GHA RAIN DOWN ON ARDROSSAN

GHA RFC MATCH 226: GHA RFC 26 – 6 ARDROSSAN ACADEMICALS RFC 

2011/2012: Scottish Premiership Three

Conditions for entertaining rugby don’t get any worse than this yet GHA defied the strong winds and rain to produce a convincing 4 try victory over their visitors from the West Coast. 

With the dad’s from GHA’s minis section enjoying their annual lunch before the game, there was a sizeable crowd at Braidholm, despite the poor conditions. GHA started with the disadvantage of playing into the wind and away from the club house yet they dominated the first 40 minutes and went into half time with a commanding 19-6 lead.

The opening score was a well worked effort from the GHA forwards from a line out 10 metres from the Ardrossan line. The ball was worked through several pick and go phases before hooker Donald Malcolm forced his way over.

From the restart, GHA immediately went on the attack and GHA openside flanker Alan Auld made a clean break before chipping the full back however an Ardrossan cover defender won the race to the the line to prevent the score.

GHA were playing at a high tempo that the visitors struggled to contend with and every time GHA got the ball it seemed like a try scoring opportunity might be created. The second try started from a line out just inside the Ardrossan half. Tha ball was quickly shipped to the GHA mid field where the forwards worked through several quick phases, sucking in defenders, before the ball was whipped back toward the touchline by the GHA backs where full back Tane Jericevich broke around the cover defenders before finding Hefin O’Hare on his inside for a lovely score.

Better was still to come. Again from a line out, this time on the half way, the ball was shipped to Number 8 Jamie Pinder who made a half break in the mid field before carrying his would be tacklers a good 10 metres before eventually being hauled down. The quick ball was carried on by the forwards before Houston fed GHA skipper Andrew Henderson who made a half break before making a neat one handed off load to Pinder once more but the Number 8 was tackled 5 metres short. The forwards took over with two quick phases before the backs put the ball through the hands for Alan Auld to score in the far corner. Considering the conditions, this was a try out of the top drawer. Tane Jericevich landed the difficult coversion fro mthe right hand touch line to give GHA a 19-3 lead.

As the weather worsened, the game became scrappier and Ardrossan rounded off the half with a penalty to make the score 19-6.

The second half started with a bang for GHA. Ardrossan now playing into the wind tried to run the ball out from inside their own 40 when a mistake in mid field was pounced on by Alan Auld who hacked the ball forward and this time the flanker’s footballing skills paid off as his second kick took the ball away from the cover defenders and he dove over for the try. T Jericevich converted to give GHA a 26-6 lead.

The game was now effectively over as a contest but Ardrossan fought hard right up to the final whistle as they looked for the consolation try. But neither side was able to add to the score board.

Next week GHA travel to Lasswade where they will hope to avenge the diappointing 32-31 loss suffered at Braidholm earlier in the season.

Source: Bill McMurtrie