One step closer to Murrayfield
Scottish Hydro Electric Bowl Round Two, Helensburgh 6 - Lenzie 0

by David Christie


JOG ON: Burgh's bowl victory delighted the Greens' coach
GREENS coach Liam McIntyre was ecstatic after this thoroughly deserved victory over Lenzie.

The former Burgh prop, who spent several years at Glasgow Hawks, felt the key to what was splendid revenge over a fine Lenzie side — who had stuffed Helensburgh at home in the league earlier in the season — was a solid defence.

He said: “That’s the best we have been in our defensive organisation this season and I am immensely proud of the boys for keeping Lenzie out. They play good rugby, passing the ball around for fun, but we knocked them out of their stride time and time again.

He added: “That said, we had our chances too, it wasn’t like they were camped on our line. We’ve got to take this new-found confidence into our remaining matches this year, to ensure we stay in National League division three, but also get a chance of a tilt at Murrayfield...you never know.”

The rugby was excellent and so too were the ground conditions, thanks to a hardy band of Burgh supporters who had made it playable after so much heavy rain the night before.

On the day, the two sides were superbly matched, Lenzie’s superior craft with ball in hand negated by tough, first-up defence by the home side that rattled the Glaswegians.

Blair Somerville, David Calderwood, Mark Sloan and the effervescent Duncan Watt were to the fore in tackle-counts, the latter showing he is developing into a superb open-side hunter.

In offence, Burgh weren’t shy, with fly-half Chris Black opting to run well over 70 per cent of ball and David Riding providing a powerful, if predictable ally at inside centre.

Burgh scorned the best try opportunity of the match just before the interval. A searing break from the mercurial Mark Tyson saw him elude several tackles and tear into the Lenzie half. With only the full-back as cover, and with speedster Josh Rettie outside him, the Burgh No.15 tried to dummy his way to the line and was caught.

The second half was a war of attrition but Black eased the Greens in front with two superb penalties and, as the glaur deepened, the home side looked increasingly confident of holding out for what was a wonderful win.

Burgh: Tyson, Rettie, Cairns, Riding, Rogers, Black, M Sloan, Drake, McNee, Gard, Calderwood, McInroy, N Sloan, Somerville, Watt. Subs: Mussett, Ford.

• Burgh now travel to Caithness for the quarter-final. The Highlanders are a division above Helensburgh, lying fourth bottom with only five league wins. Many Burgh supporters will remember the last time the Greens were so close to Murrayfield eight years ago, still feeling the pain of the away tries last eight defeat to Carnoustie.

This article was posted on 6-Mar-2008, 23:09 by Hugh Barrow.