GHA END 2004 ON A HIGH WITH UGLY WIN AGAINST BIGGAR

GHA RFC MATCH 61: GHA RFC 14 – 8 BIGGAR RFC

2004/2005: Scottish Premiership One

This was the kind of contest which sets advocates of summer rugby clambering onto their soapboxes. With the air nipping at their cheeks, GHA and Biggar battled each other to a standstill on a pitch which resembled not so much a plum pudding as a tub of brandy butter.

It says much about how far Biggar have come this season that they were disappointed to leave with only a bonus point. Not that defeat could wipe away the festive cheer of Gary Parker, who wisely skipped over the finer points of the match to reflect on a “phenomenal” 12 months for his Biggar side. But Parker, like his opposite number David Wilson, reserved his harshest words for referee David Jack, who sent two Biggar players to the sin-bin. “It’s an interpretation that the officials make and we have to go with it, but the penalty count seemed to be hellishly high against us,” said Parker. “It wasn’t particularly pretty and I don’t think the referee really controlled the breakdown area particularly well,” was Wilson’s verdict.

GHA took the lead with a Martin Dunn penalty, but when Ross McClymont toe-ended a Quinton Sanft touch-finder over the line, Biggar capitalised with a quick throw-in which allowed Stuart Harrison to run in for a try that was unconverted. Shortly afterwards Biggar lock Andrew Cairns was shown the yellow card for handling in the ruck and in his absence GHA regained the lead through an Ian Kennedy penalty. Sanft briefly wrested the advantage back with a penalty, but when Elliot McLaren became the second Biggar player to be dismissed for infringing at the breakdown, Kennedy restored the advantage with the resulting kick. GHA clinched the game ten minutes from time when flanker John Barclay pounced on a loose ball and drew the Biggar defence. His angled pass found full-back Ross West, who stormed over the line.

Source: The Scotsman, Monday 20th December 2004