Glasgow 15,
North and Midlands 22
NORTH and Midlands had a rare district championship win on Saturday,
and none would savour the Burnbrae victory over Glasgow more than Bobby
Easson. It was his penultimate game as district coach.
Easson has realised that one man can do only so much. He has had to
trim his commitments. Not only has he had his North and Midlands duties
but he is also assistant coach for Edinburgh Academicals and Scotland's
under-21 team.
Despite the work of Easson and those before him, the team from north
of the Forth have been the other districts' whipping boys. Since
1974-75, when they took Glasgow to a last-match decider for the title,
North-Midlands have had only four wins in 61 championship matches. Three
of those have been against Glasgow.
This latest win was no less than North-Midlands deserved even though
the try count was 2-1 against them. They were the more hungry team. They
hunted and hassled, preying on Glasgow's uncertainties.
None relished such a game more than David McIvor. The silver fox was
in his element, plundering and prompting. His sights were still on the
international place that he lost on Scotland's Australian tour six
months ago.
David Mitchell looked the part as McIvor's foil at open side, and
Stewart Campbell added to his growing reputation among the younger
ranks. The Dundee lock, returning to his former home ground, may have
lost out on the first touch in the lineout, but he joined in the
touchline mayhem that knocked Glasgow off their stride after the first
10 minutes' promise.
Beside him, he had an expert in such guerilla warfare, Brian Bell, who
was playing in his forty-seventh district match, only four short of
Chris Snape's North-Midlands record. Naturally, Bell is tempted to be
available for another season.
Andy Nicol proved how worthy he is as challenger to Gary Armstrong for
the national team. The pace and security of the Dundee scrum half's
service showed up one of Glasgow's frailties, and behind him Bryan
Easson and Rowen Shepherd struck kicks that kept their forwards' spirits
running high as well as frustrating Glasgow.
Easson also promoted the occasional flurry of handling attack, though
his principal contribution to victory was to score with all six goals he
attempted --the conversion of Mike Cousin's try and five penalties. His
17 points equalled the best by a North-Midlands player in one match, a
record set by Neil Marshall against Edinburgh five seasons ago.
Dave Barrett's opening penalty goal should have set Glasgow up.
Instead, they lost their early impetus, recovering it only in brief
phases, and when Barrett missed touch with a long clearance Nicol
ignited a rewarding counter-attack for crossfield passes to allow Ford
Swanson to send Cousin over for a try on his championship debut.
Glasgow's performance echoed how they had allowed the Inter-city match
to slip from their grasp two weeks earlier. Again it was their failure
to exploit lineout command that was their downfall. Glasgow were
latterly so much in control on the touchline that North-Midlands only
once won usable ball in the second half, though the visitors were adept
at devaluing the opposition's possession.
Elsewhere, the delivery of Glasgow's possession was laboured. Fergus
Wallace and Fraser Stott were not in tune at the scrum base, the home
forwards did not fire on all cylinders in the loose, perhaps a symptom
of the demands of three games in eight days, though Kevin McKenzie was a
notable exception, and the back-row blend, even with Walter Malcolm
restored beside Wallace, generally did not have the security that
North-Midlands had.
Once, Malcolm, breenging into the twenty-two, all but set up a try
that would have cut the visitors back from their half-time lead of 13-3.
Stott, however, was caught as he was tempted by the goal-line bait.
Soon afterwards Wallace and Malcolm struck for reward by releasing
their Glasgow High/Kelvinside colleague, Shade Munro. Off the subsequent
ruck Ian Jardine looped Chris Simmers to put Kenny Logan away past three
opponents. It was a rare occasion when the North-Midlands defence was
less than secure.
Barrett converted from well out on the left. Easson, however, promptly
added two more penalty goals, and only belatedly, when Wallace opted for
a succession of two-man lineouts, did Glasgow make their second try.
Malcolm Norval was its lineout source, McKenzie charged on, and George
Breckenridge's long pass to the intruding Barrett allowed Logan to put
Richard Porter over. The Glasgow right wing, like his North-Midlands
counterpart, scored on his wrong flank.
Barret converted, but Glasgow could find no more in the remaining
three minutes. Instead, Easson had another penalty goal.
Glasgow -- D N Barrett (West of Scotland); R A G Porter, C T Simmers
(both Edinburgh Academicals), I C Jardine, K M Logan (both Stirling
County); G M Breckenridge (GHK), F H Stott (West of Scotland); J T
Gibson, K D McKenzie, G B Robertson, M Norval (all Stirling County), D S
Munro, W H Malcolm, F D Wallace, captain (all GHK), B Ireland (Stirling
County).
North and Midlands - S A D Burns (Edinburgh Academicals), captain; M A
Cousin, P R Rouse (both Dundee HS FP), R J S Shepherd, J F Swanson (both
Edinburgh Academicals); B R Easson, A D Nicol; J J Manson (all Dundee HS
FP), M W Scott (Edinburgh Academicals), D Herrington (Dundee HS FP), B H
Bell (Highland), S J Campbell (Dundee HS FP), D J McIvor (Edinburgh
Academicals), J G Mathieson (Morgan Academy FP), D H Mitchell
(Dunfermline).
Referee -- R S Clark (Stewart's Melville FP).
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