Dalziel cup dreams ended but side take hope after showing

Feb 7 2008

DALZIEL Rugby Club were knocked out of the West Region Cup in the third round by National League Division One rivals Annan on Saturday going down 14-5 away from home.

But the Motherwell side were heartened by their performance, which was believed to have been significantly better than in previous league games against the Violetbank club, losing 22-10 in October, and 18-13 two months later.

Two under-18 players made their debut in the cup match with Lee McWhinnie starting on the wing and stand-off John Harris coming off the bench after the interval.

Both players made a claim for a future starting place with excellent performances in difficult conditions.

Handling was always going to be difficult in driving rain, and on a heavy pitch, but Dalziel’s forwards had their opposite numbers on the rack during the game’s early stages.

However, they were unable to turn pressure into points, and were ultimately made to pay for that profligacy.

John Nelson looked to have scored when he slid in, but to Dalziel’s surprise and anger, the referee ruled that an Annan player had prevented the ball from being grounded.

Annan were in Dalziel’s half twice, but scored a try when inside centre Craig McCann’s beautifully-placed kick found Alex Halliday unmarked and he crashed over.

McCann’s conversion put Annan 7-0 ahead.

John Harris came on for the second half and immediately began to find space in the cluttered midfield, allowing Dalziel to bring their runners into the game.

However, despite their pressure Dalziel couldn’t get on the scoresheet.

Moving into the last quarter Dalziel conceded another try when an aimless clearance kick was volleyed infield by a Dalziel forward, to the surprise of the backs.

Ball was passed along the line and when Harris’ clearance kick was charged down, Annan forward Michael Griffin won the chase to touch down.

The try was again converted by McCann for 14-0.

Dalziel continued to press forward in a bid to get into the game, but time wasn’t on their side.

They got a brief lifeline when their forwards drove over the line from 10 metres out, with youngster Gee Armstrong being credited with the try.

Andy Hill’s conversion fell short and this effectively killed the game, with Dalziel requiring a converted try and a penalty to level.

Dalziel have five league matches still to play and will hope for a repeat of this type of performance in their bid to avoid relegation.

The Motherwell side were due to play Langholm in a re-arranged match on Saturday, but it has been postponed because they have a team in Wales for the international weekend.