Cartha Queens Park 10

Peebles 6

Lindsay Laird at Dumbreck

FOLLOWING four wins and a draw from the last five games, Peebles travelled to Dumbreck to take on League leaders Cartha Queens Park brim full of confidence.

Having had Peebles watched the week before, Cartha obviously saw the Gytes men as a threat to their promotion aspirations and were given a stern test throughout the 80 minutes.

One Cartha supporter was heard to say it was the best scrummage they had faced.

Peebles started the better, taking the game to Cartha but a re-think of the game plan was needed early in the game when first Greg Raeburn and then five minutes later Kieran Brown went off injured.

Despite the disruption it was the Peebles forwards who were on top in the early stages.

It was end to end stuff but it was Cartha that had the first threatening attack.

From ruck ball they took play into the Peebles half. A cleaver chip through from the stand-off put Peebles under pressure but it all came to nothing as the visitors managed to touch the ball down.

Cartha were quickly back on the attack again with a good touch find from their full back. Peebles won the line out but were penalised at the ruck for coming in at the side.

Peebles won the line out and cleared the danger when Steven Hamilton made good ground taking the ball into the Cartha half.

Greg Raeburn returned to the fray and on 20 minutes Peebles had their first chance of points when awarded a kickable penalty for coming in at the side.

But the kick drifted wide of the American Football style posts favoured by the Glasgow club.

Peebles continued to press and Donald Anderson was cynically taken out by the Cartha centre which earned him a spell on the naughty step.

The Gytes men kicked to touch and from the subsequent line out drove for the Cartha line but their defence held firm with Peebles being penalised for holding on.

The game was to-ing and fro-ing with both sides desperate to find a breakthrough.

Half time arrived with the score level at 0-0.

However it didn’t stay that way for long.

Cartha had pressure on the Peebles line from good scrum ball and their pick and drive play gave them a try within four minutes of the re-start. The conversion out wide was missed to give Cartha a five point lead.

Peebles were quick to reply though, Cartha being penalised for holding on.

Raeburn kicked the penalty to make the score 5-3 after 10 minutes of the second half.

The game was developing into a forward battle and on 14 minutes Cartha again scored out wide in a similar fashion to their first try through a forward drive. The missed conversion left the score at 10-3.

Peebles came back with Raeburn once again slotting the penalty to leave the score at 10-6.

The Pees were beginning to get the upper hand again and going into the final quarter were camped on the Cartha line.

During this time Peebles had the ball over the line on three separate occasions, one of which was a clear score, but the referee deemed them all to have been held up.

Peebles continued to besiege the Cartha line with some good interplay between backs and forwards but were just unable to convert all the pressure into points.

The game ended with Cartha taking the game into the Peebles half and threatening to end with a flourish but the referee blew the whistle for full time.

It was probably the hardest game Cartha QP have had so far this season and to come away with a losing bonus point from the league leaders may prove crucial.

There is still everything to play for and Cartha QP have still to visit The Gytes.