Two first-half touchdowns by leading try-scorer Duncan MacDonald set Peebles on the road to Saturday’s victory over Cambuslang at a cold, wet and muddy Coats Park.

Post-interval counters by Skipper Adam Clark and his scrum half Reece Hamer (in both cases the players’ 3rd Premiership tries of the season) plus 2 Craig Borthwick conversions completed Peebles’ tally.

But it was no one-sided affair, the homesters contributing two scores of their own through ex Hawk Stuart Male and Sandy ‘Snakehips’ Hutchison, both of them goaled by captain and former Scotland under-18 Andy Dick.

The visitors may have deserved their bonus point for the four tries scored, but – as happened at The Gytes back in September – Cambuslang can count themselves very unlucky indeed to have emerged from yet another close-fought contest without adding a single league point.

Said Peebles president George Shaw, “I thought we deserved to win today but I’ve seen us play better - and lose. And of course it was super to get five points from the game.”

“The conditions were a big leveller, the soft playing surface not really suiting our style of play. But it did help our opponents’ big heavy pack.”

It was a point with which Coach Bruce Macnaughton concurred: “It was the biggest, heaviest pack we’ve faced all season and I’d reckon that overall they enjoyed more than 60 per cent of possession.”

“Neil Clark was one of the few to tackle their forwards effectively – low and hard. The rest were simply bouncing off their big boys.”

Added Cambuslang president Jim Stevenson (who is about to augment his already considerable reputation for multi-tasking with an appearance in an upcoming episode of “Taggart”), “I’d say our opponents were the better team on the day. Though we’d a lot of scoring opportunities, Peebles defended very well when they had to.”

Continued Jim (who’s also the Premier III representative on the Scottish Rugby Council), “Like us, Peebles care passionately about their rugby so it’s a joy going down there to play – albeit it would be nice sometime to actually win a game!”

Despite their president’s words, it was Cambuslang who took a shock lead through lock Male’s second-minute try which Dick converted to the delight of the home support.

Though A, Clark appeared briefly in the unlikely role of line-out ball winner, the homesters held sway over the opening ten minutes.

However, from Rodger’s touchline provision and drives by McKinnon, N. Clark and Fahey, good quick hands saw Hogarth, MacDonald and Thomson combine on the right prior to Harvey’s link with both Clarks when play switched left. But possession was lost.

More profitably, a late tackle on Donald Anderson saw the fly half find a penalty touch near the home line. From MacNish’s line-out win, MacDonald powered over at the posts, Borthwick’s kick levelling the scores at 7-all after 13 minutes.

And the Peebles No 12 himself went very close to touching down soon after – as did full back Hogarth.

Peebles wouldn’t be denied however and it was little surprise when the 20th minute brought a second MacDonald try, the centre’s eleventh of this season’s Premiership campaign.

Vitally for the visitors, though the second quarter brought sustained spells of Cambuslang pressure, the Gytes men – aided by clearances from both Andersons, Donald and David – reached halftime with their 12-7 lead intact.

The second period was barely 3 minutes old however when driven line-out ball brought A. Clark a close-range try for a 17-7 lead.

Then, from Hogarth’s thrust out of defence and a punishing N.Clark drive, No 10 Anderson’s kick to the home line saw Rodger, Fahey and Keen combine prior to the alert Hamer dancing through the mud to touch down at the posts. Borthwick added the extras for a 24-7 scoreline after 50 minutes.

With Thatcher, Whelan and Moffat replacing N. Clark, Rodger and D.A. Anderson respectively, MacDonald almost completed his hat-trick at the left corner.

Then, with McKinnon on for S. Smellie in the freezing rain, Dick’s conversion of a Hutchison try narrowed the home arrears to 14-24.

However, with the home side unable to further reduce the gap as time ran out, a penalty awarded by the unattached Alan Campbell (the 28 year-old’s playing career with Glasgow Hawks having been terminated by an accident 3 years ago) resulted in winger Thomson almost capitalising with a try following fly half Anderson’s raking kick upfield.


PEEBLES : N. Hogarth, M. Thomson, D. MacDonald and C. Borthwick, D.A. Anderson (A. Moffat 50), D.W. Anderson and R. Hamer; A. Clark, G. McKinnon (T. Keen 33), N. Clark (C. Thatcher 50), D. Harvey and R. MacNish, S. Smellie (G. McKinnon 65), O. Fahey, I. Rodger (P. Whelan 50).

This article was posted on 8-Dec-2006, 21:30 by Hugh Barrow.