Young Pirates pipped to
the post by Inverclyde

East Kilbride Pirates 51 - Inverclyde Phoenix 54

With the Senior side having had to cancel their game following a forfeit by Gateshead Senators, it was the Pirates' Youth team who took centre stage on at Hamilton Rugby Club on Sunday. In a challenge match against Inverclyde Phoenix, the coaches agreed to play three 20 minute periods rather than the normal two.

The home side were first to get the ball and quickly took the lead. Following a pass from Grant McMaster to Scott Marshall and three good runs by Callum Derrick, McMaster and Marshall teamed up again for the go ahead score. The same duo also added a 1-point conversion to take an early 7-0 lead. Inverclyde came straight back though and narrowed the gap with an unconverted TD pass of their own.

The Pirates then failed to get a first down on their next possession and gave the ball back to the Phoenix who took just 1 play to score on a 35-yard run. A successful 2-point conversion made it 14-7 to the visitors. East Kilbride again failed to make the necessary yards on their third drive but Inverclyde kept up their scoring run with a passing TD and 2-point conversion to pad their lead to 22-7.

An immediate response came from East Kilbride when Callum Derrick ran home from 35 yards on the first play after the restart, and although the conversion attempt failed, the gap was reduced to 22-13. On the last drive of the period, Phoenix scored again following a 5-play drive. Another failed conversion attempt left them 28-13 ahead at the interval.

At the start of the second period, the young Pirates defence held firm and stopped the Phoenix for the first time in the game. That allowed McMaster and Marshall to combine again for another touchdown. The conversion attempt was intercepted but a Douglas Alexander tackle made sure it wasn’t returned. Neither side scored on their next possession so the difference remained 28-19 until the visitors managed their first score of the second period.

Despite constant pressure from Liam McMillan, the Inverclyde QB managed to complete his pass and then also added a completion for the extra point. With the final drive of the second session East Kilbride reduced the deficit on the back of another Derrick run, but the failed conversion left the Pirates trailing 35-25 going into the final period.

East Kilbride started with the ball and immediately scored when McMaster unleashed a pass to Alexander. He then connected with Derrick on the 2-point conversion to narrow Inverclyde’s advantage to just 2 points. The Phoenix players responded with a converted score of their own to repair the damage and extend their lead to 41-33. However, the Pirates then came straight back and McMaster passed to Derrick, but the 2-point conversion attempt which would have levelled the scores was unsuccessful. Inverclyde were held on their next drive and East Kilbride went ahead for the first time since early in the tie when McMaster found Marshall for their third touchdown.

The narrow 45-41 advantage didn’t last long as Inverclyde countered with a converted TD of their own to swing the score back to 48-45 in their favour. The excitement still wasn’t over, but McMaster was intercepted on the Pirates’ next drive and only a timely tackle by Daniel Barbour prevented Inverclyde from extending their lead. Phoenix were not to be denied though and soon took advantage of good field position to score the decisive touchdown.

Despite trailing by 9 points, East Kilbride wanted to go out on a high and scored on their final possession with Derrick notching his fourth TD of the day. A failed 2-point conversion left the final score as East Kilbride Pirates 51 Inverclyde Phoenix 54.

Point scorers in an entertaining game were Callum Derrick 26, Scott Marshall 19 and Douglas Alexander 6. On defence, top tackler was Liam McMillan with 8 (plus 1 Sack, I Forced Fumble and 2 QB Pressures), followed by Andrew Lawson with 7 ( and 1 Pass Defended), James Herd 5, Aaron Callaghan & Euan Harvey 4 each, Paul McNulty 2 and Douglas Alexander & Daniel Barbour with 1 each. The MVP Awards were given to Callum Derrick (East Kilbride) and David Fisher (Inverclyde).

Pirates’ Squad: Douglas Alexander, Daniel Barbour, Aaron Callaghan, Callum Derrick, Euan Harvey, James Herd, Andrew Lawson, Scott Marshall, Grant McMaster, Liam McMillan & Paul McNulty.

By Bill Campbell

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