Green target top four finish
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GORDONIANS ........................5
A THIRD successive victory has allowed the Greens to change their focus from survival in the RBS Caley 1 League to eyeing a top-four place.
Despite a fall-off in performance, they got home with a good deal to spare on Saturday.
Four tries and 10 points kicked by fly half Liam Brims were registered before Gordonians secured scant consolation from a stoppage-time touchdown.
The Greens last faced the one-time top-flight Aberdeen side in 2002 in a Scottish Cup tie at Millbank. The latter were then in the midst of a freefall down the divisions and Caithness posted a comfortable 29-0 win.
It was a similar outcome on Saturday, though Greens coach Colin Sangster was unhappy with the high quota of handling errors and the number of workshy forwards, particularly in the first half.
The back row was a highly productive area while the back division displayed a potency in attack which has been largely missing this season.
Scrum half Graham Fryer was a stand-out for his distribution and covering defence, which averted two certain tries, while right wing Neil Smith showed a well-honed cutting edge in running in a brace of tries.
Caithness went in front on seven minutes when Fryer was illegally balked at the base of a ruck and Brims converted the penalty.
A minute later, there was more joy as Evan Sutherland galloped clear up the left flank. He was unable to deliver the would-be money pass to winger Martin Oswald but quick recycling from the breakdown triggered a handling move across the pitch. Blindside wing forward William Mill provided the final link as he sent lock Dave Lewis-Sanders in under the posts. Brims converted to make it 10-0.
Handling gremlins in open play frustrated the Greens’ bid to build continuity and allowed their opponents to seize the initiative for a spell.
A thumping tackle by Fryer cut short right wing Eric Edgar’s surging run down the right touch-line while fly half Euan Bowen failed with two penalty attempts.
Caithness threatened with a clean break from open side Stevie Campbell carried on by centre Norman Foubister and almost finished off by Smith.
Seven minutes from the interval, Gordonians were pinged for handling in a ruck and Brims landed his second three-pointer. The final action of the half saw Fryer execute a shuddering tackle on Patrick Maughan after he looked certain to plunge over.
After the turnaround, the visitors were very much at the receiving end until their late rally. Greens centre Marc Anderson was twice involved in an early foray which ended with Sutherland cut down just short of the try line.
The second try came on 56 minutes. When Oswald made the initial break play was switched and an overlap was exploited with Campbell feeding Smith who cut back inside the covering full back Mark Marchbank to touch down.
Fryer’s last involvement was to scurry back to prevent Edgar scoring after Greens full back Blair McIntosh’s fresh-air swipe from Bowen’s chip-through.
Fryer went over an ankle and was replaced at scrum half by Foubister with Graham Poke coming on at centre.
McIntosh was later prominent with some jinking breaks as his side searched for the two tries to give them the bonus point.
Their cause was helped by the 72nd-minute sin-binning of opposition scrum half Craig Murray for his reckless use of a boot at a ruck.
Three minutes later, Sutherland broke from the tail of the scrum and fended off three opponents en route to his 14th try of the campaign. Brims added the extras.
Two minutes from time, the Greens were celebrating the extra point when McIntosh and Mill provided the links before Smith blazed over for his second touchdown of the day.
Caithness visibly eased off and four minutes into stoppage time were punished when loose head prop Andrew Sutcliffe went over from close range for an unconverted try.
Caithness: B. McIntosh, N. Smith, N. Foubister, Nicolson, M. Oswald, L. Brims, G. Fryer, S. Dunnet (cpt), H. Coghill, R. Pottinger, A. Morris, D. Lewis Saunders, W. Mill, E. Sutherland, S. Campbell. Replacements: M. Nicolson, P. Nicolson and G. Poke.
Gordonians: M. Marchbank, E. Edgar, I. Maxwell, P. Maughan, F. Smith, E. Bowen, C. Murray, M. Brechin, C. Simpson, A. Sutcliffe, R. Bonner, M. Medlock, D. Neil, R. Petit, J. Bowen (cpt). Replacements: G. MacKenzie, G. Hynd and A. Jess.
Ref: R. Hood-Gillian, Cupar.
*The teams lined up in front of the near touchline before kick-off to observe a minute’s silence for Caithness founder member Will Murray. A talented fly half, he was the first player to chalk up 100 appearances and throughout his life took a keen interest in the club.
