With spring spluttering into life, lets see where memory lane takes us this week as we continue to yearn for days of Saturday club rugby.
Back on the second Saturday of April in 2012, GHA welcomed Howe of Fife to Braidholm for the last match of the season. The previous weekend had seen the top two meet in Coupar and saw the Fife side taking the win and with it the league title. Though the previous weeks result meant GHA were out of the title challenge, they took the opportunity to get swift revenge on the new Champions.
GHA TAKE SWIFT REVENGE WITH HUMBLING OF CHAMPIONS
GHA RFC MATCH 236: GHA RFC 45 – 22 HOWE OF FIFE RFC
2011/2012: Scottish Premiership Three
GHA RFC | HOWE OF FIFE RFC |
R. McClymont | 15 | M. Daly |
R. Jericevich | 14 | C. Dow |
H. O’Hare | 13 | A. Guthrie |
(c) A. Henderson | 12 | F. Clark |
J. Brogan | 11 | G. Imrie |
D. Dunn | 10 | D. Martin |
A. Gillman | 9 | S. Lathangie |
M. Kidd | 1 | C. Fenton |
I. Nelson | 2 | M. Keeble |
S. Fisher | 3 | G. Steedman |
A. Barnett | 4 | C. McBain |
J. Auld | 5 | T. Mason |
N. Cassie | 6 | A. Honeyman |
A. Auld | 7 | I. Wilson |
J. Pinder | 8 | C. Mason |
T. Ritchie | 16 | S. Player |
S. Spowart | 17 | S. McGowan |
D. Kellock | 18 | C. Rintoul |
M. Houston | 19 | E. Jack |
McClymont (2), Pinder (2), A. Auld, J. Auld, Spowart | Try | Clark (2), Imrie, Wilson |
Brogan (5) | Con | Martin |
Pen | ||
DG | ||
Referee | ||
Mr C. Reavley |
GHA had a bonus point in the bag before half-time against Howe of Fife at Braidholm on Saturday, and they went to a seven-try win. As a result on its own, it was a mainly satisfying end to GHA’s Premier 3 season.
Such a victory, however, would have been all the sweeter if it had brought the division championship with it. That, however, was settled a week ago with Howe taking the title by beating GHA at Cupar. That left GHA in second place, and Saturday’s result changed nothing.
Nor do Howe and GHA have the elation of promotion. The only new ground they venture into next season is the new-style two-division Championship format, and they are in different sections of that.
Ross McClymont and Jamie Pinder each had two tries in the Braidholm match. The Aulds had one apiece, as did Stephen Spowart, the replacement prop scoring only a couple of minutes after his introduction to the contest.
GHA started the game with pace and intention, a series of recycling from the kick-off leading to a try for Alan Auld after less than two minutes. Similar build-up, though not so extended, lead to McClymont’s first in 16 minutes, and Andy Hendersons pop-up pass gave Pinder his first try nine minutes later. John Brogan converted all three for a 21-0 lead.
Henderson suffered the sight of a yellow card for an alleged high tackle just two minutes after that third try. But his loss did not hamper GHAs scoring urge. Just before the end of the centre’s 10 minutes in the sin-bin Pinder ploughed over from close-range for the bonus-point try. Brogan could not convert from out on the left.
It was into added time before Howe had their first try, Iain Wilson scoring and Dominic Martin converting, but GHA started the second half even more quickly than they had done in the first. Barely a minute had gone when the Aulds combined for try, Alan surging on from lineout ball for Jamie to score.
Fraser Clark responded with a try for Howe, but Henderson led the way for two more from the home team, the captain’s breaks set up tries for McClymont and Spowart. Brogan converted the first and third of the second-half tries.
With a lead of 45-12 after 66 minutes GHA were looking for a half-century, but that eluded them. Instead, tries by Clark and Girvin Imrie bought Howe a bonus point, and just before the end GHA were again down to 14 men when Iain Nelson was sin-binned for not rolling away after a tackle or some such similar offence on the floor.
GHA’s season is not completed finished yet. A further date for the diary is the increasingly popular Braidholm Sevens on Saturday 26 May.
Source: Bill McMurtrie