ABERDEEN "REDS" 30-28 EASTERHOUSE
05th August 2013, 12:48
By Derek Murdoch
Alasdair O'Connor was the hero for Aberdeen Warriors as his injury-time try clinched their maiden title at Sunnyside.
Easterhouse Panthers led for much of the second half of a breathless Grand Final which went right down to the wire, but the Warriors refused to be beaten and became the fourth team in the history of the Scottish Conference League to bounce back to win the championship at the second attempt after finishing runners-up the previous year, after Edinburgh Eagles (1998 and 1999), Fife Lions (2003 and 2004) and Carluke Tigers (2009 and 2010).
The Warriors got off to a storming start, pinning the Panthers deep in their own half from the kick-off and forcing them into touch as they tried to build out of defence. On the resulting possession centre Billy Bissett gave his side the lead with a try under the posts, with Tom Aplin converting for a 6-0 lead.
The Panthers hit back on their own opening drive, forcing their opponents into touch near halfway to set up a good attacking platform. They looked set to score on the resulting set only for a Warriors defender to clear a fifth-tackle kick destined for Daryl Love. The winger did not have long to wait for his score however, as from the resulting dropout the Panthers opted to "go for it" on the fifth tackle and it was he who claimed the touchdown which went unconverted.
The ball changed hands several times before the Warriors extended their lead on 14 minutes, Jordan Robertson crossing in the corner on the resulting set after his side had forced a penalty in midfield. Again Aplin was on target to make it 12-4.
The Warriors appeared to struggle with kick-offs at times, possibly due to the windy conditions, and two such aberrations gave the next two tries of the match to the Panthers.
First, they conceded a line dropout on the reception set which set the platform for scrum-half Chad McGlame to score on the left, before overcooking their own kick-off to give the Panthers a penalty, from which they broke upfield and scored through fly-half Steven McCarter. Both tries went unconverted, leaving the scores tied at 12-12.
The Warriors had chances to regain the lead in the second quarter, with forward Aaron Robertson dropping the ball with the line at his mercy and Shane Clark looking set to score only to be well marshalled into touch.
But it was the Panthers who took the lead they would hold for much of the remainder of the game on 36 minutes. They were awarded a penalty when the Warriors were ruled guilty of obstruction in midfield, from which full-back Louis Senter raced clear for his side's fourth try of the match, which he converted himself to give his side an 18-12 half time lead.
As happened in the first half, there was a flurry of early tries as both sides tried to seize the initiative after the break. Tom Aplin reduced the Warriors' arrears with a try he was unable to convert, before another error at the kick-off reception gave Steven McCarter the opportunity to restore the Panthers' six-point cushion with his second try of the afternoon.
Then it was the Panthers' turn to make a mess of a kick-off reception, and from the resulting scrum Aaron Robertson needed no second invitation to claim the try he had threatened earlier. Again the Panthers hit back immediately though, with forward Boris Boum running back a Warriors punt on their next possession. Louis Senter's conversion put the Panthers 28-20 ahead after 55 minutes.
There were near things at both ends, with Bissett almost breaking clear for his second try of the afternoon only to be ruled to have taken a forward pass, and Panthers winger #5 forced into touch before he was able to score, before Warriors hooker J J McNair – also a scorer in last year's final against Edinburgh Eagles – brought his side back into the game with a try under the posts, which Aplin converted to leave only two points in it with ten minutes to go.
The Panthers were well aware of the precarious position they now found themselves in, and began to show greater urgency in attack as they sought to put the game away, but a combination of good defence by the Warriors and poor execution on their part saw their efforts frustrated.
Then, just as it looked as though the Panthers were going to hold on to secure a historic first title, deep in injury time they gave the ball away as they sought to build upfield from a Warriors handover, and O'Connor pounced to ensure the trophy was heading north for the first time instead.
AYRSHIRE STORM 84-4 ABERDEEN “WHITES"
05th August 2013, 12:37
By Derek Murdoch
Ayrshire Storm won their first trophy in emphatic style with victory over Aberdeen Warriors' development side in the Plate Final at Sunnyside.
