Long Hard Road to Caithness

 
Yet again Accies found that the trip to Thurso and the difficulties of the playing conditions proved to be too much. Very few sides travel with their strongest side because it is a two day event and so many young players today cannot get that amount of time off from work or family commitments. Accies were without their first choice halfbacks and Jamie Doig, the captain, had to step into the breach at stand off.
The pitch at Thurso has a fair slope down and across and on Saturday there was a strong wind blowing down the field. Caithness are a big a powerful side and they know how to play their own ground. Against the wind you stuff the ball up your shirt and with the wind you kick it into the corners. They do this very effectively season after season. This year however they also have a highly effective halfback partnership with the scrum half a Scotland age group player destined for higher things.
Accies pack competed highly effectively at the set pieces but was probably second best in the loose. They were always in the game until near the end when a bizarre score sealed their fate.
At half time it was 3-3 with Graeme Simpson kicking a penalty to equalise the score.
Both sides tried to play rugby but a pedantic referee had other ideas. He was to be the centrepiece and the post match conversation was dominated by discussion on his performance. He was not aware that the Under 19 laws on scrummaging no longer applies to League matches and attempted to penalised Accies in the second scrum of the match for shoving their opponents more than a metre and a half. That was by far the least of the incidents, the best one being Jamie Doig being yellow carded for being unable to tell him which Accies player had tugged a Caithness jersey. Jamie was not involved in the incident.
Playing into the wind in the second half was always going to be difficult especially after Caithness scored after a series of rucks on our line.
Still in the game Accies tried to break away but unfortunately in attempting to kick over a defender the ball was intercepted and Caithness closed out the game with a converted try.
Accies have now lost three from four and will need a major effort to beat the unbeaten Greenock Wanderers at New Anniesland next Saturday.
The main problem seems to be the unsettled nature of the team selection with the number of players who have been unable to commit to playing every Saturday for whatever reason. It is hoped that this can be resolved soon because individually the Club has an excellent group of players when everyone is available.

This article was posted on 21-Sep-2009, 07:50 by Hugh Barrow.