SURVIVAL HOPES BOOSTED BY BIG WIN OVER FALKIRK

GHA RFC MATCH 209: GHA RFC 47 – 32 FALKIRK RFC 

2010/2011: Scottish Premiership C

GHA needed a win on Saturday. Not only did they achieve it but they did it in style with
six tries against Falkirk at Braidholm.

It was a really stirring second-half performance. A bonus point was in the bag after 66
minutes with a Ross McClymont try. Not content with that, GHA added two more tries in
the next nine minutes. The GHA supporters were delirious: not a common adjective for
them this season!

Andrew Gillman had two of the GHA tries, the first of them from a startling run from
inside his own half. Escaping the first-up tackle, he broke clear to run all the way on his
own to score between the goalposts.

Rory Hughes also scored twice as well as being a busy in hunting and supporting on his
opposite wing. Ryan Jenkins had the other try, and David Scott kicked four conversions
and three penalty goals.

Hughes is expected to be playing in national colours at Braidholm later this season, as
is Adam Barnett, another of GHA’s winning squad on Saturday. They are in the Scotland
under-18 squad for internationals against Japan and Ireland at the GHA ground in March
and April. However, it is surprising and disappointing that another 17-year-old, David
Scott, is not in that national squad as well. He kicked four conversions and three penalty
goals, and, equally important, he played a pivotal role in managing the wide game which
GHA enjoy playing, as they did so effectively in the second half.

The downside for GHA was that they conceded five tries. However, it all contributed to
the enjoyable contest on a pleasant January afternoon, a total contrast to day of constant
driving rain and defeat when GHA visited Falkirk earlier in the season. It’s not often a
league match at this level produces as many as 11 tries, split in the closest possible way!

GHA made their intensions known from the kick-off with a heartening phase of
continuity, with surges by Hughes (twice) and McClymont. It produced only a Scott
penalty goal in three minutes, and suddenly, 11 minutes later, GHA found themselves
having to come from behind after a Falkirk breakout from their own 22 provided a try
for Niall Lear, Dave Adamson converting. But Scott struck back in 17 minutes with his
second penalty goal.

Dominic Dunn was injured in the lead-up to that score, and GHA had to recast their back
division, with Murray Houston introduced at scrum half, Gillman moving to full back,
and McClymont stepping forward to centre. The shuffle, though, spread more pace into
the outside backs, and after Gillman had escaped up the right touchline GHA switched
to the left for the Jenkins try, which Scott converted. That was 13-7 to GHA after half an
hour.

However, not for the only time in the match, Calum MacAskill grabbed the ball from the
restart kick, and that led to a David Turnbull try. Adamson missed the conversion, but he put Falkirk into an interval lead with an added-time penalty goal.

GHA’s guns were blazing at the start of the second half, and after Niall Cassie and Rangi
Jericevich had done the initial damage on one flank Hughes scored on the other wing.
Scott missed the conversion from wide out, but his neatly chipped kick seemed to have
given Gillman a try. It was not allowed because of a knock-on. However, the referee
had been playing offside advantage, and Scott kicked the penalty goal from in front of
the posts.

It was then that Gillman scored his breakout try from inside his own half. Scott converted for 28-15 only 11 minutes into the second half.

The visitors came back again, this time from a ruck penalty, though the GHA’s standside
support were convinced the award should gone their way because they had seen a
Falkirk hand clear the ball from the ruck. From the ensuing lineout the visitors drove
over for a David Jamieson try, Adamson converting.

That was the margin down to just six points after an hour, but when Lear was sin-
binned, following a long confab between referee and touch judge, GHA took swift
advantage. A penalty lineout and a drive opened the way for McClymont to score the
bonus-point try. Scott converted, and from another lineout GHA swung right and then
back to the left for Scott to chip diagonally ahead, Hughes gathering on the full and
diving over.

That was 40-22 after 71 minutes, but GHA were not finished. Even though they lost
McClymont to the sin-bin (because of obstruction) they quickly exploited a turnover at a
ruck inside their own half for Gillman to sprint away for his second try, Scott converting.

Falkirk, still seeking a bonus point, found it with a try by Ali Marshall and then another
by Jamieson.

Gordon Honeyman from Falkirk RFC also kindly sent us a link to some photos he took during the game. Click here to view.

Overall, it was a good day all round for Braidholm folk. All four teams won – the seconds
at Dalziel, the Braidholm XV with 11 tries away to Hyndland, and the Gazelles at home
against Clydebank.

Source: Bill McMurtrie