Haddington Rugby Football Club

GSB Sevens Report 2008

Haddington Sevens

Not even a 3pm start, Haddington's unfortunate cup defeat nor some seriously unseasonal weather could put a damper on the GSB Haddington Sevens, Boroughmuir eventually winning the cup in a closer final than the score line of 38pts to 24 might suggest. Muir were far and away the best side on show all afternoon scoring a 161 points and conceding only 31. Local interest was short lived with Ross High, Dunbar and the Presidents seven all falling at the 1^st fence kind of like my horse in the “National” and a young Haddington side following in the quarters losing a one sided tie to Peebles 39-0 however they did manage to spark crowd interest in their 1^st round tie against Forrester’s a game more notable for the boxing than the rugby Forrester’s taking a confrontational approach right from the kick off. Three of the senior Edinburgh sides along with Peebles contested the semi finals with Peebles overcoming a sharp looking Watson’s side 31-10 and Boroughmuir defeating Accies 34-7 to set up the final tie

Results

1^st round

Rodent Babas 0 Watsonians26

BATS 7 West of Scotland 45

Forrester 14 Haddington 26

Peebles 45 Dunbar 0

GalaYM 24 Murr/Wands 5

GHA 0 B/Muir 47

Ross High 0 Presidents 7 31

Edin Accies 24 Heriots 12

2nd Round

Watsonians 28 West 19

Haddington 0 Peebles 39

GalaYM 0 B/Muir 42

Presidents 7 12 Edin Accies 35

Semi Finals

Watsonians 10 Peebles 31

B/Muir 34 Edin Accies 7

Final

Peebles 24

B/Muir 38

Jed Forest SHE Quarter Final Match Report

Haddington 10 Jedforest 11

Haddington missed out on a SHE Cup semi final place by the narrowest of margins eventually losing out by a single point to a Jed side who had done their homework well following a 39 points to 17 loss to the Neilson Park side 2 weeks earlier. On that occasion Haddington held all the aces up front while the Scarlet’s midfield Calum Mark in particular ripped swathes through Jed’s defence. The Riverside coaching team remedied this effectively with their pack more than fronting up and the Haddington centres denied space in which to operate. Haddington could and perhaps should have won this game given the greater possession they enjoyed throughout but Jed ended up worthy winners if only by dint of creating more try scoring opportunities.

Jed kicked off downhill towards the club and the first 10 minutes were played at a frantic place both sides running the ball at every opportunity Jed’s inside centre Gary Hill looking particularly dangerous with well timed angled runs. Hill had the 1^st opportunity on 18 minutes to open the scoring with a penalty but his kick came back off the post allowing Jamie Peters to clear his lines with a long touch finder. The game continued to be played at a frantic pace and following a charged down drop goal attempt Jed retained possession moved at right and it took a tremendous cover tackle by Haddington’s Brock Gibbon to keep the home line intact. Jed did get their reward moments later when flanker Robert Ferguson found a gap to go over from close in. 25 minutes gone 5-0 Jed. Haddington responded immediately when a good run by Calum Cockburn forced Jed to concede a penalty which Jamie Peters stroked over. Jed came roaring back again and only the touchline denied Jed’s McFarlane a try in the bottom left hand corner the winger finding the outside and brushing aside some pretty ineffectual tackling out wide to create the chance. Jed kept the pressure on and forced a 5 metre scrum charging down a Jamie Peters clearance kick but the stand off quickly made amends with a long clearance kick when his pack turned over Jed ball. 2 mins into 1^st half added on time Haddington were dealt a double whammy with home centre Calum Mark yellow carded for handling in the ruck and Hill landing the resultant penalty to give Jed an 8pts to 3 advantage.

Haddington kicked off the 2^nd half and enjoyed the majority of territory and possession for the opening period. 10mins Jamie Peters had the chance to claw back 3 points but the stand offs kick didn’t threaten the posts. Jed then went back on the offensive and Hill missed a difficult penalty. 25 mins into the half Haddington got their noses in front for the first time when following good work by the forwards turning over Jed possession Graham Crawford broke on the right wing kicked ahead and was tripped by a defender going for the touchdown. The referee had no hesitation in awarding the penalty try and Jamie Peters was able to add the conversion fro in front of the posts. Haddington were now in the driving seat but couldn’t capitalise on their advantage too many misdirected kicks and wrong options let Jed back into the match and it was no surprise when Hill was given a kick at goal. The centres kick failed but Jed were not to be denied and when the Haddington backs were adjudged offside up stepped replacement Donald Grieve who made no mistake with his penalty kick. With the clock running down Haddington threw everything at Jed but they just couldn’t find their way past a resolute Jed defence that sensed victory, the match finished 11points to 10 in Jed’s favour and it’ll be the Borders side that go into the draw for the semi-finals.

There were no failures in the Haddington line-up it just wasn’t to be their day. That they didn’t come out on top certainly wasn’t due to lack of effort epitomised by the forward effort of Craig Adam, Quinton Caulfield, Mark Morrison and No.8 Nico Maybury who all put in huge shifts.

 

Haddington v Cartha Match Report(L)

Cartha QP 11 v Haddington 0

Haddington brought the curtain down on their league campaign with a disappointing defeat against Cartha QP. The Glasgow side, who are battling for survival in Premier Two, were the hungrier throughout the match and deservedly won on their home turf. Haddington, on the other hand, were unable to hold onto the ball for any length of time with nobody working hard enough to support the ball carrier, meaning a very disjointed and lack-lustre performance from the Scarlets.

The Dumbreck pitch was heavy after a lot of rain in midweek, which led to both sides playing a mainly limited game with the ball not venturing much further than the twelve channel on most occasions.

Cartha had most of the possession and territorial advantage in the first half, but were unable to capitalise with any points on the board until the 30^th minute when there stand-off, White, kicked a penalty after Haddington had been penalised at the lineout. This was all the home team had to show for their efforts at half time as neither side looked like scoring any tries.

Half-Time: Cartha QP 3 v Haddington 0

The second half fared no better with little constructive rugby being played by either side. Mid-way through the second period, Cartha got the try their territorial advantage merited, although, slackness in Haddington’s midfield was as much the cause as Cartha creating the opportunity in itself. Winger, Nyangweso, was the home hero as he dived over to touch down for the decisive try, even though there were still 20 minutes to play, Haddington never looked like scoring. 8 – 0.

As the minutes ticked away, Haddington tried to run out of their own 22, only to be penalised for holding on and stand-off, White, again stepped up to knock over another 3 points to the delight of the home support. The game thankfully was brought to a conclusion to the relief of both sets of supporters, although for different reasons in a largely forgettable match.

Full-Time: Cartha QP 11 – Haddington 0.

Haddington played like a team with one eye on next weeks’ quarter final against Jedforest, however, on this showing, and regardless of nothing being at stake for Haddington yesterday, the player’s under-performed and can take nothing for granted next week.

Haddington v Jedforest(L) Match report

Haddington 39 v Jedforest 17

Haddington gained a slight psychological edge over Jedforest prior to the upcoming Cup quarter-final match in a fortnight, with a hard fought victory at Neilson Park. This result also ensures fourth spot in Premier Two for the home side, which will be regarded as a tremendous achievement having been promoted only last season, however, many will look on it as a missed opportunity as well, having topped the league for a spell at the start of the season before a run of defeats ended any hopes of promotion. Haddington seem to be finishing the season as they had started with some excellent rugby being played from one to fifteen through varying the angles of attack whilst also retaining possession for lengthy spells, culminating in some cracking tries being scored in the process.

A bitterly cold day welcomed the player’s onto the park with Haddington playing towards the Clubhouse in the first half. Only three minutes were on the clock when stand-off, Jamie Peters, had put the home side in front with a well-struck penalty, however, moments later the hosts were left shell-shocked after a missed tackle allowed space out wide for the Jed winger, Roy McFarlane, to dive over for unconverted try to lead 5 – 3. Both teams attempted to keep the ball alive and there were scoring opportunities when either side had the ball, but it was mainly through poor defensive duties as opposed to the attacking team creating the chances. Peters added another penalty on 16 minutes to put the Scarlets back in front at 6 – 5.

Centre, Callum Mark set the game alight when he made a searing midfield break that led to another penalty. This time Haddington chose to kick to touch for the lineout, which proved the right decision as the forwards caught and drove over the Jed line for a well-worked try. Graham Waugh, ‘the Dyson of the pack’, came up with the ball under a ruck of players to claim the touchdown, Peters added the conversion to open up a 13 – 5 lead. Jed were not to be undone and had caused the Scarlets problems whenever they moved the ball into the midfield area with Jed centre Gary Hill exposing defensive frailties amongst the home ranks. This eventually led to second-row and namesake Paul Hill plundering over for another unconverted try for the visitors to trail by only three points at 13 – 10.

Callum Mark made another decisive break that should have led to a score, but a poor pass undone the lead-up play, although a wayward clearance kick by Jed soon after, allowed Craig Harrison to suck in several Jed players leaving Sam Johnston a gap to scamper through before selling an outrageous dummy to the Jed full-back on his way to scoring under the posts. Peters again kicked the conversion for a 20 – 10 lead going into the break. There was still time for Haddington to sneak another score before the half time whistle as the game began to open up. Brock Gibbon took advantage of space on the outside before slipping a timely pass to supporting full-back, Graham Crawford to romp home and increase the lead to 25 – 10. Peters missing the conversion.

Half Time: 25 – 10.

Haddington took more control in the second half as Jed picked up some injuries and seemed to tire as the match wore on, although, Jed winger, Robert Hogg took full advantage of a loose pass by Haddington to intercept and run almost the length of the field to score an opportunist try as Haddington were attacking. No.8 Donald Grieve took over the kicking duties to notch the conversion and bring Jed back to 25 – 17. The Haddington pack got stronger as the match unfolded with second-row, Quinton Caulfield making some telling surges through the Jed rearguard. It was prop, Craig Adam that deservedly got the next score after a number of pick-and-drives by the pack close to the Jed line had the visitors in disarray. Peters knocked over the conversion for a 32 – 17 lead going into the last quarter of the match.

Adam and Johnston were held up over the Jed line as Haddington encamped themselves on the visitors line for lengthy periods. The Jed scrum was also under pressure from the Haddington Eight as several scrums near to the Jed line were illegally dropped, and with a penalty-try a distinct possibility, the Scarlets got their reward with a cleverly worked back row move catching Jed unawares allowing a stroll over the line for the impressive No.8 Nico Maybury. Peters again added the conversion.

Brock Gibbon and Callum Cockburn came close to adding even more daylight to the end result but came up just short of the whitewash on both occasions. 

Final Score: Haddington 39 v Jedforest 17

SHE National Cup Match

Haddington 52 v Selkirk 10

On a firm pitch and perfect conditions for rugby, Haddington showed their all round ball skills were far superior on the day, to a Selkirk side that are still well in contention for promotion to Premier One next season. The match had all the hallmarks of a tight affair, however, Haddington hadn’t read the script and produced a terrific performance to deservedly progress into the SHE National Cup quarter finals for the first time in their history. 

