Spirited Green finish with record points haul
ELLON ................................................22
CAITHNESS .................................................20
THE Greens on Saturday almost rounded off their RBS Caledonian League 1 campaign with what would have been a first win at the Meadows.
Despite struggling to muster a XV – let alone a squad – to travel, they put up a spirited display against a side battling to save their skins.
The first half was one of their best 40 minutes of the season and they deservedly went in at the interval 20-12 to the good.

After the break, they were under the cosh but they defended stoutly under long spells of sustained pressure.
They were undone by two tries in the third quarter which clinched a narrow bonus point victory and in the process consigned Highland to the drop. Ellon now go into a round of play-offs as they battle to avoid a second successive demotion.
Caithness were boosted by the return of John Miller whose presence in the line-out and as a ball carrier was missed. Number eight Evan Sutherland also returned, while right winger Martin Oswald made his first start in the last game of the season.
With student Liam Brims continuing at fly half, Gordie Macleod took over at scrum half from the unavailable Kris Hamilton.
The visitors, playing down the slope with a slight breeze, made a storming start. Determined to atone for the listless displays in the two previous defeats away to Mackie and Gordonians, they scored a corker of a try in the opening minutes.
Just about the whole side was involved in two sweeping sequences featuring slick offloads which took play across the park from left to right and then back again. Miller was handily placed to cross for the touchdown, which Brims converted.
The feelgood factor was interrupted when a rogue pass during another dangerous looking Greens raid was intercepted by number eight Jack Calvert who had a clear run to the line.
The only real problem area for the visitors was the scrum where they struggled throughout.
They were looking by far the livelier and incisive about the field and they duly bagged a second try after another stirring multi-phase spell. Centre Marc Anderson provided the finish with a powerful midfield thrust. Brims converted to put his side 14-5 ahead.
Ellon responded with an unconverted try for Dave Ilyine following a rolling maul deep in the Greens’ 22. Full back Hamish Dalgarno converted but the visitors’ first-half dominance was more fairly reflected in the scoreline by two late Brims penalties.
Lacking options to replace tiring members of the pack, Caithness spent the second half largely on the back foot. With the north-east side desperate to win, they put their future in the hands and frames of their combative pack. It paid dividends, with the Greens forced to spend long stints without the ball.
Calvert notched a second try and flanker Conor Slaven went over for another unconverted touchdown just after the hour. That ended the scoring and rounded off a season which left Caithness in second place and with a record points total.
Skipper Stevie Campbell said: “I thought we played really well, especially in the first half when there was some excellent spells of continuity play. We were under a lot of pressure in the second half but I thought we defended well and in the end were unlucky to come away with just a losing bonus point.”
With the 15-a-side season over for the Greens, they now focus on the abbreviated version. They are set to field a strong squad for the Garioch Sevens tomorrow.
Caithness – G. Mackay, M. Oswald, M. Anderson, D. Gordon, D. Webster, L. Brims, G. Macleod, M. Duffy, H. Coghill, M. Nicolson, R. Gray, J. Miller, G. Anderson, E. Sutherland, S. Campbell (cpt). Replacements – B. Parker (used), G. Sutherland (unused).
In the other Caley 1 match played on Saturday, St Andrews University clinched third place in the league thanks to a crushing 56-8 victory against Gordonians.