HAWKS WIN BATTLE OF THE UNBEATEN
Saturday, 18 September 2010

Joffy White is congratualted by his team mates after his try
Glasgow Hawks continued their unbeaten run (and ended Ayr’s) with a valuable 19-15 win over the cup champions at Old Anniesland today, leap-frogging their opponents into second in Premier 1.
Hawks head coach Peter Wright, said: “Ayr are a team we’ve struggled to beat in the last three seasons but I was happy with how we kept the ball and built three, four, five phases, as I knew that’s how we could hurt Ayr - that's where we can be extremely dangerous.
“I thought our defensive effort was magnificent.”
In a sticky first-half, almost the full 40 minutes past with only two penalty kicks making the score-board; Hawks’ stand-off Mike Adamson (who on Thursday will head to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi with the Scotland 7s team) slotting both efforts to put the hosts 6-0 up.
That’s how the half looked set to end but, with a minute left in standard time, full-back Craig Gossman crossed for an unconverted try.
Excellent scrummaging from the lighter Hawks pack heaved a scrum a good 10 metres into the Ayr 22 before their notorious backs were released. Gossman joined the end of the back-line to create an overlap and score unchallenged, 11-0.
All was set for Hawks to seal out the half with a clean sheet but during a healthy chunk of added time the Millbrae men battled on and scored in the dying seconds – Damien Kelly the man to barge over from short range after several pick and goes on the five metre line.
HALF TIME: 11-5

The tight nature of the match continued into the second-half as Adamson and opposite man, Ross Curle, exchanged a penalty a piece in the first four minutes, 14-8.
The on-field arm wrestle continued deep into the half with the shared sin-binning of Ayr full-back Grant Anderson and Hawks’ Rory Hamilton offering an opportunity to open things up a little (which it didn’t).
It took until ten minutes from time when winger Joffy White crossed for Hawks’, putting some breathing space between the sides with an unconverted score.
Gossman, who had shown throughout the match why he’s currently the most talked about full-back in Premier 1, made an arcing run out towards the far touchline.
His quick feet faked the cut back inside once and then twice, keeping the defence from drifting too far across, before passing too White who had just enough space to dive across, 19-8.
The win was all but wrapped up however, deep in injury time once more, Ayr front-row, Scott Nimmo, scored to send the Millbrae men back to Ayr with a bonus point.
Curle converted and the final whistle blew as the ball sailed between the sticks.
FINAL SCORE: 19-15
Glasgow Hawks team: Craig Gossman; Joffy White, Dean Kelbrick, Tom Preece, Kerr Gossman; Mike Adamson, Peter  Jericevich; Adrian Smith, Eric Milligan, George Hunter, Rory Hamilton, Andy Kirkland, Rory McKay, Bart Karalus, Ross Miller
Substitutes: Gary Strain, Callum Taylor, Andy Hill, Kris Hamilton, Robbie Haire
Ayr team: Grant Anderson; Robbie Fergusson, Scott Forrest, Richard McCallum, Steven Manning; Ross Curle, AJ MacFarlane; Andy Kelly, Stephen Adair, Nick Cox, Glen Tippett, Damien Kelly CAPTAIN, Johnno Crossan, Andy Dunlop, Robbie Colhoun
Substitutes: Scott Nimmo, Andy Kelly, Dean Stewart, Jamie Hunter, Dougie Steele
Referee: Johan Van Der Merwe – replaced by Gus Tweedale (injury)

This article was originally posted on 18-Sep-2010, 19:10 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 18-Sep-2010, 22:40.