Haddington started the match on the offensive with everyone looking comfortable with ball in hand and after only six minutes, some quick thinking from winger, Callum Cockburn at a free kick put full back Neil Watt into space in his own 22. There was still plenty of work to do but he produced a similar outcome to the previous match versus Peebles where he outstripped the cover defence to romp home for a cracking individual try from fully 60 metres. Jamie Peters kicked the conversion for a 7 – 0 lead. Haddington kept stretching the visitors and created several mismatches out wide with Selkirk’s forwards facing Haddington backs in the wide areas, allowing the Scarlets back three to exploit the gaps. On nine minutes, the Scarlets scored again after winger, Graham Crawford had made good yardage to put stand off Jamie Peters into a position to brush aside the Selkirk defender and touch down. Peters converted his own try for a 14 – 0 lead.

The home side were soon 21 – 0 up after Selkirk fumbled the ball in midfield, it was hacked through by Paddy Brown for No.8 Nico Maybury to follow up and touch down. Peters again added the extra points. Selkirk regained their composure and caught the Haddington forwards offside at a ruck and centre, Armstrong, gratefully knocked over the penalty to get his side on the scoreboard at 21 – 3.

The Scarlets were rampant though and in no mood to allow Selkirk back into the game and within three minutes had scored their fourth try. Nico Maybury picked up from a scrum and fed Callum Mark who breeched the first line before offloading to his centre partner, Brock Gibbon, who in turn linked with Neil Watt to scorch home under the posts. Peters again added the extras with his conversion for a healthy 28 – 3 lead.

The remaining ten minutes of the half, Haddington defended stoutly after hooker, Craig Harrison had been yellow carded for his teams’ persistent infringements at the rucks, although Selkirk couldn’t take advantage of the extra man and the half time score remained 28 – 3.

The game was out of sight within five minutes of the restart when winger, Crawford, gathered a loose ball and stretched his legs to race in under the sticks. Peters knocked over the conversion for an unassailable lead at 35 – 3. If Selkirk had hoped Haddington would lighten up they had another thing coming as the score was soon moved on to 40 – 3. Brock Gibbon collected another loose pass in midfield and made 30 metres before passing to the supporting Cockburn to finish off. The conversion was missed on this occasion. All Haddington’s subs were now on with coach, Eddie Pollock, keen to give everyone vital game time with one eye on the upcoming league matches. Approaching the final quarter of the match, Selkirk finally breached the home line when winger, Jaffray, scuttled over in the corner and with Armstrong kicking the conversion, the scoreboard moved on to 40 – 10.

Two minutes later the Scarlets had scored try No.7 after great foraging from Second row, Quinton Caulfield, who created the space for Cockburn to notch his second try of the day, but only after nonchalantly bouncing the Selkirk defender aside on his way to the line. Unsurprisingly, Peters kicked the conversion for 47 – 10.

The drama kept unfolding as Prop, Dougie Orr and Second row, Bob Snodgrass were both yellow carded within a minute of each other for trying to slow the ball down at the ruck. With only 13 men on the field, Haddington played some breathtaking rugby to stretch Selkirk all over the park with great interplay amongst forwards and backs, which eventually resulted in flanker, Neil Rodgers slipping a timely pass inside to prop, Graham Waugh to barge over from close range and ‘hoover up’.

Final Score: Haddington 52 v Selkirk 10

This was a cracking match for the Haddington support to savour with the player’s deserving all the plaudits that come their way. The Club are now hoping for a bit of luck with a home draw in the next round and anything is possible for this squad who have worked hard during the International weeks to hopefully finish the season on a high note.

Haddington v Peebles - 5th Round SHE Cup

Haddington 38 v Peebles 20

Premier 3 highfliers Peebles were the visitors to Neilson Park on Saturday for the 5^th round of the Scottish Hydro Electric Cup. The blustery conditions blowing down the park would no doubt have an influence on proceedings, with Peebles enjoying the advantage in the first half.

The visitors went ahead after 10 minutes when Haddington were penalised in front of their own posts for not rolling away at a ruck. Peebles stand-off Anderson, made no mistake with the easy 3 pointer. Five minutes later, Peebles had stretched their advantage further when centre, McDonald went through some weak tackling in the Haddington midfield to stroll over. Anderson added the conversion to put Peebles 10 – 0 ahead with barely twenty minutes gone.

Haddington tightened things up at this point and started to exert some pressure of their own with a number of phases causing no end of problems for a scrambling visitors defence. From the ensuing scrum under the Peebles posts, No.8 Nico Maybury gladly accepted the honours for a forwards’ try as they pushed Peebles back over their own try line. Jamie Peters added the conversion. 10 – 7.

Peebles increased the lead soon after with another Anderson penalty on the half hour mark when Peters was harshly adjudged to have put in a spear tackle on his opposite number. Haddington continued to defy the elements and got themselves into another good attacking position with a lineout 15 metres from the visitors try-line. Caulfield again provided quality ball for the rest of the pack to rumble towards the Peebles line where prop, Gary Glass, peeled away to barge over for another deserved forwards try. 13 – 12.

As half time approached and only a point separating the two sides, Haddington should have been looking to close ranks for the final moments, however, a spilled ball in the home 22 was gathered by centre McDonald, who must have thought his birthday had come early as he cruised in under the posts for his second try and with Anderson adding the conversion, there was daylight between the sides once again at 20 – 12.  It would have been Peebles turn to think they had given themselves a cushion going into the 2^nd half, yet, with the last play of the half, the Scarlets turned the game on its head again after a half charged down kick was gathered by Sam Johnston who put Brock Gibbon into space and as the Peebles defence looked to have the situation covered, Gibbon had other ideas as he brushed aside two of them on his way to scoring wide out. Peters kicked a terrific conversion to finally finish the first half scoring.

Half Time: Peebles 20 Haddington 19  

Within 5 minutes of the restart, a simple turnover ball was quickly exploited by the Scarlets as the ball was transferred to full-back Neil Watt to outstrip the visitors defence. This put the hosts in the lead for the first time in the match at 24 – 20. If Haddington thought it was going to be one-way traffic from there on in, Peebles had other ideas as they doggedly defended for most of the next 30 minutes, one intrusion into the Haddington 22 almost giving them real hope of an upset, however, it was not to be and eventually Haddington got two converted scores in the final 5 minutes to put more of a gloss on the result, although probably deservedly finishing with an 18 point gap, judging by the amount of territory and possession they had enjoyed.

Centre, Callum Mark claimed try number five after he beat his opposite number, before flanker Neil Rodgers got the sixth and final home try after great lead up play by Craig Harrison. Peters adding the extra points.

Final Score: Haddington 38  Peebles 20

Peebles will be aggrieved at the final two scores, however, I’m sure this result will be quickly forgotten as they approach the remaining two games in the league with promotion to Premier 2 very much in their own hands.

Haddington, on the other hand, will take a lot of satisfaction out of this game with a number of player’s not having played for 4 weeks, the pack looked solid throughout with the scrums and lineouts particularly strong and the team were creating plenty of opportunities that would surely have ended with further tries on another day.

   

Haddington v Royal High Corstorphine Match Report

RH Corstorphine 3 v Haddington 26

Haddington travelled to Edinburgh on Saturday to play National One side Royal High Corstorphine in the SHE Cup competition with a much-changed side from the recent league defeat to Kelso. A number of fringe player’s were deservedly given their opportunity to show the Coaches of their credentials, the big question was how quickly they would adapt into the team framework with only seven regular 1^st XV player’s starting.

It was Royal High who got the first points on the board with a well-struck penalty through their stand-off to take an early 3 – 0 lead. They could have stretched their advantage further had it not been for some great scrambling defence from Haddington to snuff out the threat. Haddington started to pose problems of their own for the home side with the driving play of the forwards and the pace of the backs creating opportunities, and on 15 minutes after a couple of quick rucks, flanker Paddy Brown, straightened in midfield to surge through the gap and touch down. Jamie Peters made no mistake with the conversion for a 7 – 3 lead.   

Jamie Peters was influential with the next score on 30 minutes as he went blind from a scrum and created space for winger, Graham Crawford to go over unopposed. Peters kicked the tricky conversion from wide out to put the Scarlets further ahead at 14 – 3. The game was quite open throughout with both sides looking to play rugby and Royal High were unlucky not to add to their points as a penalty attempt drifted wide as half time approached, but there was to be no more scoring in the first half.

Half time 14 – 3.

It was midway through the second half before the Scarlets got their next score and it deservedly went to Nico Maybury, who put in another impressive performance from No.8. From a scrum on the home 22, he picked from the base and was clear before Royal High could put a hand on him, Peters added the extras to extend the lead to 21 – 3. Ten minutes from the end, Haddington finished the scoring with a quick tap penalty by Peters, which was carried on by the forwards before Peters was on hand to dive over. Peters missed the conversion but Haddington were well in control at 26 – 3. Royal High continued to throw the ball about but lacked a cutting edge that their overall play deserved, although Haddington won this match with a bit to spare in the end and there never looked likely to be an upset on the cards at any stage.

Final Score 26 – 3.

This was a worthwhile exercise for Haddington with a number of players not having played a lot of rugby recently, added to this though is a worrying list of injuries to key players of late that will test the strength of the squad as Haddington’s opponents in the next round of the Cup await in a fortnight.

Haddington v Kelso Match Report

Haddington 14 v Kelso 16

This match seemed to sum up the frustrating season Haddington have had with another loss to a Border side proving to be the team’s undoing throughout the league campaign.

Haddington were confident going into the match after posting three good league wins in a row, however, they came up short again against a stuffy Kelso side languishing near the foot of the table.

The Scarlets started sprightly and took the lead within five minutes, Sam Johnston made the initial break before Neil Watt drew the cover defence and offloaded to winger, Rhodri Thomas, who cut a great line to add to his impressive try tally for the season. Jamie Peters made no mistake with the conversion for a 7 – 0 lead. Haddington looked comfortable at this point and continued to cut through the Kelso defence in the opening exchanges but were unable to capitalise and add to the score line. Kelso dug in and were rewarded on twelve minutes with a penalty through full-back Kevin Utterson to trail 7 – 3.

Haddington were their own worst enemy at times with their failure to find touch and it eventually proved costly after centre Richard Minto finished off a fine counter-attacking move for the Border side, even though they were down to fourteen men at the time with a player in the bin. Utterson kicked the conversion to move Kelso ahead 10 – 7. Haddington’s first half misery continued with Utterson kicking another penalty and stand-off, Euan Ford striking a neat drop goal to stretch Kelso’s advantage to 16 – 7.

As half time approached and with Haddington looking shorn of ideas, a piece of individual magic from full-back Neil Watt brought Haddington right back into contention with a mesmerising run from fully 40 metres to eventually touch down under the posts. Peters again added the extra two points.

Half time 16 – 14

The score just before half-time seemed to galvanise the home side and they started to turn the screw in the second half with more pace and direction. The pack was dominant in the scrum and ruck areas, although the loss of hooker, Craig Harrison in the first half had hampered the lineout options, it seemed only a matter of time before the Scarlets would surely score.

