Date: Wednesday, 5th September 2007
Kickoff time: 15:00
Against: Boroughmuir
Team: Hawks 1st XV
Location: Home
Competition: Premiership Division 1
Final score: 22 - 24 (lost)

Boroughmuir get gift-wrapped win from sloppy Hawks to maintain 100% record DAVID KELSO SCOTTISH ROUND-UP SLOPPY Glasgow Hawks only had themselves to blame for a 24-22 defeat at Anniesland as Boroughmuir made it two wins out of two in the Premiership. Muir couldn't believe their good fortune as they were gifted two tries during the opening exchanges - and the hapless hosts could never fully recover. Hawks had enjoyed a virtual monopoly of possession, but a dreadful handling error and an interception allowed Malcolm Clapperton and Tom Bury to score. The hosts got their act together and edged in front with touchdowns a minute apart by John Fitzpatrick and skipper Stevie Gordon - both goaled by Ruaridh Jackson. But they handed the initiative back to the capital troops before the break when another sloppy pass presented Angus Martyn with a cruise to the line from his own half. Elgan O'Donnell slotted his second kick. Substitute Ian Noble repaired some of the damage with a penalty, but Muir responded to create a second touchdown for alert winger Bury. Prop Gavin Mories ploughed over for Hawks in stoppage time - but their day was summed up as Jackson missed the chance to level with the conversion. from Boroughmuir website Despite the four tries and five point haul that followed Boroughmuir back from Old Anniesland this afternoon, those three words were on everyone’s lips. Just as they had against Melrose, Boroughmuir made a game far harder for themselves than it should have been, however, those league points are fair consolation. Twice – once in each half – the Edinburgh side were in a position on the scoreboard where they should pushed on and put acres of daylight between themselves and Hawks. Indeed, they may have done so were it not for their poor execution throughout the eighty minutes, and particularly in attack where so many advantageous field positions were given up that even the most dedicated lost count. The game had started brightly, although Hawks had much of the territory, ’Muir found themselves twelve points up after just seven minutes thanks to two scintillating breakaway tries. The first of those came from Malcolm Clapperton after two minutes of the game, during which time the ball was always in play. After Ben Fisher had driven up to the halfway line, a dummy run from Fred Lait – back in the more familiar position of prop after last week’s sojourn in the second row – created a gap in the Hawks defence which Fergus Pringle stormed through. He linked up with fly-half Matt Canon, and Clapperton rounded off the final thirty metres, touching down under the posts, giving Elgan O’Donnell a simple conversion. Hawks continued to have more than their fair share of the ball, but ’Muir continued to score the points. When outside centre Gavin MacDonald spilled a ball into Stephen Ruddick’s arms in the ’Muir twenty-two, the visiting full back put his head down and set off on a run. Ten metres inside his own half, he found a supporting runner in Tom Bury, and though three Hawks defenders tried to stop the flying winger, he made the touchdown look easy. Shell-shocked by events, Hawks spent the next ten minutes fully on the defensive as Boroughmuir took the game to them. It was a period of the game in which the visitors really should have made the result safe, but whenever a break was made the ball was either knocked-on, turned over in the ruck or simply too slow away from the breakdown, allowing the home defence to reorganise. And it was these mistakes for which they paid when Hawks catapulted themselves back into the game. ’Muir were penalised at a scrum just inside their own half and back row forward Ally MacLay’s quick tap caught them off guard, releasing John Fitzpatrick and Stuart Low down the left, flanker Fitzpatrick finishing the move off in the corner. And their next score came directly from the kick-off. O’Donnell’s restart floated straight into touch, and from the scrum awarded, former winger Ally MacLay darted round two would be tacklers before feeding his captain, Stevie Gordon, who touched down seven metres in from the touchline. Fly-half Ruaridh Jackson converted both tries, giving his side a two point lead. The first half was becoming a thoroughly pulsating encounter, and took another twist after twenty-five minutes when Hawks’ lock-forward Richard Gray was sent to the sin-bin after a cynical offside offence. Boroughmuir spurned the chance to go for the three points, and it initially backfired, but just before Gray returned to the field, Angus Martyn pounced to score. As Hawks looked to attack from their own ten metre line, Martyn pick-pocketed Jackson and outpaced Gordon to score; O’Donnell added the extras. The half-time team talk for both sides must have centred on the need to cut out the myriad mistakes which were plaguing their game, and at least for the opening part of the second half, it was something that Hawks managed. Sterling defence from ’Muir, however, kept them down to an Ian Noble penalty in that time, and they remained in the lead. Having weathered the Glasgow storm, ’Muir shifted themselves up a gear, and very nearly claimed their fourth try after a wonderful break from Sean Crombie. The hooker ghosted between the Hawks midfield, and the try was only foiled when an erroneous decision for a forward pass was made. ’Muir remained in the ascendancy until they finally did claim their fourth try of the game with only fifteen minutes remaining. The move began when Olly Brown took a superb catch at a lineout and drove a good ten yards before being hauled down. Matt Canon then showed his class, easing between Noble and Rory Kerr before finding Bury in support for the youngster to claim his second try. O’Donnell’s missed conversion left the gap at a precarious seven points, though again they had opportunities to extend it before Hawks mounted a comeback. Once Hawks had regained a measure of their confidence, marshalled expertly by Kenny Sinclair from scrum half, there was an inevitability that they would score again in the match. ’Muir held out for as long as they could, but just into injury time, replacement prop Gavin Mories battered his way over. Jackson had come back onto the field and resumed kicking responsibilities from Noble, but his effort to tie the scores was pushed to the right, and ’Muir held on to the final whistle to claim the win. There are, of course, many things to work on, neither performance this season has been near perfect, and we can all rest assured that efforts will be made to overcome those deficiencies ahead of next week’s tie against Dundee. However, the positive that can be taken from the opening of the season, is that the room for improvement comes from a base of nine points already gained. When push comes to shove, it’s points on the board that matter, and though it’s early yet, there’s no one with more than Boroughmuir. No team list has been added yet.

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