Hamilton Rugby Club finish third in Ellon tournament

Aug 13 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

HAMILTON Rugby Club last weekend continued their pre-season preparations by making the long journey north to Ellon to take part in their inaugural 10s tournament.

In this shortened version of the game, each team field five forwards and five backs, instead of the usual eight and seven, and each match consists of two 15-minute halves, rather than the normal two periods of 40 minutes.

Due to a number of call-offs earlier in the week from a number of the eight clubs originally invited to the tournament, Hamilton and hosts Ellon agreed to submit two teams, allowing the organisers to opt for a straight league format, providing the six sides with five games each.

However, when the players gathered at Laigh Bent at 8.30am on Saturday, coaches Ian Morrison and Stuart Eynon found there were only 25 players fit to travel to cover the two 15-man squads.

The Bulls eventually arrived at the Meadows with only 30 minutes to spare before the 1pm tournament start, and with the local sides already out warning up.

Hamilton 2nds opened the tournament against Ellon but never got going and were 12-0 down at half-time, eventually losing another 40 points without reply in the second period.

The 1sts took to the field next, facing Aberdeenshire, and got off to a great start when Craig McLean burst through to go over for a try.

But from the kick-off Stefan Cole burst through for Aberdeenshire and converted for a 7-5 lead.

Hamilton tried to get back into the game and on the stroke of half-time Owen McLeish converted a penalty try to take a 12-7 lead.

Aberdeenshire quickly forced themselves ahead in the second half when Matt Healy went over for a try and Cole converted for 14-12.

It was end-to-end stuff at this point and Ross Inglis burst from deep before playing a neat one-two with older brother Craig and scoring for 17-14. Craig was again on-target with the boot after David McGrath ended a good move, with Healy adding a final try for Aberdeenshire for the 24-19 result.

The next match was between Hamilton’s 1sts and 2nds, with the senior side scoring three tries in the first half through John Selfridge, Chris McLaughlin and Ally Marshall, and a further two in the second period from McLaughlin and McLeish, with the latter converting all five for a 33-0 win.

Hamilton 1sts were next up against Inverness side Highland and the National League Division Two side were swept away thanks to four first-half tries from Ross Inglis (2), Marshall and Jason Agnew and three McLeish conversions.

The Bulls maintained their pressure in the second half, with Agnew, Craig Inglis and Craig Sangster adding three more tries, two of which were converted by McLeish. Highland managed a consolation try, but Hamilton won 45-5.

Hamilton 2nds knew their Ellon counterparts were going to be strong and so it proved as the hosts won 25-0.

The young Bulls immediately took on Highland, with Chris McGeough scoring in the opening minute but injuries were taking their toll and the depleted squad lost three tries to turn around 17-5 down.

A further two tries were conceded before Nicky Malley scored for the Bulls, reducing the deficit to 29-10.

However, the game was abandoned in the closing stages due to a clash of heads which left a Highland player on the ground.

With only 18 players left from the two squads and the 2nds sitting at the bottom of their league, coach Eynon was forced to withdraw his side from the final game against Aberdeenshire.

Hamilton 1sts then faced the Ellon President’s select, and in a robust game went ahead through a McLaughlin try, with McLeish converting for a 7-0 lead that was held until half-time.

The second half belonged to Ellon, and two converted tries saw them win 14-7.

Hamilton again had an immediate turnaround to face Ellon’s 1sts and the hosts proved too strong, turning around 12-0 ahead.

Early in the second half, Ross Inglis took the ball deep and ran through the Ellon defence to score, with McLeish converting for 12-7, despite the difficult angle.

But Ellon restored their 12-point lead by scoring straight from the deficit and eventually ran out 31-12 winners, leaving the Bulls with a third-placed finish.

Ellon’s 1sts won the final against their own President’s select.

Hamilton coach Ian Morrison said: “This is our first involvement in 10s and I must admit to now being a fan.

“Unlike sevens, some of our bigger, less mobile players can play, and there were some good competitive games which are ideal for honing skills and fitness at this stage of the year. We picked up a few knocks and suffered from having depleted squads but the players need to get used to the physical effort associated with the contact aspect of the game.

“It also lets our younger players understand what they need to do if they want to play regularly at 1st and 2nd XV level in the coming season.”

With the start of Hamilton’s 2009-10 Scottish Hydro Electric Premier 3 campaign just two weeks away, there was a worry that their preparation would be disrupted when Saturday’s planned opponents Darlington called off earlier this week.

However, West of Scotland and Coatbridge side Waysiders/Drumpellier have agreed to play in a three-way competition at Laigh Bent.

The tournament starts at 2pm.