The longer the half wore on the more agitated the player’s and supporters became with the whistle-happy referee who continually frustrated the home side with his decisions. Kelso, by this stage, were happy to slow the game down to disrupt any chance of the home side gaining momentum and as the match entered the final quarter, you sensed that it wasn’t going to be Haddington’s day, however hard they tried. Immense disappointment was felt as the referee blew for full time with yet another match gone a-begging after out-scoring their opponents on tries, a bonus point defeat providing little comfort for the home sides’ efforts.

Final Score 16 – 14.

   

Haddington v Stew Mel Match report (L)

Stewarts’s Melville 5 v Haddington 22

Haddington made the short trip to Inverleith on Saturday looking for revenge against a Stewarts Melville side that had taken the honours earlier in the season at Neilson Park.

The opening 20 minutes of the match saw both sides with spells of dominance. The only obvious difference at that stage was that Haddington had the upper hand in the scrums, a factor that was to be significant as the match wore on.

The final 20 minutes of the first half saw Haddington assert their authority on the game and this resulted in the deadlock being broken, with a try from No.8 Nico Maybury after a well worked move and several phases of possession. The conversion was missed by Peters from out wide to add to an earlier penalty miss.

This score stirred Stew Mel into life and some quickly recycled ball, created a gap for winger Gordon to cross the line out wide and level the scores.

Straight from the restart Haddington were back in possession in the Stew Mel half and after several again well controlled phases, set up flanker Tom Bowie to score near the posts. Peters made no mistake with the conversion to take Haddington into a 7 point lead as half time beckoned.

Haddington were now in control and disrupting the Stew Mel scrum at will. This pressure resulted in turnover ball in the Stew Mel 22 and a turn of pace from winger Rhodri Thomas secured Haddington’s 3^rd try on the stroke of half time. The conversion was again missed and the teams turned with Haddington leading 17 – 5 and looking set to add to that tally in the second half.

The Scarlet’s dominance continued and numerous chances were created, but for the final pass not going to hand or the wrong option being taken, most of these opportunities slipped by. Only one further try was scored in the second half, with winger Thomas the grateful recipient of a great pick up and feed from the excellent Maybury from a Haddington scrum.

Stew Mel staged a late rally, but the Scarlet’s defence stood firm and the team secured a well deserved bonus point win, which consolidates 4^th place in the league with only 3 matches remaining.

Haddington v Musselburgh Match Report (L)

Haddington 34 v Musselburgh 0

Haddington consolidated fourth place in Premier Two with a convincing win over local rivals Musselburgh. Both teams have differing agendas at this stage of the season and on today’s performance it will be the home side who can hopefully achieve their end-of-season goals.

Haddington kicked off away from the Clubhouse and were immediately under pressure when a poor clearance allowed Musselburgh the early initiative, however, it was soon nullified and the Scarlets began to take control with the pack dominating set-pieces and providing quality ball for the backs to stretch Musselburgh out wide through Thomas and Crawford. Musselburgh held out for eight minutes before a driven lineout from 7metres allowed Prop Graeme Waugh an easy touchdown as the Musselburgh pack splintered. The conversion was missed but Haddington had the upper hand at 5 – 0.

The Scarlets were in the ascendancy at this point and had their visitors scrambling in defence as forwards and backs combined to create plenty of opportunities but small errors at vital moments kept the score at 5 – 0. As the half wore on Musselburgh saw more of the ball with Leitch and Cook always looking for a gap but met a Scarlets defence that was watertight and when they did get into attacking areas of the field, lacked a killer finish. The half ended with Scarlets centre Callum Mark being held up over the Burgh line after his initial break through the midfield channel had caused panic.

Half Time 5 – 0.

Similar to the first league match between the sides in October, Haddington took a grip of the match in the second half, especially with the Burgh scrum struggling to cope and having used up all their front-row replacements, the scrums were again forced to go uncontested. This took away a big advantage from the Home side but they counteracted it quickly by shrewdly moving a back-row player into the front-row for the remainder of the match, ensuring an even quicker game plan to hammer home their intentions on the visitors.

Jamie Peters had soon stretched the advantage with a well-struck Penalty for an 8 – 0 lead before second-row Quinten Caulfield, who had arguably his best game in a Haddington jersey, used his 6’ 5” frame to touch down after a break in midfield by Donald Snodgrass. Jamie Peters added the extra points to go 15 – 0 up.

Haddington continued to carve openings with Caulfield finding acres of space on one occasion that deserved a better outcome, although it was only a matter of time before the next try was sure to come.

With about 15 minutes remaining, Musselburgh had a player yellow carded for persistently trying to slow Haddington ball down and from the penalty kick to the corner, prop, Dougie Orr dived over after the pack had driven the lineout. 20 – 0. The Scarlets continued to keep the ball in play at every opportunity and minutes later the mobile prop, Orr, was again in the right place at the right time to claim his second try. Peters kicked the conversion for a 27 – 0 lead.

Haddington were now rampant and the lead was increased further when winger, Rhodri Thomas came into the line at pace to slice through a tiring Burgh back-line to score near the sticks. Again Peters kicked the extras to move the score on to 34 – 0. Haddington were relentless at this stage were unlucky not to add to the scoreline before the final whistle came to the rescue for Musselburgh.

This was a much-improved performance from Haddington with the whole squad playing their part throughout the match. There is an assurance about the team again with Jamie Peters restored in the pivotal stand-off position after his long-term injury, and although mistakes were made at times, there is no doubting the quality running through this squad.

Next weeks match is at Stewarts Melville with a 2p.m. kick off

Haddington v Hillhead Jordanhill Match Report(L)

Hillhead Jordanhill 10 v Haddington 15

Haddington knew this was going to be a difficult match in Glasgow on Saturday against a team battling for survival in Premier 2 and unlucky with their results at Home this season. The conditions dominated proceedings and deteriorated so badly at one stage that the referee must have thought about abandoning the match, however, the worst subsided and the match was played to a finish with Haddington coming out on top.

The Scarlets seemed to adapt to the conditions quicker than the Home side from the start and had all the territorial advantage for the first 25 minutes, however, a combination of poor finishing and a stubborn defence meant there was no scoring during this period. After weathering the early storm, literally, Hills first foray into the Scarlets half paid dividends with a penalty from full-back Gus Twaddle. 3 – 0.

Haddington came straight back at Hills and a clever kick-and-chase from winger, Graham Crawford had the Home side scrambling to save another certain try, although the pressure on the Home side eventually told when stand-off Jamie Peters kicked a Penalty to level the scores at 3 – 3. Just when Haddington thought they had things back under control, Hills had their best spell of the half and after disrupting a scrum, their impressive No.8, Cammy Kerr, picked up and drove over near the posts, the easy conversion meant Hills, surprisingly, were ahead going into the break.

Half-time 10 – 3.

Haddington still seemed shell-shocked at being behind as the second half kicked off with the Home team now looking the more composed during the third quarter of the match and only good defending by the Scarlets keeping Hills at bay. Both sides were unfortunate to have a player sin-binned for illegal play as the game moved into the final quarter with the game still finely balanced.

The Scarlets backline had threatened to cut loose for most of the day and with 15 minutes remaining it eventually sprung the Hills rearguard with Captain, Donald Snodgrass making the initial break, before linking with Neil Watt who in turn fed winger Crawford to evade the cover defence and touch down. The conversion was missed but the Scarlets were only two points adrift at 10 – 8.

Haddington continued to press for the vital next score and within 5 minutes had got their just reward after the forwards had set up good field position before releasing the ball to the backs with the elusive Crawford popping up in midfield to burst through a gap and score near the posts. Jamie Peters made no mistake with the conversion to give the Scarlets a five point lead at 15 – 10.

The Scarlets were now rampant and should have added another couple of scores in the final 10 minutes to put a better gloss on the scoreline, however, with terrible underfoot conditions and a slippery ball to contend with all day, the players were happy just to get the win out the way, followed quickly by a warm shower and a hot pie.

Next week sees the first home match of 2008 against Kelso. Kick-Off  2p.m.

Haddington v Selkirk Match Report(L)

Haddington 7 v Selkirk 9

Selkirk were the visitors to Neilson Park on Saturday hoping to keep alive their chances of promotion whilst Haddington were looking to consolidate their position in the top half of the league.

The match was only 3 minutes old when Selkirk were awarded their first penalty allowing centre David Cassidy to happily stroke the ball through the uprights to put his side 3 – 0 ahead. Haddington came straight back at Selkirk and threatened the Selkirk line on several occasions with home centre Callum Mark to the fore. The Scarlets looked dominant for long periods in the first half with the scrum really troubling their Border counterparts and it was no surprise when the referee awarded a penalty try after Selkirk’s illegal tactics trying to stop the pushover try. The conversion from Brock Gibbon under the posts gave the Scarlets a deserved 7 – 3 lead.

Callum Mark, Neil Watt and Brock Gibbon all threatened with ball in hand going forward, whilst the back-row of Morrison, Maybury and Bowie were working well as a unit both in defence and attack. Selkirk tried to keep the ball alive as much as possible with full back, Harkness, in particular, always looking to capitalise on any poor kicks that came his way.

After having been on the back foot for much of the first 20 minutes, Selkirk managed to catch Haddington offside in the backs and Cassidy wasted no time in knocking over another penalty to trail by only 1 point at 7 – 6. It stayed that way for the remainder of the half with Cassidy unlucky not to add another penalty just before the interval.

Half-Time 7 – 6.

Haddington started the second half well and had Selkirk on the ropes when their prop was shown the yellow card for persistent infringing at the rucks. The Scarlets, however, couldn’t take advantage of the extra man as Selkirk showed a steely determination by closing ranks and instead taking the game to Haddington. Individual errors and poor decision-making crept in the home teams’ ranks in a scrappy second half allowing Selkirk to begin dominating in open play with Harkness and Cassidy always posing a threat.

Sam Johnston and Neil Watt both had to make crucial tackles as Selkirk upped the pace looking for the vital score which their play merited and with 7 minutes remaining they got their noses in front at 9 – 7 with another penalty after Haddington were caught in possession. Selkirk know how to grind out wins and once they had taken the lead they knew how to hold onto it and Haddington had no answer as the minutes ticked away.

Full-Time 9 – 7.

Yet again another win has eluded Haddington by a single score, which is getting harder to swallow the more they happen. Lady luck has deserted the Scarlets for the time being but Selkirk seemed more determined for the win as the last quarter of the match approached when it was still anyone’s game.

Haddington now have a few weeks to regroup before visiting Hillhead Jordanhill on the 5^th January.

Haddington v Hamilton Match Report (L)

Hamilton 19 v Haddington 12

Haddington travelled to Hamilton on Saturday knowing that a win was vital to retain their faint hopes of promotion.

The weather on arrival at Hamilton was anything but welcoming and torrential wind, rain, hail, sleet and snow would prove to be the main feature of a grim afternoon for spectators and players alike.

