BATTERING RAMS!!!!!!!

North Lanarkshire Rams sent a strong message to the rest of the BYAFA Scottish League in the opening fixture of their 2003 campaign today (Sunday) following a 58-0 white wash of the Inverclyde Sharks.

With the Sharks winning their opening fixture last week, this was expected to be a close encounter against last year's Scottish Conference Runners up who were starting their new season on the road.

But the omens were against the home side right from the start coming into the game victims of injury and holiday's minus 15 members of their squad, 7 of who were starters, not to mention their Head Coach.

And the inexperience of their squad members showed right from the opening kick off when the Sharks turned over possession when the Rams recovered a live ball to put them in the Sharks half after just a few seconds.

And the visitors soon set the tone after just two plays when Adam Donaldson exploited a gap up the side lines running at full speed for the opening six points, which was followed with a successful two point conversion from Martin Wallace to make it 0-8.

The Rams fluffed the opening kick off, firing the ball straight at O Lineman Paul Farr, leaving the home side to get back into the game from just inside their own half way line.

With their lack of personnel, the Sharks started their first possession with Defensive Back, Sean Carney in as Quarterback. 

Unfortunately the drive fell short of the first down marker and the Rams hit the Sharks for six again on the first play of their next possession when Donaldson burned the turf again for a second touchdown.

 The Rams then stretched their lead when an unmarked Wallace caught another successful two point conversion.

The visitors were soon in possession again after recovering a Sharks fumble.  But the home side appeared to be having more success in halting the Rams progress forcing them to go for it on fourth down.

But Rams Scotland and GB Quarterback David O Rourke took to the air with a long bomb to Wallace which put the Sharks in more trouble.

It was therefore not surprising soon afterwards when O'Rourke fired another successful pass to the end zone for another touchdown to put the Rams 22 points ahead.

The misery continued for the Sharks at the start of the second quarter, when the Rams recovered a fumble by Quarterback Richard Campbell, but thankfully the home side finally held their ground.

Things were looking good for the home side, with just under 2 minutes of the half remaining when O'Rourke was picked off by Sean Carney.

But disaster struck the home side on the next play when they fumbled the ball away again.

And they were promptly punished for their mistake, when at the second time of asking, Blair McTague bulldozed his way into the end zone for another score, which was successfully converted to make it 30-0 in the Rams favour at half time.

The Sharks turned over the ball again at the start of the third quarter and it soon looked as if Donaldson was aiming for the goal line yet again.

But the momentum quickly swung back in the Sharks favour when Carney picked off O'Rourke again but once again failed to take advantage of the turner over, when John Horren got the ball back for the Rams, taking the ball back into Inverclyde territory.

And minutes later, Wallace brought home another touchdown catch along with a two point conversion to put the Lanarkshire side 38 points ahead.

O Rourke then picked off Wallace again with pass up the middle for another score.

But the Rams QB then found his go to receiver again this time from further back for a 50 yard touchdown completion and again with a 2 point conversion to take the side past the half century mark.

Even though the game was well out of their reach, the Sharks continued to battle hard to break their duck.

But with a number players playing on both sides of the ball, tiredness was taking its toll when Wallace found the end zone again for the final touchdown of the day giving them a perfect start to their campaign and some early season headaches for the Sharks.

NOTE:  THIS REPORT WAS BASED ON WHAT I SAW TODAY AND NOT THE SCORE THAT APPEARED ON THE OFFICAL SITE.  IF THERE IS SOME KIND OF BLOW OUT RULE IN THIS LEAGUE, COULD SOME ONE LET ME KNOW?