GHA 10 Edinburgh Academicals 29

Briefly, midway in the second half, GHA showed real signs of coming back
to snatch victory against Edinburgh Academicals at Braidholm on Saturday.
Instead, the visitors scored two late tries, grabbing a bonus point.

GHA were left without even the solace of a losing bonus, and their place in the
league table is unchanged on the penultimate rung of the ladder. That, though,
is still only on alphabetic priority, ahead of Stewart’s Melville.

Accies dominated the first half, though with only two tries to show for that.
Jamie Sole scored after 12 minutes on the right after a tapped penalty on the
left, and on the half-hour Iain Berthinussen broke through off lineout ball. What
looked like being another Edinburgh try was denied by Dominic Dunn’s fine
saving tackle in GHA’s left corner.

Stuart Evans converted both tries, the second a ricochet off the far post. But
he missed two penalties, and Accies squandered at least four other try-scoring
chances with forward passes and knock-ons. Ironically, their third try also
should have been chalked off because of a blatant forward pass in the lead-up.

GHA looked like making a swift response to the first try when Patrick Hilley
caught the kick-off flying at full tilt. Accies were penalised there, but David Scott
missed the kick and a subsequent one. So the home team finished the first half
down by 0-14.

However, GHA were much more in the game in the third quarter. Jamie Pinder
scored on the left eight minutes into the second half after direct lead-up work by
Ryan Jenkins and Morne Strydom.

Scott converted, but he missed another after Evans had eased Accies to 17-
7 in 53 minutes. Murray Houston took over the goal-kicking duties after Kenny
Blyth had been sin-binned for not rolling away at a breakdown. Accies could
count themselves fortunate that the referee’s yellow card was not displayed
more often such was their persistence in going off their feet at tackles. A second
visitor, Robin Snape, was later sin-binned, but that meant little in the contest as
it was four minutes into added time.

Houston’s goal was GHA’s only benefit while Accies were short-handed, and
any hope of a GHA recovery was dashed by late tries by Sole and Scott Jeffers,
the latter converted by Evans.

In the final play of the game Scott Lang had the ball over Accies’ line, but even
that late consolation was denied by a previous infringement.

GHA – Dominic Dunn; Patrick Hilley, Ross McClymont, Stuart Keenan, Scott
Lang; David Scott, Murray Houston; Geoff Warnock, Donald Malcolm, Josh
Low, Ryan Jenkins, Simon Shearer, Morne Strydom, Jamie Pinder, Ruchin
Filander. Substitutes – Stephen Spowart, Paul Harkins, Sam Bingham, Andrew
Rushforth.

Edinburgh Academicals – Jamie Sole; Josh Pecqueur, Matt Coupar, Iain
Berthinussen, Sam Atkin; Stuart Evans, John Letham; Duncan MacLeod,
Michael Liness, Kenny Blyth, Nathan Pike, Greg Campbell, Robin Snape, Andy
Lamb, Tom Drennan. Substitutes – Scott Jeffers, Johnny McSorley, Callum
Reid, Paddy Traylor.

Referee – Kevin White.