The match kicked off with Haddington playing up the slope and into the elements and despite some early probing of the Hamilton defence, it was Hamilton who struck first with a 7^th Minute penalty from scrum-half Strydom. 3- 0.  Haddington responded from the kick off to keep the hosts pinned in their own half with some well controlled drives from the forwards and astute kicking from the backs. Their patience was rewarded on 12 minutes when scrum half Sam Johnston spotted a gap and evaded a couple of Hamilton tackles to run in under the posts. Brock Gibbon duly obliged with the conversion and Haddington went ahead in the match for the first time. 7 – 3. At this stage the Scarlets looked to be gaining the upper hand, but sloppy play led to territorial advantage being conceded which Hamilton took full advantage off with Wing-Forward Karalus scoring their try. This went unconverted but Hamilton now led 8 –7 on 15 minutes.

The remainder of the half saw Hamilton unable to get out of their own half as Haddington pressed the game, however, too many unforced errors and turnovers meant that this territory and possession could not be turned into further points and the teams turned round at half time with Hamilton still leading 8 – 7.

Given the score and the Scarlet’s territorial domination, the away support was confident that playing down the hill with the wind and sleet at their back that Haddington would dominate the second half territory. However, Hamilton signalled their early intent with a penalty by Strydom in the second minute to stretch their lead to 4 points at 11 – 7. Hamilton continued to press and retain the ball for long periods and further pressure on the Haddington line yielded a further penalty by Strydom to take the hosts into a commanding 14 – 7 lead on the hour mark.

From the kick off, Haddington regained possession and some good driving from the forward’s enabled quick ball to captain Donald Snodgrass who put a kick deep into Hamilton territory. Haddington secured possession and produced one of their best passages of play in the game with the ball going through a number of phases before substitute Graeme Waugh eventually barrelled over for the try. The conversion was missed and the score stood at 14-12 to Hamilton going into the final quarter and it was all still to play for.

It was however to be Hamilton who would dominate the remainder of the match with the scarlets starved of both territory and possession. Hamilton’s determination paid off when they claimed their second try of the afternoon on the final whistle to secure a deserved victory.

The players and spectators were relieved to hear the final whistle and retreat to the warmth of the clubhouse to restore some heat to numb bodies. This was a fairly forgettable match with little quality rugby on display. Indeed it was only briefly brought to life by an impromptu mud wrestling contest between hooker Craig Harrison and his opposite number, which brought a smile to the faces of the otherwise forlorn supporters.

Next week, Haddington face a tough home game against a Selkirk side who broke the Scarlet’s year-long winning streak and who are firmly in the promotion hunt. Haddington will need to step up a gear or two, despite home advantage, if they are to get back to winning ways.

Haddington v Biggar Match Report(L)

         Haddington 25 v Biggar 29

Premier 2 league leaders Biggar rolled into town on Saturday looking to quash promotion aspirations of fifth placed Haddington. The home side had Rhodri Thomas, Callum Mark and Neil Rogers all returning from injury to boost their hopes of causing an upset, while Brock Gibbon was moved to the key stand off position from full back with Neil Watt taking over his role.

Haddington kicked off towards the Clubhouse and Biggar were quick to show their intentions by using their big pack to try and starve the home team of any possession, however, it didn’t take long for the Scarlets to start to dominate proceedings at set pieces as well as in open play where Brock Gibbon was pulling the strings at 10.

Only 10 minutes were on the clock when Haddington flanker Tom Bowie claimed the first try after a great surge from the lineout drove Biggar back over their own line, Gibbon missed the conversion but it was a big psychological blow to the Biggar pack. 5 – 0. Minutes later the Scarlets had thought they had scored another try as Craig Adam plunged over, only for the referee to compound those watching by claiming he was held up over the line. The lead was increased to 8 – 0 on 15 minutes with a penalty from Gibbon and Haddington were in the driving seat.

Haddington continued to spread play but had a kick charged down that led to a Biggar penalty which they kicked through winger Craig Parker. 8 – 3. Haddington soon gifted Biggar further points when they spilled a ball out wide allowing the Biggar winger McKeand an early Christmas present as he picked up and raced home unchallenged for an easy 7 pointer to leave the stunned home side 10 – 8 down midway through the half.

The Scarlets continued to dominate and when a loose kick fell to the impressive second row Caulfield, he made huge inroads into the Biggar defence allowing space for Donald Snodgrass to feed Neil Watt coming into the line for a well-worked try. Gibbon kicked the difficult conversion for a 15 – 10 lead.

The referee was to have a major say on the outcome of this game and having already disallowed a certain try he caused further uproar in the home ranks again by awarding Biggar two debatable scrums in succession which gifted them field position out of nothing.  From the second scrum the ball was moved to centre Sifa who cleverly dummied the home defenders to go over near the sticks. Parker made no mistake with the conversion to retain the lead at 17 – 15. Penalties were traded by both sides leading up to the end of the first half meaning Biggar were still 2 points ahead at 20 – 18 going into the break.

Within 5 minutes of the 2^nd half Haddington deservedly went back in front after a great take at the lineout by Caulfield setting up the ruck and when the ball was transferred to centre Callum Mark, he marked his return from injury by brushing aside the Biggar defenders on his way to scoring. Gibbon converted to give the Scarlets a 5 point cushion at 25 – 20. The one weapon Biggar did have was a very good goal kicker and yet again Parker punished Haddington with another penalty to have them trailing by only 25 – 23 going into the last quarter.

Two more crucial decisions went against Haddington during the second half as they controlled territory and possession for long spells. Firstly, the pack were in control of a scrum and driving Biggar over their own line, yet the referee deemed the scrum to have been wheeled and awarded the put-in to Biggar and secondly as the Haddington forwards drove over the Biggar line following a ruck, the referee was somehow unsighted and couldn’t award the try. These decisions were to prove too costly as Haddington tried in vain to give them the winning margin their play merited.

To rub salt in the wounds, Parker kicked two more penalties, one on the final whistle, to give Biggar a win they scarcely deserved.

It’s hard to criticise the players after this performance when they gave their all and outplayed their more illustrious opponents throughout, Biggar on the other hand will be mightily relieved to see the back of this game with a win that keeps them in the driving seat.

On this showing Haddington can look forward to the rest of the season with confidence where there is still lots to play for, however, let’s hope that future reports are not dominated by crucial refereeing decisions.

Haddington v West of Scotland Match Report (L)

West of Scotland 16 v Haddington 10

Haddington hopes of promotion suffered a major setback by losing against West of Scotland on Saturday, one more slip-up will surely end faint hopes of playing Premier One rugby next season. Injuries to key players are beginning to take their toll on Haddington after their whirlwind start to the season.

West took the game to Haddington from the kick-off and it was no surprise that they went ahead from a penalty after 10 minutes through standoff Fraser Sinclair. This seemed to spur the Scarlets into action and from a lineout 5 metres out the Haddington pack drove West back over their own line. Gary Glass came up with the ball to claim the try for a 5 – 3 lead.

The home side hit back immediately and caught Haddington offside as they were slow getting back into position, again Sinclair made no mistake with the easy penalty to go 6 – 5 up. Although Haddington defended well throughout, concerted pressure from West eventually led to ex-British Lion, Gordon Bulloch, barging over near the posts for a deserved try. The conversion by Sinclair increased the lead to 13 – 5 with 10 minutes of the half still remaining. Haddington almost had the final say of the first half when Brock Gibbon ran 40m evading would-be tacklers as he surged into the West 22, however, a missed drop goal failed to take advantage his fine lead-up play deserved.

Half Time 13 – 5.

Prop Dougie Orr was first to pounce on a loose ball early in the second half raising alarm bells for West, however, Haddington could never capitalise on any 50/50 balls and struggled to get any foothold whenever they were in the West 22, which made life difficult against a streetwise Glasgow team. On West’s first visit into Haddington territory in the second half they came away with 3 points when the Scarlets were penalised for not releasing in the tackle. Sinclair again making no mistake with the boot for a healthy 16 – 5 lead.

Haddington were now chasing the game and as hard as they tried, they struggled for field position and West contained them in the middle of the park for long periods. With 5 minutes remaining Haddington managed to stretch West at last, allowing Gibbon to put in a delightful chip for winger Neil Watt to gather and touch down for a consolation try and well-deserved bonus point for Haddington. The game finished with West holding onto the ball ensuring Haddington couldn’t muster a final flourish as the game drew to a close.

Full Time 16 – 10.

The season has been frustrating for the Haddington players and supporters alike, knowing they could, and should, be nearer the top of the table with small decisions having cost them games that were there for the taking.

There are now nine league games remaining and if Haddington can dig deep there is no doubt they are still capable of finishing in the top two and it starts on Saturday with a home match against leaders Biggar.

Haddington v Aberdeen Grammar Match Report

       Haddington 6 v Aberdeen Grammar 5

Despite the scoreline, this was a vastly improved performance from Haddington and but for some outstanding defensive work from Aberdeen, the result would have been safe long before Aberdeen scored their try deep into stoppage time to almost snatch a win.

Aberdeen travelled south with a big experienced pack looking to dominate the home side up front, however, Haddington had obviously been stung by some criticism of late and responded magnificently with Ross Martin and Nico Maybury to the fore in their defensive chores.

Haddington kicked off with the wind at their backs in the first half and played at a high tempo right from the start with both Brock Gibbon and Donald Snodgrass breaching the Aberdeen gainline only to be thwarted by the covering defenders. With five minutes on the clock Haddington had thought they had scored from a great drive by the forwards and whilst everyone was celebrating the try, the referee had other ideas and adjudged the ball to have been held up over the line.

The Scarlets continued to attack and spurned kickable penalties knowing they had Aberdeen on the rack and the visitors were fortunate to keep their full quota of players during this period with numerous penalties being conceded as they tried in vain to slow down the Haddington momentum.

After 10 minutes Captain Donald Snodgrass decided to gets points on the board following another Aberdeen infringement. Ian Henderson made no mistake with the penalty and Haddington were 3 – 0 to the good.

Aberdeen came more into the game at this stage and managed to relieve some of the intense pressure they had been under, although it wasn’t long before they were back defending their line. Sam Johnston, who had an immense game at scrum half, stole an Aberdeen ball at the base of the scrum and took off downfield leaving several tacklers in his wake before a knock on saved a certain try for the home side.

On 23 minutes stand off Henderson decided to take responsibility with a snap drop goal putting the Scarlets further ahead at 6 – 0. Haddington finished the half pounding the Aberdeen line but were repelled time and again by some dogged defence and the Scarlets were to turn round with a slender 6-point margin.

If Aberdeen thought they had done the hard work in the first half they had another thing coming as the Haddington pack again took the game to Aberdeen and twice were denied tries as they drove for the line. This set the pattern of play for the second half with Haddington dominating territory and possession with Aberdeen rarely seen in the Haddington half, however, the longer the game went on with only a score between the sides the more the home nerves were bound to set in.

With only about 5 minutes of normal time remaining, the expected Aberdeen onslaught began as they made a rare foray into the Haddington 22 and stayed there for the rest of the match. There were several worrying moments before Aberdeen finally breached the Haddington line deep into stoppage time through Winger Alistair Robertson. The crowd held their breath as the conversion from the right touchline fell some way short giving Haddington a thoroughly deserved win by 6 – 5 to keep them firmly in the title race. This may not have been the most entertaining match at Neilson Park this season but may prove to be one of the most important having lost a few tight games of late.

