B’muir 19 Hawks 24: Hawks savour title triumph
Jason Bradshaw at Meggetland



HAWKS uncorked the champagne at long last as they staved off the stubborn challenge of Boroughmuir to secure their third BT Premiership title on the trot.
The destiny of the crown had never been in real doubt since the opening month of the campaign, but Hawks were made to wait for their moment of glory after a shaky mid-winter run.





As Hawks celebrated, the capital outfit were left to prepare for the scramble to avoid relegation. The fact Boroughmuir needed points to bolster their survival bid provided an extra edge to a contest which they often looked like winning, but once Hawks harnessed the elements, the outcome was not in question.

Hawks were first to take the lead when Toby O'Reilly was penalised for failing to release the ball, allowing the visitors to set up a line-out in the danger zone. Greg Francis inflicted the initial damage and slick interplay created the chance for Peter Dalton to plough through, with Mike Adamson slotting the conversion.

Boroughmuir responded in rousing fashion, pressing Hawks into giving away a penalty which led to Rory Couper diving over.

Muir’s Ross Cooke was then sent to the bin for an assault on Iain Monaghan, grabbing him by the neck as he chased his own chip.

Despite being reduced, Boroughmuir snatched the lead with a Calum Cusiter try. O'Reilly added the kick.

Malcolm Clapperton then crossed after scooping up the loose ball following a steepler from O’Reilly, who converted.

After the break, Hawks pinned their hosts on their line. The pressure told as Graeme McCallum was yellow carded for killing the ball — Stuart Smith sliding over in the corner.

The situation became even more tense when Ally Maclay claimed the third Hawks try following a burst from Gavin Mories.

And the tide well and truly turned as Ricky Munday eluded his markers to make sure of the bonus point and Monaghan gleefully thumped over the kick from the touchline.

STAR MAN: Ricky Munday (Hawks)

This article was posted on 26-Feb-2006, 21:32 by Hugh Barrow.