Reds Rampant
Forrester 12 Linlithgow 66
(Saturday 21st March 2009)
Match report courtesy of Dave Thomas, photos from Paul Birrell
The Edinburgh club fielded a big pack but it took only two minutes for Matt Dixon to start the scoring with the now traditional penalty, followed quickly by a bursting try from No 8, Charlie Gillanders.
Forrester produced what was to be their best spell, keeping the ball away from the Reds until the fifteenth minute when after a take and drive by lock Stuart Bell, winger Gordon White touched down near the corner. White was instrumental in the next try when he gathered the ball forty yards out, swung to the right wing and sent Chris Bredin over the line. The bonus point was scored by Stuart Cunningham after a wonderful chip and chase by scrum-half Mikey Walker. White demonstrated why a winger should keep on running when a clearance to touch by Dixon was kept in play by the wind, and after chipping the defence the winger was the only one on the park who didn’t think the ball was going to cross the dead ball line and scored with inches to spare. The penalty, the five tries and conversions took the score at the turn to 38 – 0.
Forrester, to their credit, came out fighting and scored from a good run by their centre, Fraser Newbury, but the Reds forwards powered over for a pack’s try, the inevitable Kevin Hope coming up from the depths with a grin and the ball. The following 4 photos were taken by the "Video Ref" and show Kevin Hope scoring:
See the try from another angle, courtesy of Craig Young!
Tim Meadows came off to rest a tweaked ankle and Euan Richardson dropped back from flanker to take his place, adding another string to his bow. Mark Green, having his best game in the centre was cutting through the defence and made no mistake when a gap was left. Nicky Cowan, on in Richardson’s flanker slot, showed how he has improved with a well-taken try after 35 minutes. Forresters replied with a try in the left corner by their big No 8, Rob Inglis, and the whole crowd responded to Newbury when the ball toppled over as he tried for the conversion, so he picked it up and calmly sent over an impossible drop kick. The Reds were not finished when in injury time flanker Andrew Archer stole the ball from the feet of the Forrester scrum-half at a set scrum and he found Mikey Walker who sold two dummies and set off for a fifty yard dash for the line, touching down under the posts, giving his skipper his easiest kick of the day to finish the game.
Special mention must be made of the truly magnificent kicking of skipper Matt Dixon. After his opening penalty he converted every try to earn a clean sweep of 10 out of 10, four of which were from the touch-line and two into the wind, just skimming the crossbar.
Linlithgow Team
Matt Dixon; Stuart Cunningham, Chris Bredin, Mark Green, Gordon White; Tim Meadows, Mikey Walker; Duncan McLeod, Kevin Hope, Euan Gunn; Stuart Jamieson, Stuart Bell; Andrew Archer, Euan Richardson, Charlie Gillanders.
Subs (all used): Johnny Cavana, Nicky Cowan, Andy Birrell.
Linlithgow Scorers
Tries: Gordon White (2), Stuart Cunningham, Mark Green, Chris Bredin, Mikey Walker, Nicky Cowan, Charlie Gillanders, Kevin Hope.
Kicks: Matt Dixon (9 conversions, 1 penalty)
More photos courtesy of Craig Young
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