Haddington will head to Glasgow next weekend to play West of Scotland with a lot more confidence after this solid no-nonsense performance.

Haddington v Jedforest Match Report

           Jedforest 15 v Haddington 10

Haddington travelled to the Borders for the third time this season looking to bounce back from their first home league defeat of the season to Stewarts Melville the previous week. Unfortunately, it was not to be as Jedforest took the spoils against an out-of –sorts Haddington team that seemed to lack the inspiration and desire that their Border counterparts had in the latter stages of the match.

Although Haddington have key players missing at the moment, Jedforest also have their fair share of injury problems, as well as losing the Armstrong brothers as their Coaches only last week.

The game kicked off under gloomy skies and it was Haddington who had the better of the early exchanges with Captain, Donald Snodgrass clean through with only a last ditch tackle saving the day, while another spell of pressure had Prop, Craig Adam stretching for the line, only for a turnover to end any momentum. This seemed to set the pattern of Haddington’s play as the game wore on. A deserved penalty by full back Brock Gibbons opened the scoring on 11 minutes for the visitors. 3 – 0. 

Jed came more into the game after Haddington’s early pressure with Clark Laidlaw running operations from the stand-off position. The Jed pack started to cause the bigger Haddington eight problems in the scrum and lineout, which disrupted any platform or continuity that Haddington had hoped for. Jed’s opening try on 32 minutes came after the Scarlets had failed to clear their lines from a scrum allowing Jed the put-in 5 metres out from which the influential Clark Laidlaw used to his advantage as he managed to squeeze over in the corner.

Haddington finished the half slightly stronger but there was to be no more scoring as the half ended 5 – 3 in what was a dour 40 minutes with errors from both sides dominating proceedings under the glare of the floodlights.

Haddington began the second half on the front foot with better go-forward ball that the backs could play off. They turned down a kickable penalty opportunity and went for the lineout in the corner showing their intent from the start. This paid off after 10 minutes following good lineout ball being transferred to Centre, Graham Dykes to break through some weak tackling for a try under the posts. Gibbons made no mistake with the conversion and the Scarlets were back in the game leading 10 – 5. 

Gibbons missed two penalties for Haddington as the game moved into the final quarter with neither side still capable of putting any real phases together without making an error.

Games at this stage hinge on one or two key moments and it went in favour of Jed on this occasion, as Scarlets scrum half Sam Johnston was harshly sin-binned for upending a Jed player off the ball. Neither player was wholly innocent, however, the Jed support won the day as the Referee eventually produced the yellow card. Down to fourteen it was only a matter of time for Jed to use their numerical advantage as their tails were up due to their unexpected fortune. With 10 minutes to go they got their reward with a second try when they pushed the Haddington pack over their own line from 5 metres out. A great touchline conversion by Ross Goodfellow added to Haddington woes, as Jed now led 12 – 10 with the clock ticking down. A fitting finish was provided by Jed stand-off, Clark Laidlaw who capped a fine all round performance with an opportunist drop goal to end the match 15 – 10 in his team’s favour.

Haddington trooped off knowing their early season form has deserted them with a lack of guile and cutting edge missing throughout and too many player's falling off the pace. Sadly, no-one on Saturday could provide the spark that the match was crying out for and a good travelling support left the Borders again knowing another winning opportunity had passed them by.

We are now at the mid-way point and in a similar position to last season where the team went on a long unbeaten run. It is not insurmountable of putting in a title challenge having seen what the other Premier Two clubs have to offer, however, the players have to have the same belief as the Coaches of their capabilities to progress or it will be a long frustrating second half to the season.

Haddington's home match against Aberdeen this weekend takes on extra significance as neither side can really afford to lose. Kick Off 2p.m.

Haddington v Stewarts Melville Match Report

Haddington 12 v Stewarts Melville 25

After the easy victory over Musselburgh the previous week, Haddington welcomed the in-form Stew-Mel to Neilson Park.  After a difficult start to the season with four defeats, the visitors had won their last five games on the bounce to sit mid-table.

The Edinburgh outfit started out with the wind advantage and quickly posted points on the board with a 2^nd minute penalty from the fullback Moran. 3 – 0.

Stew-Mel added to their tally with a Borthwick try on 18 minutes.  Good ball retention eventually drew in the Haddington defence, allowing the visiting captain enough room to dive over for a well-deserved try.  Full back Moran added the extras from a difficult angle. 10 – 0.

With the wind dropping, Haddington came back into the game and enjoyed territorial advantage throughout the remainder of the first half.  Good runs from both Maybury and Donald Snodgrass took play towards the Stew-Mel try line but errors would give the visitors chances to clear upfield and keep their line intact.  The half finished with the Reds trailing by ten points.

The home side started the second half well and quickly overturned the Stew-Mel lead with two early tries.  No8 Nico Maybury controlled well at the back of the scrum for a pushover try in the 44^th minute.  This was quickly followed by an individual try from winger Callum Cockburn.  From a base clearance kick by the Edinburgh side, the young winger fielded, chipped, chased and recovered the ball before bouncing a couple of would-be tacklers to score near the posts.  Brock Gibbons added the conversion to put Haddington into a 12-10 lead.

Cockburn was again involved at the other end of the field in the 60^th minute.  A try saving tackle on the elusive Saena was offset when Gala ref Ian Heard deemed that Cockburn had killed the ball and deserved 10 minutes in the sin-bin.  Moran kicked the ensuing penalty to put the visitors back in the lead by one point.13 – 12.

The impressive Moran then scored a vital try in the 70^th minute.  Borthwick made the half break and offloaded to Moran to sprint over from the 22.  Up against the clock, Haddington tried to claw themselves back into the game, but too many unforced errors and a lack of control nullified their efforts.

Stew-Mel sealed their deserved win in the 78^th minute when wing forward Pete McLean burst through some ineffectual Haddington tackling to score his sides third try.  Moran kicked the conversion to give Stewart’s Melville a 25-12 victory.

This was a disappointing first home defeat for the Reds against a well-balanced Stew-Mel side who had top performers throughout the spine of their team.  Moran, Borthwick and Kerr controlled play in the backs while hooker McMurchy and No8 Hendry provided the go-forward ball.  The Reds could have no complaints on the day and will need to improve on their ball retention and game control if they want to maintain their push for promotion.  With six teams bunching at the top of the table, the next league game down at Jed could be season defining.  Coaches Pollock and Burns will be emphasising the need to collect full points, following defeats in their last two trips to the Borders this season.  Hopefully a good travelling support can see the Reds climb back to the top of the Premiership 2 pile.

Haddington v Musselburgh Match Report (L)

    Musselburgh 10 v Haddington 55

Haddington were back at the top of Premier 2 after an emphatic win over a resilient Musselburgh side that were simply overrun in the latter stages of the match by a team that looked as if it had a point to prove after a lacklustre performance the previous week.

Vice-captain Gary Glass, Nico Maybury and Rhodri Thomas were all restored after missing last weeks defeat, but the main difference this week was the hunger shown by the Haddington forwards in the contact area with the pack playing on the front foot and dominating set pieces over their opponents, allowing the backs time and space to stretch the home defence as the game wore on.

Musselburgh were keen to use home advantage as well as the strong wind at their backs in the opening exchanges to pin Haddington back. Early pressure on the Scarlets saw a couple of penalties conceded, winger Well's missed with his first opportunity but made no mistake with his second after Haddington had got into difficulties trying to run out of defence. 3-0 Musselburgh.

It was probably against the run of play on 13 minutes that Haddington took the lead when a great run by Sam Johnston sliced open the Musselburgh defence before the supporting Rhodri Thomas finished the move off.  The conversion was missed but the Scarlets sent a warning sign to the Burgh of what they were capable of in open play. 5-3 to Haddington.

Flanker Neil Rogers was unfortunate but had to be replaced by debutant Tom Bowie after suffering a serious looking cut to his leg soon after.

Musselburgh were stung by the try but went straight back on the offensive and midway through the half were back in front again when centre Andrew Cook exploited a gap in the Scarlets defence to touchdown near the posts leaving an easy conversion for Wells, taking the home side back in front at 10-5.

The last 15 minutes of the half saw Haddington begin to turn the screw with D.Snodgrass, Brown, Johnston and Martin all going close to breaching the home line during this period.  Just before the break Haddington deservedly drew level with Graham Dykes doing the hard yards before the ball was quickly recycled to the strong running Callum Cockburn who handed off his opposite number as he went over in the corner to tie the scores at 10-10 just before half time.

With the wind at their backs in the second half it was not long before Haddington took control.  Rhodri Thomas put Musselburgh under instant pressure with a clever kick into the corner and from the resultant lineout the Haddington forwards took play right up to the Musselburgh line before Jamie Peters squeezed over for a 15-10 Haddington lead.

Haddington were happy to bide their time knowing that the home side were starting to show real signs of tiredness.  The Musselburgh scrum was under all sorts of problems at this stage and only some sloppy passing by the Scarlets kept Musselburgh in contention at this point.

The next score was expected when Haddington had forced a 5m scrum. No.8 Nico Maybury touched down after the Burgh scrum was driven back over their own line.  Peters kicked the conversion for a healthy 22-10 lead.

Flanker Paddy Brown was next on the score sheet as the dominant Haddington pack drove over from a lineout.  Peters again adding the extras to move the scoreboard on to 29-10.

The backs also wanted to get in on the act and it was Jamie Peters who nonchalantly strode over for his second try after spotting a huge gap.  His conversion took the score on to 36-10 as the Burgh wilted.

A trademark Haddington score was next up as Waugh and Harrison combined 10 metres out to eventually send second row Bob Snodgrass scampering over to increase the lead to 41-10.

If the previous try was good then the next was even better as the handling and continuity from forwards Adams, Brown and Maybury allowed replacement Neil Watt to go over near the sticks as Musselburgh were left chasing shadows by this stage.  Peters was back in the groove with the conversion for 48-10.

Straight from the restart Haddington again handled and offloaded out of the tackle to rip open the Musselburgh defence leading to a well-deserved ninth Haddington try of the day for New Zealander Tom Bowie. Jamie Peters had the final word with his conversion for a convincing 55-10 win.

Haddington played with a lot of confidence today knowing that they are capable of putting a performance of this calibre together, however, Coaches Eddie Pollock and Graham Burns will ensure feet are kept firmly on the ground this week when an improving Stewarts Melville team come visiting on Saturday. Kick-Off 2.00p.m.

Haddington v Kelso Match Report

                             Kelso 27 v Haddington 19

Haddington suffered their second league defeat of the season at the hands of Kelso on Saturday. The Home side just about deserved to win this match with their forwards dominant at times over the Haddington pack and their backs snuffing out any threat that the Scarlets posed, yet Haddington only have themselves to blame for losing the match when it was theirs for the taking midway through the second half.

The omens were not good for Haddington as yet another late withdrawal left them without the influential No.8 Nico Maybury, which meant a reshuffle in the pack with Quinton Caulfield moving to No.8 and Ross Martin coming into the second row. Neil Watt deputised for Rhodri Thomas on the wing with Gary Glass and Mark Morrison still missing from the pack.