The last time they played in the Plate Final, in their inaugural season in 2010, the Storm led Moray Eels 40-6 late in the first half before agonisingly going on to lose 48-46, so there will no doubt be a sense of redemption about this result for coach Alex Bibby and those members of the Storm team involved on that ill-fated day.
The Storm started as they meant to go on, and the game was less than four minutes old when winger Neil McMillan gave them the lead with a try in the corner, Ross Bryan adding the conversion from out wide.
The Whites tried to respond, but they were unable to capitalise on their possession and the Storm extended their lead with two quick braces of tries.
First, after a knock-on by the Whites had taken the pressure off in defence, Blair Jardine raced clear to score under the posts, before Scott Robertson applied the finishing touch to the resulting penalty set after the Whites had sent the kick-off into touch on the full.
Ross Bryan added both conversions for an 18-0 lead, and kept up his record after first John Carson took the scoring pass to crown a good length-of-the-field set, and then Michael Kirk eluded the Whites defence to touch down on the kick-off reception set.
Boyd Littlejohn added another try for the Storm, again converted by Bryan, before the Whites hit back with their only try of the game in somewhat fortunate circumstances.
They forced a penalty, which they elected to kick for touch. The kick stayed in play but the Storm receiver made a mess of gathering it and winger Chris Spence was first to the loose ball to dot down in the corner.
Any hopes the Whites might have been entertaining of emulating Moray Eels' comeback were dashed almost immediately however, when the Storm kick-off found touch deep in Whites territory and captain Gene Munro crossed on the resulting set to give Ross Bryan another routine conversion.
Kris Hobson then scored on the kick-off reception set to leave the half time score at 46-4 in the Storm's favour.
The Storm came flying out of the traps after the break, Michael Kirk bringing up their fifty with his second try of the afternoon in the corner from another good attacking position forced deep in the Whites half.
They continued to dominate after this and by the hour Scott Robertson had completed his hat trick, scoring on an ill-disciplined defensive set by the Whites before racing in from long range on the subsequent set after a lengthy injury stoppage. Bryan converted the latter to put the Storm 60-4 up.
The Whites rallied and forced a good attacking position from the kick-off reception but just as it looked as if the Aberdonians were going to notch a consolation try, Jordan Marshall intercepted and the Storm broke upfield.
The Whites withstood the initial set but then gave the ball away in their own half, and it fell to substitute Scott Cook to notch the Ayrshiremen's twelfth try of the afternoon in the corner on 64 minutes.
This marked the end of the Whites' resistance, and the Storm saw the game out with second tries of the afternoon for Gene Munro, Boyd Littlejohn and Kris Hobson, and a first for Kyle Matheson, Munro's and Matheson's converted by Bryan to take the score to 84-4.
The Whites had some late chances in the dying minutes but it scarcely mattered at this stage as the Storm had done more than enough to clinch the trophy.
05th August 2013, 12:48
By Derek Murdoch
Alasdair O'Connor was the hero for Aberdeen Warriors as his injury-time try clinched their maiden title at Sunnyside.
Easterhouse Panthers led for much of the second half of a breathless Grand Final which went right down to the wire, but the Warriors refused to be beaten and became the fourth team in the history of the Scottish Conference League to bounce back to win the championship at the second attempt after finishing runners-up the previous year, after Edinburgh Eagles (1998 and 1999), Fife Lions (2003 and 2004) and Carluke Tigers (2009 and 2010).
The Warriors got off to a storming start, pinning the Panthers deep in their own half from the kick-off and forcing them into touch as they tried to build out of defence. On the resulting possession centre Billy Bissett gave his side the lead with a try under the posts, with Tom Aplin converting for a 6-0 lead.
The Panthers hit back on their own opening drive, forcing their opponents into touch near halfway to set up a good attacking platform. They looked set to score on the resulting set only for a Warriors defender to clear a fifth-tackle kick destined for Daryl Love. The winger did not have long to wait for his score however, as from the resulting dropout the Panthers opted to "go for it" on the fifth tackle and it was he who claimed the touchdown which went unconverted.
