SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY REPORTS

SANDY STRANG AT ANNIESLAND
ENIGMATIC reigning champions Hawks may well be about to relinquish their crown, but they remain nobody's pushovers as another four-try tour de force left Melrose languishing in the Premiership's basement three.

"This was no classic," conceded Hawks coach David Wilson. "It was flat in patches, but in fairness we sorted things out at the interval."

Melrose winger Marc Robertson's dismissal for alleged dissent by referee Andy Ireland was pinpointed as a turning-point by incandescent Greenyards coach Craig Chalmers, who said: "The dismissal was a disgrace which totally altered the complexion of the match."

Hawks kept faith with mercurial Mike Adamson, a 27-point home hero in the drubbing of Currie, with the touch finding boot of Murray Strang still relegated to the bench. Also returning at full-back was Rory Kerr and at hooker John Maclay for injured Donald Malcolm. Melrose made just two changes from the side which just scraped through in last week's contentious derby against Hawick, Robertson coming in with Alex Jessop reverting to full-back, and scrum-half Graeme Thomson replacing flu-stricken Scott McCormick.

Hawks drew first blood after only six minutes when Maclay sneaked in from a lineout after a brilliant grubber kick into the right corner from probing Mike Adamson.

Gradually, though, the heavier Melrose pack asserted their authority and, after a 40-metre Scott Wight penalty, winger Callum Anderson drove through under the posts from an inspired reverse pass inside from centre Andrew Lawrie. Scott Wight converted to give the dominant visitors a well-deserved 10-5 half-time lead.

Hawks, however, emerged a rejuvenated, more direct side in the second period, and by the hour mark had regained their lead thanks to two Adamson penalties, the second from 42 metres.

The Melrose cause was seriously hampered by that harsh red card after 20 minutes of the second half, and Hawks took full advantage. First flanker John Fitzpatrick rampaged through from a neat Adamson feed, and then replacement Murray Strang finished a dynamic handling move in the left corner, Adamson converting both tries.

Rory Kerr then put the bonus-point icing on the cake in the final minute with a mazy run , before winger Steve Gordon made it four tries in the final 15 minutes with three minutes of injury time gone.

Glasgow Hawks: R Kerr; S Gordon, G MacDonald, S Duffy (M Strang, 3-16), S Smith (M Strang, 59); M Adamson, K Sinclair (S Biggart, 79); N Cox, J Maclay, R MacCallum (G MacFadyen, 40), A Kelly, J McKinnon (M Smith, 48), G Francis, S Warnock.

Melrose: A Jessop; C Anderson, J Murray, A Lawrie (C Edwards, 74), M Robertson; S Wight, G Thomson; A Gillie (K Cooney, 60), W Mitchell (R Haggerstone, 70), R Higgins, J Bradbury, G Broomfield, S Johnson, A Thomson (R Miller, 56), G Dodds.

Referee: A Ireland (SRU)

Scorers: Hawks - Tries: Maclay, Fitzpatrick, Strang, Kerr, Gordon; Cons: Adamson (4); Pens: Adamson (2). Melrose - Tries: Anderson; Con: Wight; Pen: Wight.

This article was posted on 22-Oct-2006, 07:37 by Hugh Barrow.