In perfect conditions at Poynder Park, Kelso kicked off with the sun at their backs and were immediately on the attack. Haddington had barely taken a breath when they were caught cold as Kelso’s stand off, Michael Samson, put a delightful cross-field kick into the hands of winger Richard Minto, who strolled over to establish an early 5-0 lead. Kelso continued to control the ball, starving Haddington of any quality possession, although Sam Johnston and Donald Snodgrass escaped the clutches of Kelso on occasions to briefly threaten. Jamie Peters pulled the Scarlets back into things with a well-struck penalty after 17 minutes to trail by 5-3. The penalty led to Haddington’s best spell of the first half and they almost took the lead as Callum Cockburn looked to have scored only for the touch judge to pull him back for a foot in touch. Haddington seemed to be their own worst enemy at times on Saturday with wrong options putting themselves into difficulty and it was from one such error that allowed Kelso the field position from which John Szkudro drove over to stretch their lead to 10-3 after 28 minutes. The Haddington scrum was creaking as Kelso grew in confidence and matters for Haddington got worse as Neil Watt was yellow carded for infringing at a ruck. Kevin Utterson kicked the resultant penalty for Kelso to go further ahead at 13-3. Captain Donald Snodgrass was Haddington’s main threat and it was a break by the centre which led to a penalty right at the end of the half which Peters kicked to finish the half only trailing 13-6.

The second half was only 3 minutes old when Peters again struck a penalty to narrow the gap to 13-9. Haddington had their best spell of the game at this point and a break by Sam Johnston was carried on by Dougie Orr who sucked in several would-be tacklers leaving space for Donald Snodgrass to dive over for a well deserved try. Peters added the conversion for Haddington to go in front for the first time in the match at 16-13. Peters increased the lead again to 19-13 with another well-struck penalty as they continued to stretch Kelso. Haddington threatened again and a great offload by Peters released Craig Harrison who was stopped just 2 metres short of the Kelso line, this would surely have clinched the match for Haddington if he had gone over but it was not to be. With just over 10 minutes left Kelso scored through Darren Gillespie after a number of pick and drives by their forwards. It was a tactic used a lot by Kelso, which wasn’t pretty to watch, but it was effective. The home side now only trailed by 1 point at 19-18 and sniffed victory. Discipline in the last ten minutes cost Haddington anything from this game. Kelso kicked three late penalties by Greg Ponton as Haddington were marched back 10m on two of the occasions due to backchat, which summed up the Scarlets frustration throughout the game of never having control.

Haddington need to bounce back quickly after this disappointment and a local derby against Musselburgh next week will certainly ensure the players’ minds are fully focussed on the next game with a chance to put things right.

Haddington v Hillhead Jordanhill Match Report(L)

HADDINGTON  40    v   HILLHEAD JORDANHILL  7

Haddington returned to the top of Premier 2 after this convincing win over bottom side Hillhead Jordanhill. In all, six tries were scored to take maximum points against a Glasgow outfit that never gave up and played some excellent rugby throughout.

Haddington were still without the injured Mark Morrison and a late change meant the withdrawal of Craig Harrison to be replaced in the front row by Graham Waugh, otherwise, the team were along familiar lines.

The pitch was in perfect condition as Hillhead kicked off towards the Clubhouse and within a minute ex Haddington player Kern Boyd now playing for the Glasgow side at stand off, had struck the posts with an opportunist drop goal.  Haddington responded immediately by gathering the loose ball and after exchanging passes Callum Cockburn sent Rhodri Thomas clear only to be hauled down just short of the Hillhead line.  This set the tone of the match with both teams not afraid to move the ball at any opportunity, making the match a spectacle for both the spectators and Scottish Rugby TV who were there to video the match.

Haddington had to be patient against a well-organised Glasgow side and it was only when Hillhead captain and No.8, Cammie Kerr was yellow carded for foul play that the Scarlets moved ahead.  On 21 minutes a pick and drive from the scrum by No.8 Nico Maybury set up second-row Bob Snodgrass to dive over, Jamie Peters added the extra points and Haddington were off and running at 7-0.

Straight from the restart Hillhead were left mesmerised again as Quinten Caulfield collected the kick off, the ball was moved wide to Callum Cockburn who stretched the defence before Callum Mark sent full back Brock Gibbon in under the posts for a great try.  Peters again kicked the conversion for a 14-0 lead.

The match was still very open although Haddington looked the more threatening whenever they had the ball and it was not too long to wait until Gibbon picked up his second try of the day.  Haddington had two quick rucks, which created space out wide for the full back who finished superbly by kicking over the cover defence before gathering his own kick to score under the posts.  Peters again converted for a 21-0 lead.  The Scarlets were not finished yet and again from the kick off took the ball deep into Hillhead territory.  The visitors were penalised as they scrambled back and Callum Cockburn cleverly took a quick penalty to send centre Mark clear who unselfishly drew the last man to send Rhodri Thomas in under the posts.  The conversion by Peters gave the home side an unassailable 28-0 lead going in the break.

After the turnaround the game was still played at a tenacious pace and it was soon Haddington’s turn to play with 14 players after Peters was binned for a ‘Phil Vickery slide tackle.'

Hillhead tried to capitalise but the Scarlets defence stood strong and when Peters returned he made amends almost immediately.  From a neat chip ahead by the stand off, he collected the ball and sent the impressive Paddy Brown in for his maiden try of the season.  The conversion was missed but the Scarlets were well clear at 33-0.  Haddington had all their subs on giving them precious game time for the last 20 minutes, however, Hillhead to their credit never gave up and deservedly scored a try through prop Gavin Blackburn, although a weak tackle making his try a bit easier than it possibly should have been.  Kern Boyd added the extras to trail 33-7.

The Home side had the final say on the stroke of full time when Thomas went in for his second try after finishing off a great move straight from the training field, again the provider was Callum Mark.  Jamie Peters kicked the conversion for a resounding 40-7 win. 

This week Haddington travel down to the Borders for their next league match against Kelso.

Click on the following link to watch highlights of the game;  www.scottishrugbytv.com/

Haddington v Selkirk Match Report

                      Haddington 22 v Selkirk 27

Haddington relinquished their 100% league record on Saturday against a stuffy Selkirk side that grew in confidence as the game wore on. Haddington now sit joint top of Premier 2 with West of Scotland and will probably look at the result as a lost opportunity to increase the gap on third placed Selkirk, who in turn, played like a team that couldn’t afford to lose.

The match kicked off in perfect conditions and it was Haddington who took the early initiative by taking the game to Selkirk and with only 5 minutes on the clock the Reds had scored their first try of the day when a delightful Callum Mark pass sent his midfield partner Donald Snodgrass into acres of space, the supporting Neil Rogers carried the move on before releasing Brock Gibbons in for yet another try to add to his already impressive collection this season.  Jamie Peters made no mistake with the conversion for a 7-0 lead.

Two minutes later Peters had increased the lead to 10-0 after a great take at the lineout from Ross Martin sent Sam Johnston through the gap only for Selkirk to kill the ball at the resultant ruck as Haddington looked to score.

Haddington continued to play all the rugby and another try went a begging after a great run by Rhodri Thomas took play deep into the Selkirk 22 only for desperate defending stopping another certain score.

Haddington were rocked soon after though when they tried to be over-elaborate in the midfield and a speculative kick bounced straight into the hands of the Selkirk player who had an easy run-in and with the simple conversion Selkirk were back within 3 points at 10-7, when Haddington really should have had a healthy lead.

Realising that this was just a set back the Reds resumed normal service and were straight back on the offensive driving Selkirk backwards at every opportunity and on 20 minutes some great phases of play by backs and forwards sent flanker Neil Rogers in for a cracking try.  Jamie Peters kicked a tremendous conversion for a well-deserved 15-7 lead at the mid-way point of the first half.

One lesson that any team travelling to the Borders will always learn is that Border clubs never lie down and Selkirk were no exception.  Slowly but surely they started to capitalise on small errors that crept into Haddington’s game and on 32 minutes Selkirk pounced on a poor 22 dropout to surge back towards the Reds line before moving the ball quickly wide for their winger to score.  The conversion was missed but the score was now perilously close at 15-12.

Selkirk were not finished yet and after kicking a penalty deep into the Reds 22, Selkirk won their own throw at the lineout and drove over the Haddington line for another touchdown to go into half time leading 17-15.

Haddington never got going at the start of the second half and the game became loose which suited Selkirk at this stage as their tails were up and whenever Haddington had the ball Selkirk were quick to slow it down at the breakdown, starving the dangerous Haddington runners of any quality possession.

Within 10 minutes Selkirk had increased their lead as they hit up the middle of the park from the lineout, Haddington stood off as Selkirk offloaded out of the tackle to score near the posts and with the simple conversion the home side now led 24-15.

Haddington needed to score next or the game was in danger of slipping away from them and it was the forwards that started to control ball again in the rucks that would eventually see Selkirk being penalised for infringing.  From a quick tap penalty Callum Cockburn was put into space to score out wide and with Jamie Peters’ excellent conversion the Reds were now trailing by only 2 points at 22-24 going into the last quarter.

Both teams by this stage were wary that the next score would probably win the game and it was Selkirk who came up trumps as Haddington tried to run ball out of defence before becoming isolated and not releasing the ball, giving away the penalty which Selkirk kicked to stretch their lead to 27-22.

Haddington did have chances to score as they chased the game in the closing stages but time ran out as referee Changleng blew for full time.

This was a set-back for Haddington in terms of the start they’ve had to the season and its important Haddington take this defeat on the chin and look to bounce back immediately in the next game. There were certain aspects of the game which Haddington need to improve on at times but the players abilities and commitment are never in question which is why there is still so much to be positive about and look forward to in the forthcoming league matches.   

A home game against Hillhead Jordanhill next week gives the players the ideal opportunity to get things back on track without dwelling too much on this match.

Haddington v Hamilton Match Report (L)

                     HADDINGTON 36  v  HAMILTON 15

Hamilton were the guests at Neilson Park on week five of Premiership 2.  With home advantage, the league leaders were hoping to continue their unbeaten run against mid-table Hamilton.

In dry autumnal conditions, Hamilton started well and only good covering from home scrum half Sam Johnston denied former Glasgow winger Gerry Hawkes a chip and run try in the corner.  Hamilton soon opened their scoring account in the 15^th minute when their South African no.9 Stydom popped over a drop goal from the base of a ruck after good phase play from the visitors. 3 – 0.

The Reds were next to score when a high Hamilton kick ricocheted into Callum Cockburn’s hands to set up a 40m run deep into the Hamilton half.  The burly teenager found Peters in support and in enough space to canter over for a try.  Peters added the extras from wide out to put the home team in the lead 7 - 3.

The Haddington faithful didn’t have long to wait for another try – from a centre-field scrum, Johnston showed good leg speed to outstrip the back row cover to then inter-pass with full back Gibbons.  The Aussie no.15 neatly stepped away from the Hamilton cover and put the foot down to score wide out for the fourth week in succession.

