Match against Hamilton on 01-Mar-2013

Match against Hamilton (01-Mar-2013)

Date: Friday, 1st March 2013
Kickoff time: 19:30
Against: Hamilton
Team: Hawks 1st XV
Location: Home
Competition: NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final score: 67 - 27 (won)

Following last Saturday's last minute defeat against principle league rivals Hawick, Hawks were anxious to get back into action, swiftly, to put their league challenge back on track. Hamilton Bulls were going to be no pushovers as they were hanging onto their league status by their fingertips and desperately needed to take something out of this match in order to avoid relegation. Coaches Jamie Dempsey and Jimmy Sinclair had been making it clear to the players what had to be done and the first order of business arrived on a cold Friday night.
Hawks were quick to take the lead as Mike Adamson stroked over a penalty in the second minute. (3-0)
However it was Hamilton who started at a far more furious pace, showing intent and putting their two previous defeats to Hawks to one side. Hawks were let off the hook in 5 minutes when winger Davide Lopez appeared to be through the home defence and clear for a try. The stand side touch judge had spotted a forward pass and Hawks were awarrded a scrum. Hawks failed to take advantage and conceded a penalty on 8 minutes as Hamilton chased a hack through and in defending the home side held onto the ball. With Owen McLeish matching Adamson, the scores were level. (3-3)
Hamilton were dominating the play, their backline was up on the Hawks attack very quickly. At times it appeared too quickly, but the referee didn't see it that way. Hawks failed to alter tactics to allow for this and found themselves under pressure. The penalty count was mounting against the home team as Hamilton turned the screws. Where the visitors struggled was when they went to the lineout. Twice in succession, they kicked to touch and on both occassions throws to Richie Maxton were not straight. Another hack through, by McLeish, saw Hawks infringe on their ten metre line on the half hour. Hamilton opted to tap but prop Steven Findlay interfered with the move conceding a penalty closer to the posts and receiving a yellow card for his error of judgement. McLeish goaled the penalty and Hamilton held a lead and a man advantage. (3-6)
Whilst there were mutterings in the stand about Findlay's misjudgement, the player's took it in their stride. Putting Hamilton under pressure on the far side of the pitch. James Gormley burst out of a crowd of players and passed the Bull's defence asthey could only watch as he ran over for the first try of the night in 32 minutes, with Adamson converting Hawks had somehow pulled ahead. (10-6)
Hamilton did not let this set them back and still with the advanage of numbers the visitors were battering away at the home side building up phases before finally putting the ball wide. Here it found wing Lopez, who stepped inside to beat his marker and ran through a gap in the Hawks defence for a try, with McLeish converting this time Hamilton were ahead with only a couple of minutes until half-time. (10-13)
The drama wasn't over and Hawks were under pressure again as Adamson gathered the ball and put in a long clearing kick. The ball was well away when Hamilton centre, Scott Whitelaw, tackled Adamson late and received a yellow card for his troubles. With Adamson kicking the penalty from the spot the ball landed, half-time came with the scores tied. (13-13)
Pies circulated at half-time and brows knitted as there was real concern as Hawks looked like stumbling. The tension was palpable as Hawks ran back onto the field. Hamilton kicked off and the ball was gathered and passed to Tony Herron on the edge of the home 22. Running straight Herron could find no gap and he started to run to his left across the field. He spotted a space in the Hamilton back-line and was through in the blink of an eye, his pace leaving a couple of tacklers in his wake. Passing to Tom Preece on the Hamilton 22 who went over for the try, 48 seconds of the second half had passed. Adamson goaled and Hawks were ahead. (20-13)
In the following passage of play Hawks were over the line twice and appeared to have scored but the referee ajudged them to have been held up over the line. On the second occassion Hamilton were under huge pressure in the scrum. Failing to bind properly they conceded a penalty try and Adamson did the honours. With 48 minutes gone and after all the pain of the first half, Hawks now stood on the edge of gaining a try bonus point. (27-13)
The support were elated but nothing could prepare them or the next few minutes. From Hamilton's kick off, the ball came to Herron again, who ran directly at the advancing Hamilton line finding the gap a burst of scintillating pace put him through in an almost identical manner to the Preece try. This time he needed no help as he went over for the score and bonus point. With the conversion Hawks were comfortably ahead. (34-10)
Hamilton kicked off again, possibly with a sense of dread and must have been relieved that Herron didn't gather the ball after the kick off. Gormley now ran at them and any sense of relief was short lived as he broke through on the left and took the Hawks deep into Hamilton's 22. Just caught, the ball was recycled and Andy White took the opportunity for a cross kick toward the right hand corner. This was gathered by the ubiquitous Herron, who went over for a brace in under 2 minutes. There was no conversion but Hawks were well in control. (39-13)
Hawks were dominating the game and they had put up as entertaining a ten minute spell as you could have asked for. The tries were still coming as scrum-half Sean Yacoubian went over from short range as the pack had driven toward the line. It was approaching the hour mark and along with the conversion Hawks had scored an incredible 33 points in under 20 minutes. (46-23)
The 5 points were safe and there was little concern when Hamilton's Whitelaw made amends for his costly sin-binning by going over for a try in 61 minutes. With McLeish putting the conversion over it seemed the very definition of the word consolation. (46-20)
Apologies here go to James Gormley, when calling in the extraordinary roll of tries at the hour mark to the Press Association I missed the build up to his second score of the night only catching his touchdown, which again Adamson goaled. (53-20)
Even the handicap of David Milne being sin-binned in 66 minutes didn't stop the carnival atmosphere, although it may have slowed down the rate off scores. The home support had to wait until the 75th minute before hooker Jack Macfarlane broke cover on the far side, initially mistaking him for a winger... He raced in from about 20 metres maintaining the presence of mind to present Adamson with a relatively straightforward conversion. (60-20)
It wasn't simply a try fest, the forwards had fundamentally out scrummaged, out jumped and pretty much torn the Hamilton pack apart. The reward for this wasn't simply as a platform, as Peter Redmayne went over following an excellent scrummage with 2 minutes left, again Adamson goaled. (67-20)
The last word fell to Hamilton as Lopez took a second try with a good individual effort. McLeish finished offf a good personal performance with two points. (67-27)
The opening 15 minutes of the second half was as good a period o play as Hawks have had all season, but the bottom line remains they wanted 5 points, they needed 5 points and they took 5 points. Three games to go with trips to Kelso and Jed in the next fortnight means that their destiny remains in their own hands.

Glasgow Hawks turn on style in second half
Published: 02 March 2013

By GARY HEATLY
Glasgow Hawks guaranteed themselves a top-two finish and kept up their RBS National League title hopes with an amazing 54 points in the second half against Hamilton at Old Anniesland last night.

After a tightly fought first half the sides went into the break level at 13-13, but the second half was as one sided as they come as Hawks won 67-27. Early on Hamilton led 6-3 thanks to two Owen McLeish penalties to one by Mike Adamson before the hosts scored a converted try through winger James Gormley. Hamilton winger David Lopez then scored a converted try and they were 13-10 up before Hawks once again pegged them back with a penalty from Adamson.

The hosts then took control and earned the bonus point they wanted. Eight tries came for the slick hosts as they blew Hamilton’s defences apart. Hamilton’s points after the interval came through converted tries by Scott Whitelaw and Lopez as they lost heavily and remain in trouble in eighth place.

The win means Hawks are eight points behind leaders Hawick with three matches and one match left to play respectively.

Team list for this match