Missed kicks cost Peebles on their revenge mission

Published 12 Feb 2010 10:59 0 Comments

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Biggar 11 - 6 Peebles

On the same number of league points prior to the game there was never any doubt that this local derby would be a close run affair.

Particularly as Biggar had taken the honours back in September at The Gytes and that the visitors would therefore be gunning for revenge.

The game started at a fair pace with Biggar throwing everything at their neighbours and were rewarded after 7 minutes with an Chris McKeand easy penalty to take the lead.

To make matters worse for Peebles, David Harvey was given a yellow card for killing the ball. McKeand slotted another penalty to stretch the lead.

Despite being a man down, Peebles came back strongly, and fullback Donald Anderson pulled his first penalty attempt left.

Things got worse for Peebles when they lost the services of lock Adam Clark when he retaliated after the whistle, this being a costly indiscretion as the penalty, initially awarded to Peebles, was reversed by the referee.

The numbers were soon even again however, following the intervention of the touch judge who adjudged Simeon James to have used his feet illegally in a ruck.

Peebles ran the penalty from this award and quickly moved ball to the left where Biggar have McAlpine to thank for an excellent last ditch tackle which succeeded in preventing Craig Borthwick going over for a certain score.

Peebles were rewarded for their efforts just before half time with a Donald Anderson penalty.

A Biggar penalty just after the restart preceded another great passage of play for the home side.

A series of ruck balls eventually provided the Biggar side with sufficient space to really stretch the Peebles defence. A run by McKeand and then link to James seeing ball fed wide to Scott Watson who managed to round the Peebles defence for a great score.

Wide out and almost on the touchline the kick proved to be too far out for McKeand but at 11-3 there was a little daylight between the sides.

The game was never close to being dirty although with Fraley Hopa another to be sent to the bin many could have been forgiven for thinking so.

The big lock was guilty of a shoulder charge and down to 14 again Biggar could have come unstuck. As it was Anderson was wide with his penalty attempt.

A series of promising moves from both sides then came unstuck this largely down to lack of game time and match fitness borne of the long enforced lay off.

Peebles crept marginally closer to ensure the game finished with just one score separating the sides and which also gave Peebles a losing bonus.

Stand-off Neil Warnock continued to exert much pressure via some well judged diagonal kicks and up-and-unders and back rower Borthwick proved to be a belligerent presence but Peebles were unable to take full advantage of their opportunities as Biggar flung themselves into every defensive situation.

Peebles sought to use the boot on many occasions and while this caused some problems for Biggar as they tried to catch and clear, the Biggar back three managed to repel the first up tacklers and retain possession.

Biggar - Chris McKeand, Murray Thomson, Simeon James, Douglas Notman, Scott Watson; Conor Lavery, Sam Muir; Scott Cameron, Michael Rutherford, Kevin Anderson, Andrew Cairns, Fraley Hopa, Grant Owens, Ewan McAlpine , Jason Kelly. Replacements: Andrew Goodall, Ian Renwick, Andrew Peacock, Alan Warnock.

Peebles - Donald Anderson, Allan Smellie, Neil Hogarth, Dale Clancy, Steve Gee, Neil Warnock, Fraser Strachan: Willie Aitken, Ryan McConnell, Adam Clark, David Harvey, Matt Thompson, Craig Borthwick, Donald Sangster, James Oakes. Replacements: Trevor Keen, Neil Clark, Andrew Brown & Darren Kerr.

This article appeared in Peeblesshire News 12 Feb 10

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