Not deterred, Hamilton continued to play good rugby and test the home defence with some expansive play, however, some over zealous use of the boot by the Hamilton wing forward gave him an early taste of the half time oranges and an opportunity for Haddington to close the half with a numerical advantage.  Again it was scrum half Johnston who made good use of turnover ball in the middle of the park to put second row Caulfield into the open prairie.  The big middle rower offloaded back to Johnston who outstripped the cover and touched down in the corner.  Jamie Peters added the touchline conversion for a 19-3 home lead.

Haddington continued to work gaps in the Hamilton defence and attempt to chalk up the four-try bonus point before the end change.  Captain Snodgrass waltzed through midfield to set up and attack in the visitors 22 and from the recycled ball, vice-skipper Adam should have scored, but a downward pressure fumble denied the prop a try and an unassailable half time lead for the Reds. Half Time 19 – 3.

Hamilton again started well in the opening exchanges of the second half.  Poor defensive clearance from deep in home territory gave the visitors a couple of opportunities to get back into the game.  Finally the impressive Stydom ducked through some ineffectual defence to score a converted try under the sticks. 19 – 10.

The home response was immediate with Rhodri Thomas showing some impressive pace to outstrip the defence following some good handling from the inside backs.  Although Peters missed the difficult conversion, the bonus try was secured and the visitors had a 14-point margin to overturn. 24 – 10.

Better handling straight from the training paddock put Donald Snodgrass through the first line defence on the 50^th minute, the skipper then sold an outrageous dummy to send the opposition full back half-way along the M8 and Haddington on the way to a comfortable victory.  Peters again added the extras for a 31-10 lead.

Haddington then resolved to route one rugby for the sixth score, from a driving lineout Adam atoned for his earlier fumble when he emerged from the forwards pile up with the ball. 36 – 10.

Hamilton refused to give up and kept playing passing rugby to test the Reds defence.  Haddington again failed to clear their lines and allowed Hamilton to set up camp in the home 22.  After a number of phases, winger Hawkes showed good strength to drive over from close range to score an unconverted try.

Both teams continued to throw the ball about in the final minutes but no further scores were added and Haddington finished with an impressive 36-15 victory against a stuffy and ball playing Hamilton side.

After the defensive dominated victory at Biggar the previous week, coaches Pollock and Burns must have been delighted with the offensive effort from the whole home XV.  Sam Johnston and Donald Snodgrass again confirmed their status as key performers for the Reds, Brock Gibbons continued to glide and step impressively in open play while the forward Pack provided the supply of quality ball for the Backs to handle with confidence.

The next match sees the Reds travel to the Borders for a tough encounter at Selkirk.

Haddington v Biggar Match Report(L)

        Haddington 18 v Biggar 11

Haddington faced another tough away fixture on Saturday, this time against Biggar at Hartreemill, knowing how big a task it would be against a formidable Forward pack and a team currently unbeaten in Premier Two. By the end of the game though, Haddington had answered any doubters about how they would match up against a solid Biggar outfit expected to win on their home patch.

There was a strong wind blowing down the pitch which was going to play a major factor on the outcome of this match, unfortunately for Haddington they lost the toss and had to play with the wind in the first half knowing they would need to get points on the board before the turnaround.

Haddington started sprightly and took the game to Biggar and it wasn’t long before they had scored the first try of the game after only twelve minutes. Biggar sat deep half expecting the Reds to kick into the corners, however, the alert Jamie Peters moved it wide and Full Back, Brock Gibbons hit the line at pace to score wide out. The conversion was missed but Haddington had settled well and were leading 5 – 0.

Biggar always looked to use their Forward pack to drive into the heart of the Haddington team, although the Reds stood firm in defence with No.8 Nico Maybury revelling in the bruising encounters.

Haddington continued to press and on twenty minutes, Jamie Peters had slotted a Penalty after Biggar had drifted offside to increase the lead to 8 – 0. Two minutes later and Jamie Peters had kicked another Penalty after some great work by the Haddington pack, to move the score on to 11 – 0.

Haddington through the astute kicking and running from Jamie Peters controlled the pace of the game at this stage and were comfortable in defence, although always wary of the threat Biggar posed. The Reds stretched Biggar at times with the midfield of Callum Mark and Donald Snodgrass always looked dangerous and it was from a clever kick into the corner by Snodgrass that led to the next touchdown. From the resultant lineout Mark Morrison pounced on a loose ball and dived over for a crucial second score and Jamie Peters made no mistake with the conversion for a healthy 18 – 0 lead going into the latter stages of the half, however, on the stroke of half time Haddington infringed at a ruck allowing Biggar to kick a Penalty to leave the Half Time score 18 – 3.

The wind was unrelenting and Haddington knew it would be backs against the wall at times, although the Haddington Backs were keen to move the ball wide at most opportunities to stretch Biggar and it almost paid off when Brock Gibbons sliced through to be hauled down only metres from the Biggar line. Things started to get messy after this and the referee started to have a big influence on the last thirty minutes of the match. Although physical, the match was fairly clean and only minor skirmishes materialised at times, yet Haddington were somewhat mystified to find themselves down to thirteen players after two yellow cards were brandished, whilst Biggar also had a man in the bin for a period. This obviously had a major affect on Haddington as the Pack were down to six at one stage, making the win all the more satisfying as the game went on. Even under severe pressure the Scrum held it’s own with the Front Five deserving special praise for their solidity throughout and it wasn’t until about 15 minutes from the end that Biggar eventually squeezed in at the corner to score their solitary try to cut the deficit to 18 – 8.

Haddington did have chances to finish the match off with a Jamie Peters Penalty just drifting wide of the uprights and a last gasp tackle on Winger Callum Cockburn as he was about to streak away for a score, but it was not to be and the match was finely balanced till the end.

The Reds seemed to be heavily penalised throughout the latter stages of the game allowing Biggar to keep pressing the Haddington line for the remainder of the match, yet for all their territorial advantage the Reds held out and Biggar could only manage another Penalty goal, although Haddington were relieved to hear the final whistle when it eventually came. Full Time 18 – 11.

This was a great win away from home for Haddington and confidence in the squad is high after coming through another stern test, but there are no easy games in this League with any team capable of beating another on their day and after celebrating this match, the players will be fully focused on the next match against Hamilton at Home on Saturday where a big crowd is expected. 

Another positive note was the win against Biggar U18s by Haddington Colts on Saturday. The match kicked off on an adjoining pitch prior to the 1st XV match and the Colts travelled back on the Bus triumphant after a deserved victory.

Haddington v West of Scotland Match Report (L)

                Haddington 22 v West of Scotland 19

On a fine if somewhat windy afternoon West kicked off downhill with the strong breeze at their backs. The early exchanges saw West dominate territory and possession but Haddington were defending well and looking comfortable both around the fringes and in the wider channels, even managing to turn over the occasional attack. West did however manage to put a number of phases of play together to open the scoring with left-winger Ben Wright scoring in his corner. 5 – 0 to West. Haddington responded to this setback when, from the restart good pressure from Mark Morrison forced a slack kick which Haddington seized on, Brock Gibbon attacked at pace from full back and fed Rhodri Thomas who was caught just short of the line as West scrambled back. Haddington continued to attack and when skipper Donald Snodgrass hit a great line to take the game close to the West goal-line, a quickly recycled ball saw the attack move from one touchline to the other with Calum Cockburn squeezing in at the corner. A superb conversion by Jamie Peters saw Haddington leading 7-5 midway through the half. West were winning plenty of ball and were playing the corners well which eventually resulted in stand off Fraser Sinclair putting the visitors back in front at 8 - 7 with a smartly taken drop goal.

Haddington continued to pressurise West possession and on a rare visit to the West 22 they were unlucky not to score when a smart pick up by Nico Maybury and breenge to the line by a sharp looking Cockburn narrowly failed, the ball being spilled forward just short of the line. On the half hour West slotted a penalty through Sinclair and the score remained 11-7 at the turnaround.

Haddington started the second half brightly with Snodgrass again the inspiration, the centre hitting another great line to get in behind the West defence and set the ball up close to the line, quick ball saw the intruding Brock Gibbon go over with Cockburn spare on his shoulder. Jamie Peters who had his kicking boots on slotted another very difficult conversion to put the Scarlets ahead 14-11. Haddington were soon back on the attack and when possession and quick ball was again set up close to the try-line very slick hands by the front row fraternity saw the ball transferred to right wing Rhodri Thomas who touched down. Jamie Peters was unable to add the extra points, although Haddington now led 19 – 11 going into the last quarter. At this point Haddington looked well in control and the home faithful must have been looking forward to their 3^rd five point win of the season, however, the team lost their way a little and failed to build on their lead. A combination of injuries to the influential Snodgrass and his vice-captain Gary Glass certainly didn’t help the decision making process and where Haddington had previously pressed West possession they were now standing off attacks a shade and falling off tackles and this allowed West back into the game. West seized the momentum and were unlucky not to score in the top right hand corner, their only reward a penalty by Sinclair, to close the gap to 19 – 14, however they were not to be denied and soon added a try through the forwards. Sinclair missing an easy conversion to leave the scores tied at 19-19. The last 10 minutes of the match saw West do most of the attacking but a long-range penalty by Jamie Peters nudged the home side 22-19 in front once more. West were given one last chance to tie the scores with a penalty in the last minute but Sinclair’s kick was wide of the mark leaving a relieved Haddington side grateful to hear the final whistle.

Neither team would take too much from this result as West could have won the match with a bit more luck and better place kicking while Haddington performed well for 55 mins of the match before losing both their way and a bonus point in the final quarter. To keep things in perspective if you had asked Head Coach Eddie Pollock if he would settle for 14points from the 1^st 3 matches I think he might have been happy to accept that.

Saturday sees Haddington travel to unbeaten Biggar for another stern test of their credentials. Haddington look to have the makings of a Championship challenging side but they will need to up the concentration levels and find the killer instinct to ensure that narrow wins don’t become narrow defeats.

Haddington v Aberdeen Match Report

    Haddington 40 v Aberdeen Grammar 34

This match was always going to provide a good indication of the progress Haddington had made over the last season or so, with Aberdeen having just been relegated from Premier One and the Reds having come up from Premier Three last season.

Aberdeen will have, justifiably, been tagged as favourites to bounce straight back up to Premier One while the Reds ambitions to play in the top league would be tested to the limit by a strong Aberdeen side playing on home turf.

The match kicked off in glorious sunshine with Aberdeen taking the game to the Reds right from the kick off and within three minutes were 3 – 0 up after a Penalty was awarded for not rolling away after the tackle.

Full back, Brock Gibbons was making his debut for Haddington and almost made a dream start when he sliced through the Aberdeen midfield to be tackled just short of the line. Aberdeen never heeded this warning of the threat the Haddington Backs posed because five minutes later Brock Gibbons again came into the line at pace to outstrip the cover defence and score in the corner. The conversion was missed but the Reds led 5 –3.

