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Strength in depth on show as Yellows go top with big victory over Skye





Caithness 2nd XV and Skye line up after Saturday's Caley North Division 3 match at Millbank. Picture: James Gunn
Caithness 2nd XV and Skye line up after Saturday's Caley North Division 3 match at Millbank. Picture: James Gunn

The emerging strength in depth of the Caithness senior rugby ranks was on display as Caithness Seconds ran amok against visitors Skye.

The Yellows, skippered by Tom Storey, were too strong in all areas as they racked up an 88-5 win to go top of Caley North Division 3 on points differential from Turriff.

The game at Millbank was the only one in the league to go ahead as Storm Éowyn caused a wave of cancellations across the country.

Head coach Cameron Boyd is impressed with the progress being made by the youth section graduates and returnees to the game who starred in Saturday’s outing.

Craig Cannop pushes off the full-back during the Yellows' emphatic victory over Skye. Picture: James Gunn
Craig Cannop pushes off the full-back during the Yellows' emphatic victory over Skye. Picture: James Gunn

Boyd was also delighted to see Scott Webster return to action after farm commitments and, latterly, a shoulder injury restricted his involvement this season to just two appearances for the Greens.

Lachlan Jardine, another coming back after a spell out, was quick to make an impact as he ran in the first two of his side’s 14 tries within the opening four minutes.

The first stemmed from a trademark bulldozing carry from the number eight and he was on hand two phases later to cross after Webster’s flat, cut-out pass created the opening.

Jardine was on hand again to crash over after another onslaught on the Skye try-line.

Connor Allan makes a flying tackle as Lachlan Jardine looks on. Picture: James Gunn
Connor Allan makes a flying tackle as Lachlan Jardine looks on. Picture: James Gunn

Skye, in their second season, remain a work in progress and they struggled to cope with the physicality and tempo of the Caithness attacks.

Jamie Mowat’s feed put teenage blindside Connor Allan in for his debut try before Reece Mowat broke clear to score the fourth.

A surging run from Craig Cannop then paved the way for lock Kyle Macleod to cross before Jamie Mowat’s pop pass opened the way for Webster to run in from the halfway line.

Storey weighed in with the seventh try but it was Skye who were next to trouble the scoreboard just before half-time when Webster’s ambitious full-stretch palm-back of a touchline penalty backfired.

Skye right-winger Jordan Kelley pounced on the loose ball and dived over to score. Scrum-half Paddy McInnes was wide with the conversion.

It was to prove brief respite for the islanders, who remained under the cosh in a one-sided second half.

Fraser McGlennon tries to break clear for Caithness 2nd XV. Picture: James Gunn
Fraser McGlennon tries to break clear for Caithness 2nd XV. Picture: James Gunn

Within two minutes of the restart, Webster and Reece Mowat combined to set the full-back on the way to his second touchdown.

The hard-working Mowat bagged his second after getting on the end of a sweeping right-to-left move.

Webster and outside centre Stuart Crichton did the spadework for Cannop to get the next before inside centre Max Kennedy got in on the act after breaking from a ruck and stepping his way to the line.

Cannop got his second with a solo effort before flanker Angus Lapslie and Allan, with his second, completed the rout.

Jamie Mowat struggled early on with his placekicking but latterly found his groove and ended up with 18 points off the tee.

The Yellows’ next game is the return fixture in Portree on February 15.

Another try for the Yellows as Scott Webster goes between the posts. Picture: James Gunn
Another try for the Yellows as Scott Webster goes between the posts. Picture: James Gunn

Boyd was happy to see the Yellows back up the previous week’s 40-7 win in Fraserburgh.

He said: “There was a lot of good stuff and it was particularly satisfying to see the first-team systems starting to show in how the Seconds play.

“We’ve done a lot of work in training on contact, and our defence on Saturday was really good.

“There were some really good midfield carries and we transitioned well after turnover ball and from their mistakes. We also moved the ball well out of the point of contact.”

Boyd added: “We maybe left a few tries out there when we didn’t go through our systems, and we could perhaps have shown a bit more patience when we got the ball out to our backs.”


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