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Brims kicks Greens to glory in league opener


By Iain Grant

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Evan Sutherland skips past Glenrothes player Michael Delorey to score his side’s first try in the opening minute. Photos: www.jamesgunn.co.uk
Evan Sutherland skips past Glenrothes player Michael Delorey to score his side’s first try in the opening minute. Photos: www.jamesgunn.co.uk

CAITHNESS 21- 15 GLENROTHES

IT would be folly to base prospects for a season on an opening league match.

This one was infused with a liberal quota of handling and decision-making errors and a lack of intensity – factors which all too typically disfigure early season encounters.

Given Glenrothes would be seeded to finish seventh of 10 in the new-style RBS Caledonia one, the Greens’ inability to put them to the sword with a near full-strength side on their own patch is cause for concern.

But it is early days and Caithness will undoubtedly take time to bed in new partnerships and adapt to new patterns of play.

Donald MacIntosh’s charges perhaps paid the price on Saturday for getting off to just too good a start.

Had Evan Sutherland’s second-minute converted touchdown been quickly followed up with further breakthroughs – as were threatened – they might have easily gone on to register a bonus-point victory.

Failure to do that had the effect of blunting the home side’s mojo while steeling the resistance of the Fife outfit.

Victory was by no means assured, with the visitors’ conversion of their second try of the afternoon tying the scores at 15-15 with four minutes remaining.

Two penalties nailed by fly half Liam Brims enabled the Greens to come out on top.

Both sides had spells of dominance in the scrum but the Greens far and away won the line-out battle, with lock John Miller regularly pirating ball at the front.

A Glenrothes over-throw was the source of the opening score with Sutherland gathering before fending off several powder-puff challenges on a 30-metre run to the line. Brims added the extras.

Caithness were soon back in the opposition 22 with the rampaging Roddy Gray prominent and winger Gordie MacLeod grounded within breathing range of the line.

The visitors’ youthful, homebred back division gave the first demonstration of their attacking threat midway through the half when speedster Kain Duguid’s dart required a last-man tackle from full-back Graham Poke.

The Fifers finished the half the stronger, forcing a string of penalties, the last of which resulted in home centre Norman Foubister’s yellow-carding for his team’s serial offending.

Eight minutes from the interval Glenrothes got on the scoreboard after centre Shaun Gray scorched clear before out-flanking Graham Fryer and Sutherland to touch down. Stephen Dean was unlucky to see his wide-out conversion come up just short.

Caithness started the second half on fire and were soon pushing hard for a second try.

Brims kicked one of two penalties before visiting lock Dave MacGregor was sin-binned on 54 minutes as his side desperately defended its line.

Miller was denied but a minute later he materialised on the right flank to take a pop-pass from Foubister to crash over near the left corner.

A Greens ruck infringement allowed Dean to narrow the deficit to 15-8 midway through the second period.

Caithness then had a purple patch during which Foubister twice made line breaks which deserved tries before the centre’s crossfield kick almost put MacLeod over.

The effort, however, fizzled out and Glenrothes suddenly looked in the mood to come away with more than just a losing bonus point.

Wing Johnny Campbell almost burst clear before a drive from a five-yard line-out saw number eight Gavin Emerson force his way over.

Dean’s angled conversion drifted just inside the left upright to put his side on terms until indiscipline in the visiting ranks gave Brims the chances to kick his side to victory.

Caithness: G. Poke, G. Mac-Leod, N. Foubister, J. Sinclair, M. Oswald, L. Brims, G. Fryer, S. Dunnett (captain), H. Coghill, T. Sutherland, J. Miller, R. Gray, M. Duffy, E. Sutherland, R. Coghill. Replacements, all used: P. Nicolson, D. Pottinger and A. Nicolson.

Glenrothes: J. Birrell, K. Duguid, S. Gray, S. Dean, J. Campbell, S. Hainey, M. Delorey (captain), L. Fowlis, M. Polatajko, G. Cook, D. MacGregor, R. Douglas, R. Wilson, G. Emerson, C. Kavanagh. Replacements, all used: J. Scott, S. Varney and S. Munro.

Referee: S. Reynolds, Elgin.


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