The Haddington front row of Waugh, Harrison and Glass were causing no end of problems to the Aberdeen front row at scrum time and the line out was functioning superbly to allow the platform for the Backs to threaten whenever they had ball in hand. The second score, however, was from a loose ball which was gathered by No.8 Nico Maybury and moved quickly wide to Winger Rhodri Thomas, who showed a great turn of pace to scorch home from the half way line. The kick was again missed but the lead was now up to 10 – 3 and Haddington seemed in total control.

A few minutes later, the impressive Waugh set up a good field position in midfield that created enough space for centre Callum Mark to power through to score near the posts. This time Jamie Peters made no mistake with the conversion to stretch the lead to 17 – 3.

Jamie Peters was next to break through the Aberdeen rearguard, leading to a Penalty for Aberdeen killing the ball. Brock Gibbons stepped up to kick the Penalty after Jamie Peters had been injured in the process of making the break. 20 – 3.

The next score went to Aberdeen ten minutes before the break, when a missed tackle allowed their wing forward to score out wide. The stand off kicked a great conversion from the touchline and this served as a wake up call to the Reds that the match was not over by any manner of means. The score now stood at 20 – 10. The last 10 minutes of the half was still very open with both sides threatening to score, but it was Haddington who ended the half with another Penalty, struck by Brock Gibbons to extend the lead to 23 – 10. Mark Morrison succumbed to a neck injury and was replaced at half time by Neil Rogers.

The Reds started the second half brilliantly with a cracking score from the in-form Callum Mark. He hit a great line in attack and burst through to score near the posts after only a minute, and with Brock Gibbons hitting the conversion, the lead was up to twenty points with the score now standing at 30 – 10. This score-line was wholly deserved on the basis of the overall performance, but instead of hammering home the advantage, either Aberdeen stepped up their game or Haddington took their foot off the gas knowing the win was in the bag, the latter being the most likely scenario.

The game seemed to get really frenetic from here on in and Aberdeen seemed to get the better of the closing exchanges. Firstly as the Reds pressed in the Home 22 area, Aberdeen broke out to score and again the stand off kicked a conversion from wide out to close the gap to 30 – 17. Aberdeen were now on the front foot and scored again soon after when their Forwards had a number of rumbles up the middle before a missed tackle allowed them to touch down near the posts, making it an easy conversion for their stand off and the gap was closed to six points. 30 – 24. Haddington stepped up a gear with the result now in threat and from a great drive from a lineout, it was Captain Donald Snodgrass this time that sliced open the Aberdeen defence to score near the posts. With Brock Gibbons now off with a shoulder injury it was Jamie Peters who stepped up to kick the conversion and restore a healthy lead of 37 – 24 going into the closing stages. If Haddington had thought they had done enough to win this match they had another thing coming as Aberdeen again used their big forward pack to make the hard yards before releasing their Backs who scored out wide.37 – 29.  Jamie Peters responded with a Penalty for the Reds to surely finish the match at 40 – 29, but their was still enough time for Aberdeen to touch down yet again. This time it was the final score of a highly entertaining game making the result 40 – 34.

The final analysis will possibly be critical of leaking too many points, however, Aberdeen have been playing Premier One rugby for a number of seasons and are no mugs, there will not be many teams that will travel to Aberdeen and come away with a five point win so Haddington have to be wholly pleased with their long journey North and look forward to the next challenge which is a Home game against West of Scotland on Saturday.

There was not a weakness in this Reds team and it would be unfair to pinpoint individual players from what was a mightily impressive team performance. Congratulations also go to Prop Forward Craig Adam and wife, Sara, on the birth of baby daughter Layla, although the timing could have been a little better with Craig having to miss the game in Aberdeen!

The 2^nd XV also had a great win at Home against Jedforest on Saturday by 26 – 12. I’m sure this will set them up for the rest of the season as players return from injury and work commitments to strengthen the whole Senior playing squad at the Club.

Action from Saturday's match at Aberdeen.

Haddington v Cartha QP Match Report

                       Haddington  43 v Cartha QP  15

Premier Two rugby returned to Neilson Park on Saturday and Haddington looked as if they had never been away. The pitch was in perfect condition for the new season and although a strong breeze blew towards the Clubhouse, the scene was set for the home side to lay down a marker for the rest of the campaign.

Several new faces were on show for the Reds with eighteen year olds, Lance Robinson, Dougie Orr, Greg Taylor, Calum Cockburn and Neil Rogers all set to make their league debuts for the 1^st XV. Another newcomer was New Zealand No.8 Nico Maybury at the back of a solid looking pack with new Captain Donald Snodgrass leading a youthful back division.

Haddington won the toss and elected to play into the stiff breeze first half, which for ten minutes seemed the wrong decision as they started poorly by spilling the kick-off and played second fiddle to Cartha in the opening period. During this time Cartha stand off, Andrew White, kicked a simple Penalty and was involved in a miss move in the Backs to create an easy run in for their left winger, Andrew Noble to score out wide. With the conversion missed the signs looked ominous for the Reds at 8 – 0 down after only twelve minutes.

This rattled the home side and they started to play the type of flowing rugby which served them so well in winning the Premier Three title last season, with the Forwards and Backs linking well to create space for the outside runners. The first Home try of the new season fell to the outstanding Flanker Mark Morrison who stretched over after several drives from a lineout. The conversion was missed but the Reds only trailed by three points at 8 – 5, however, the psychological lift it gave the team was to prove decisive over the next sixty-five minutes.

The next try was soon to arrive and was finished superbly by Captain Donald Snodgrass three minutes later with a well worked Backs move putting him through a huge gap in the midfield to score under the posts. Jamie Peters making no mistake with the conversion and the Reds were now in front by 12 – 8. Haddington had the bulk of possession for the next twenty minutes of the half, but were unable to convert any of it into points, although the hard work had been done by turning around in front, with the strong wind now at their backs in the second half. Half Time 12 – 8.

Within one minute of the re-start, the lead was increased after a great take from the kick-off by Ross Martin, carried on up the middle by Centre Callum Mark allowing the supporting Craig Adam to barge over. The conversion was missed, but the lead was now 17 – 8. Five minutes later the Reds went further ahead after last season’s Captain Rhodri Thomas created space out wide before slipping the ball inside to Jamie Peters to touch down. Jamie Peters kicked the conversion to take the score on to 24 – 8, however, along with his try came the valuable bonus point.

A thoroughly deserved score for Callum Mark followed soon after, with another great angle of run slicing open the Cartha Back division, allowing the Centre to burst through to score near the posts. Jamie Peters slotted the conversion to keep the scoreboard ticking over at 31 – 8. Hooker Craig Harrison was next on the score sheet after a cleverly worked line out with Bob Snodgrass leaving the hooker an easy run to the line from five metres out. The conversion was missed but the Reds were well in control at 36 – 8.

New Prop, Dougie Orr’s league debut was to last only a few minutes though, after he was adjudged to be killing the ball in a ruck and was harshly sin binned. Unfortunately, Haddington were to leak a consolation try during this period, when Cartha scored through their full back, Andy Scott. Stand off White kicked the conversion to trail by 36 – 15. The Reds had the last laugh though with a great score from Donald Snodgrass who spotted a gap and ghosted through for his second try of the day. Jamie Peters finished the scoring for a mightily impressive 43 – 15 win. It could possibly have been an even bigger win, however, Haddington would have taken this result at the start of proceedings without a doubt.

The team all played exceptionally well today and even more pleasing for the Reds was the fact that five eighteen year-olds were on the pitch today which surely augurs well for the future. Coach Eddie Pollock has a great history of blooding young players with the attitude that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.

The players will no doubt keep their feet on the ground, especially with an away trip to Aberdeen Grammar next weekend, yet the quality of rugby was there for all to see and with continuous hard work and a winning mentality, this team have the potential to do a lot of damage in Premier Two over the coming season. 

Haddington v Stirling County

The final pre-season friendlies took place on Saturday against Stirling County at Bridgehaugh, with the 2^nd XV match preceding the 1^st XV match, allowing the coaches to cast their eye on all the squad prior to selecting their strongest line-up for the important first league match v Cartha next Saturday.

The 2^nd XV were up against a strong Stirling side and ended up on the losing end of a 48 – 0 defeat. The pack performed well and there were some nice touches from the backs, however, Stirling had some ‘old’ heads that controlled the game and they took their chances when they came about.

The 1^st XV also had a tough time against their Premier One opponents and within 10 minutes were 12 – 0 down before they knew it. The Reds got themselves back into things with a cracking try of their own when a great offload from Callum Mark put Donald Snodgrass into space and he drew the cover to send Rhodri Thomas in under the posts, with the simple conversion added to make the score 12 – 7. Haddington were now on the ascendancy and soon forced Stirling to concede a Penalty which Jamie Peters slotted to close the gap to 12 – 10.

Stirling stepped up a gear and got themselves a further try before half time when their impressive No.8 brushed off several would-be tacklers to touch down near the posts. The kick was added to take the halftime score to 19 – 10.

The second half was to prove frustrating for the Reds when they conceded two early tries from turnovers, having been in possession at the time. This allowed Stirling to stretch their lead to 31 – 10 before further disappointment when Jamie Peters was harshly sin binned for killing the ball. Stirling, with the extra man, took full advantage by scoring two more tries at the death to finish with a flattering score-line of 45 – 10.

There’s no denying that this was still a heavy defeat for Haddington and the players will be critical in lapses of concentration at times, but there were a lot of positives for the Coaches to take from the game as they matched Stirling in most departments on Saturday.

   

 

Haddington v Gala

Haddington sent two squads down to Gala on Saturday to play their 1^st and 2^nd XVs  in pre-season friendlies. Sadly, both teams lost narrowly, the 1sr XV going down 10 – 19, with the 2^nd XV losing 13 – 23.

The 1^st squad have set high standards this season and will be disappointed with the result and some aspects of their play, however, these games are there to help develop the team and allow the coaches time to rectify any problems before the crucial league campaign gets underway in a fortnight.

The 2^nd XV can be justifiably pleased with their performance having outplayed their hosts for most of the match. When their league campaign gets underway the results will matter most, however, this level of performance bodes well for the coming season and better decision making in the opponents 22 area will ensure more matches will be won than lost.

PL Tens

Haddington got their season of to a winning start by lifting the Cup at the PL Tens tournament. New captain, Donald Snodgrass, led his team from the front throughout and picked up the Man of the Tournament award for his endeavours.

The Reds swept aside Portobello, Presidents Select and Lanark without conceding any points before meeting Livingston in the semi-final. They were made to work hard against a stuffy Livingston team and an over zealous referee, but came through by 19 – 7.

The final was a one-sided affair against hosts PL with the outcome never in doubt as Haddington upped their performance from the semi-final to stroll home 47 – 14.

Several players were blooded from last seasons Colts with Greig Taylor, Neil Rodgers, Nick Bell and Jamie Wilson, all featuring prominently throughout with ‘old heads,’ Graham Crawford and Derek Anderson returning to strengthen the squad.

This was a worthwhile exercise for Haddington with the defence and pace of the attack causing no end of problems for opposing teams.

Wednesday evening sees the Reds tackle Watsonians at Knox playing fields in their first 15 a-side match of the season.