Leaders Boroughmuir strode on more manfully than majestically to part two of their Scottish Hydro Electric Premiership campaign doing just enough to see off Glasgow Hawks in an entertaining contest at Meggetland this afternoon.

Trailing for all but three minutes of the first half, the hosts’ spirit was epitomised when they contrived to manufacture a superb second-half score in spite of the fact they were short-handed with prop Cameron Ward in the sin-bin to protect their hard-fought lead.

Much of their better moments featured stand-off Matt Cannon, of Irish descent and in Edinburgh on business for two years. It’s good for Boroughmuir that he was known to some of their sevens exponents and on today’s evidence he is a decidedly useful acquisition. He seems blessed with some exquisite hands and a keen game head too.

Yet it seemed to this observer that the most influential man a-field was Hawks scrum-half Kenny Sinclair. Now 32, he continues to play with the wit, imagination and grit that characterised his appearances at professional level and on the international 7s circuit.

Hawks took the lead with a second minute penalty by Ruaridh Jackson and there was an element of good fortune in

Boroughmuir’s reply as the referee and stand-side touch-judge both missed an apparent knock-on by Calum Cusiter in the wake of a concerted driven maul by the home pack. Boroughmuir recycled and when ball was moved right Cannon scampered in for their opening try.

Back came Hawks. From Sinclair’s hounding of his opposite number Cusiter, a turnover was secured. Sinclair then punted downfield forcing Muir to concede a lineout. Hawks rumbled and rolled from that platform and close-range ruck ball saw Jackson chip through for Rory Kerr to collect and dot down their first try. Jackson converted and the visitors led 10-5.

Kerr then had to look lively in defence to get back to nail Rory Couper after Sean Crombie had linked as Cannon again orchestrated a promising attack.

Jackson missed a 34th minute penalty for the Hawks and as the game continued to ebb and flow a home counter-attack, instigated by Couper and Steven Ruddick, saw wing Tom Bury take the outside route only for Cusiter to fail to hold his inside pass as the try line loomed.

In first-half injury time Hawks lock Ally Dale was sin-binned for side entry at a ruck and Elgan O’Donnell landed the penalty to leave Muir with an 8-10 deficit.

Their numerical advantage was exploited two minutes into the second-half as from a close-range scrum, No 8 Ben Fisher sent Angus Martyn in for the try which O’Donnell converted for 15-10.

Jackson landed a 57th minute penalty to keep Hawks very much in the contest, all the more so as Ward was sin-binned for his trouble in slowing down ball, which had resulted in the award.

Adrift by those two points it was time for Hawks to be clinical, yet a combination of stuffy home defence and, perhaps a lack of patience by the visitors – Sinclair had an attempted drop-goal charged down when retention of ball might have paid more dividends – did not help their cause.

Instead it was the home side that plundered try number three. Cannon launched full-back Ruddick at pace down the middle and the faithful openside, Martyn, popped up on his left shoulder to accept gleefully the 2 on 1 pass for a fine unconverted score.

Suitably riled, Hawks fired their own riposte two minutes later as stand-off Iain Noble floated a long left-to-right pass, Jackson linked and Kerr finished for his own second try. Jackson could not convert and Muir enjoyed the lions’ share of possession in the closing ten minutes to seal their 12th win of the league season.

This article was posted on 17-Nov-2007, 19:09 by Hugh Barrow.