Hillhead Jordanhill 29 points Allan Glen’s 17 points
Bernie Mitchell
By any standards this was a belter of a game. Although the margin of victory was 12 points, Hills led for only the first 5 minutes but did not move ahead again till the 70th , reaching 22-17 ; and finally bringing the curtain down in the last move of the game with a converted try.
This was all that the supporters of both Clubs wanted : a full “ house” , “ blazing floodlights”, a firm pitch, their players going at it hard for the full 80 minutes with no quarter given or asked ; and officiated by the excellent Rob McDowell, whose quiet authority and game management kept a lid on the contest, and also retained everyone on the field with no yellow card sanctions.
Kicking towards the clubhouse, Hills were early into action with captain, Rory Harte, converting a short range penalty to lead 3-0. But that stung visitors, Glen’s, into a concentrated lockdown of the Hills in their own twenty two with their direct running and quick recycling presenting a stiff examination of the Hills defensive qualities. Hills did win their fare share of possession over the next 30 minutes, principally through Dougie Price on the touchline and Jaysen Denley with his jackaling and his commitment to tackling ; yet Glens were relentless in their pursuit of victory. A Scott Thomson penalty, followed by tries from David Low and the predatory Jack Mooney at scrum half, both expertly converted by Thomson, from either side of the pitch, took the visitors into a 17-3 lead and what appeared to be an unassailable position. But in the 39th minute of the game, Hills broke out of the Glen’s stranglehold to race up the field. Rory Harte attacked from close range, but some careful recycling provided tight head prop, Liam Tighe, with a glimpse of the try line which he took to score. Rory Harte converted and the whistle was blown for half time. A tipping point in the game.
The intense physical exchanges raged on during the 3rd quarter, but Hills began to look the stronger, bringing on their “ace” 2nd rower, Blair Colvin, who effectively sealed off any line out possession Glen’s might have expected. Hills were now in the ascendancy and their 2nd try was a wonderful example of 15 a side play. No.8, Milan Marinkovic, barreling down the left wing, the play being taken on by the dynamic hooker, Calum Weir, offloaded to Liam Tighe who then popped the ball to the intruding winger, Corrie Dicks, to score beneath the posts. !7-17 with Rory Harte’s conversion.
Glen’s were now on the back foot, and several of their players began to need attention from their medical support, but the intensity of play did not lessen. Possession still had to be gained in the midfield collisions and used effectively. Constant battering and ball transfer across the width of the pitch eventually secured a gap for full back Blair Forsyth to crash over. 22-17 for the Hills and the tension, both on and off field, was palpable.
Both sets of players were out on their feet but Glen’s kept going to seek parity while Hills bravely kept them out. And then ; a penalty against Glens on the Hills 10 metre line. Quick as a flash, Hills Rory Harte took the tap, and then raced away, unimpeded, to score between the posts and convert his try. Full time was not long delayed.
Hills and their support ecstatic ; Glens and their support utterly dejected. A perfect example of “ Triumph and Disaster “ in the outcome of a game of rugby. Glen’s will rightly feel cruelly done by with no points from a game to which they had contributed so much, and experienced a blow to their legitimate hopes of promotion. Hills for their part must now keep fit to await the outcome of Howe’s visit to Garnock on March 29th . A 5 pointer for Howe and Hills, like Glen’s, are cooked.
Photo Acknowledgements – Michael Sinclair
