” he continued, “That point could prove hugely important in a situation where both Gala and Kirkcaldy have harder run-ins to their league programme than we do.”
(While Peebles have Irvine, Morgan and Livingston yet to meet at home plus Ellon and Murrayfield Wanderers away, Kirkcaldy face Berwick, Perthshire and Dunfermline at home and Ardrossan and Gala away.)
Concluded Bob, “We’ve yet to win at Ellon but we have to take something from the Ellon trip, having lost at Kirkcaldy.”
Early home pressure on the Peebles’ eight saw Kirkcaldy dominant and it was fortunate that Boughtwood was on form with clearance kicks with either foot.
Indeed, the visitors only advanced into the enemy half for the first time after 10 minutes but No 11 Neil Hogarth was held from Alan Smellie’s feed.
And the Fifers regained the initiative from an 18th minute penalty which brought strong-running flanker Ryan Murphy a try which Quintan Sanft converted.
Following a useful Dale Clancy clearance, back came Peebles as Donald Anderson intruded the line from Ross MacNish’s line-out take on the home 10-metre line.
But Hogarth was again thwarted on the left by an unyielding home defence.
David Harvey then took a leaf out of his fellow-lock’s book with a soaring line-out catch which saw Davy Paton and Trevor Keen’s drives followed by a Drew Moore half-break.
However, in spite of the lively Tig Jocelyn’s try-saving tackle on the flying Fisher as Kirkcaldy countered, Sanft increased the home lead to 10-0 with a 30th-minute penalty.
And the Fifers seemed the likelier side to score as halftime approached.
But tackles by Moore on No 8 Wilson and Adam Clark on the Mighty Mangalo plus drives out of defence by Keen and Neil Cruikshank exemplified Peebles’ commitment in the game.
Orion Keil, having failed with a long-distance penalty shot for Kirkcaldy, Referee Fraser Balharry, of Arbroath, blew his halftime declaration.
Below par earlier on, Peebles caught fire after the break as Moore’s tap penalty was exploited by Jocelyn, Hogarth and Harvey before Cruikshank cashed-in on a Boughtwood kick with a thumping tackle on the home full back.
But though Kiwi Dan’s 49th-minute penalty reduced the Gytes men’s deficit to 10-3, a successful Sanft kick soon after restored the home lead to 10 points.
His Peebles’ counterpart’s immediate reply was a second penalty to make the score 13-6 before Willie Aitken came on the replace the plucky loose-head Adam Clark.
Next, a Boughtwood break with Duncan Macdonald’s support brought the visitors’ fly half his third penalty success in fifteen minutes as he curled in a 30-metre kick for the final points of the afternoon.
Then, following rousing breenging play by the front row trio of Aitken, Keen and Neil Clark, Moore’s snaffle of loose ball culminated in a penalty touch at Kirkcaldy’s right corner after a deliberate home knock-on.
Though the Fifers struggled to contain Peebles’ line-out win and the driven maul that ensued, when the visitors lost possession soon after, the homesters were relieved to hack the ball upfield to safety.
It is Irvine next at home as the season hots up.
PEEBLES : D.W. Anderson, D. Clancy, A. Smellie and D. Macdonald, N. Hogarth, D. Boughtwood and A. Moore; A. Clark(W. Aitken 60), T. Keen, N. Clark, D. Harvey and R. MacNish, T. Jocelyn, N. Cruikshank, D. Paton.
UNUSED REPLACEMENTS : Ryan McConnell, Andrew Sangster and
Calum Farmer.
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