Pirates beat Rams to the semi finals

    
Pic by Duncan Gray

                     East Kilbride Pirates 26 – Yorkshire Rams 14

The 2011 season moved into the play-off stages last weekend and the Pirates faced old adversaries the Yorkshire Rams in the quarter final at Hamilton Rugby Club.

Despite beating Yorkshire twice during the regular season, East Kilbride were set to face a tough encounter.

The visitors were first on the ball and immediately set out their game plan for the day. They relied almost entirely on their power-running game, making steady gains and using up time, thereby keeping the Pirates’ potent offense standing on the sideline.

Their opening drive moved methodically upfield reaching the Pirates’ 12-yard line before an untimely fumble was recovered by EK linebacker Andrew McGowan.

In stark contrast, it took the Pirates just two plays to open the scoring when running back Iain Dick broke free and showed the Rams a clean pair of heels to run in for a 75-yard touchdown.

The extra point was added by Steven Kane to give the home side an early 7-0 lead. At this stage it was pointed out that there was actually no ambulance in attendance, and the game was suspended while some frantic phone calls were made to rectify the situation.

Thankfully the compulsory ambulance cover was achieved within the allowed time scale and the game recommenced with Yorkshire in possession. Despite being behind, they stuck to their game plan, and continued to grind out yards on the ground.

   

Pic by Alastair Wilson 

They moved the ball to the Pirates’ 6-yard line before Yomi Okuboyejo rounded off the drive with a touchdown. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the Pirates just 1 point ahead.

Early in the second quarter, East Kilbride fumbled the ball away deep in their own territory and despite some staunch defending, the visitors went ahead when Adim Irozuru scored on a 4th-and-goal play from the 1-yard line. The same player also ran in the 2-point conversion, leaving the Rams 14-7 ahead, a lead they held for the rest of the period.

At half-time, following discussion between both teams and the match officials, it was agreed to play with a “running clock” to make up for time lost while waiting on the arrival of the ambulance. This meant the game would be shorter and gave EK less time to recover the deficit that they faced. So it was imperative that they started well in the third period.

After the interval, EK went straight to a “no huddle” offence to save time. Their opening drive took just five plays to score, with Dick again doing the damage. His 18-yard run was unconverted which meant the Rams still held a 1 point advantage.

Both sides traded punts for the remainder of the period, with the Pirates taking possession just as the third quarter ended. From their own 17-yard line it took two consecutive passes from Ryan Hunter to Jamie McLaughlin to travel the length of the field for the go ahead score. McLaughlin was a bit too over zealous while celebrating his 54-yard scoring catch and was given an Unsportsmanlike Behaviour penalty.

Kane added the conversion to make the score 20-14 in the Pirates favour. With time now being against them, the Rams switched to a more conventional offense and looked to pass the ball more often. The home defense were more than ready for this and started to assert themselves on their opponents.

Late in the game, after a series of incomplete passes by Yorkshire, the Pirates got the ball back in good field position. Another scoring Hunter-McLaughlin completion, this one from 27-yards sealed the win

McLaughlin celebrated a bit less joyously this time around, but it was still too much for the officials who gave him a second UB penalty resulting in an automatic ejection, American Football’s equivalent of a red card. Kane’s subsequent conversion attempt hit the goal post, but the Pirates now had daylight between themselves and Yorkshire with a 26-14 lead.

The Rams’ last drive ended with Dougie Meechan intercepting an intended pass to conclude the game.

The Pirates will now travel to face the Birmingham Bulls in the semi final this coming Sunday (4th September) but will have to do so without playing the suspended McLaughlin.

Game report by Bill Campbell