The ball changed hands several times before the Warriors extended their lead on 14 minutes, Jordan Robertson crossing in the corner on the resulting set after his side had forced a penalty in midfield. Again Aplin was on target to make it 12-4.
The Warriors appeared to struggle with kick-offs at times, possibly due to the windy conditions, and two such aberrations gave the next two tries of the match to the Panthers.
First, they conceded a line dropout on the reception set which set the platform for scrum-half Chad McGlame to score on the left, before overcooking their own kick-off to give the Panthers a penalty, from which they broke upfield and scored through fly-half Steven McCarter. Both tries went unconverted, leaving the scores tied at 12-12.
The Warriors had chances to regain the lead in the second quarter, with forward Aaron Robertson dropping the ball with the line at his mercy and Shane Clark looking set to score only to be well marshalled into touch.
But it was the Panthers who took the lead they would hold for much of the remainder of the game on 36 minutes. They were awarded a penalty when the Warriors were ruled guilty of obstruction in midfield, from which full-back Louis Senter raced clear for his side's fourth try of the match, which he converted himself to give his side an 18-12 half time lead.
As happened in the first half, there was a flurry of early tries as both sides tried to seize the initiative after the break. Tom Aplin reduced the Warriors' arrears with a try he was unable to convert, before another error at the kick-off reception gave Steven McCarter the opportunity to restore the Panthers' six-point cushion with his second try of the afternoon.
Then it was the Panthers' turn to make a mess of a kick-off reception, and from the resulting scrum Aaron Robertson needed no second invitation to claim the try he had threatened earlier. Again the Panthers hit back immediately though, with forward Boris Boum running back a Warriors punt on their next possession. Louis Senter's conversion put the Panthers 28-20 ahead after 55 minutes.
There were near things at both ends, with Bissett almost breaking clear for his second try of the afternoon only to be ruled to have taken a forward pass, and Panthers winger #5 forced into touch before he was able to score, before Warriors hooker J J McNair – also a scorer in last year's final against Edinburgh Eagles – brought his side back into the game with a try under the posts, which Aplin converted to leave only two points in it with ten minutes to go.
The Panthers were well aware of the precarious position they now found themselves in, and began to show greater urgency in attack as they sought to put the game away, but a combination of good defence by the Warriors and poor execution on their part saw their efforts frustrated.
Then, just as it looked as though the Panthers were going to hold on to secure a historic first title, deep in injury time they gave the ball away as they sought to build upfield from a Warriors handover, and O'Connor pounced to ensure the trophy was heading north for the first time instead.
05th August 2013, 12:37
By Derek Murdoch
Ayrshire Storm won their first trophy in emphatic style with victory over Aberdeen Warriors' development side in the Plate Final at Sunnyside.
The last time they played in the Plate Final, in their inaugural season in 2010, the Storm led Moray Eels 40-6 late in the first half before agonisingly going on to lose 48-46, so there will no doubt be a sense of redemption about this result for coach Alex Bibby and those members of the Storm team involved on that ill-fated day.
The Storm started as they meant to go on, and the game was less than four minutes old when winger Neil McMillan gave them the lead with a try in the corner, Ross Bryan adding the conversion from out wide.
The Whites tried to respond, but they were unable to capitalise on their possession and the Storm extended their lead with two quick braces of tries.
First, after a knock-on by the Whites had taken the pressure off in defence, Blair Jardine raced clear to score under the posts, before Scott Robertson applied the finishing touch to the resulting penalty set after the Whites had sent the kick-off into touch on the full.
Ross Bryan added both conversions for an 18-0 lead, and kept up his record after first John Carson took the scoring pass to crown a good length-of-the-field set, and then Michael Kirk eluded the Whites defence to touch down on the kick-off reception set.
Boyd Littlejohn added another try for the Storm, again converted by Bryan, before the Whites hit back with their only try of the game in somewhat fortunate circumstances.
They forced a penalty, which they elected to kick for touch. The kick stayed in play but the Storm receiver made a mess of gathering it and winger Chris Spence was first to the loose ball to dot down in the corner.
Any hopes the Whites might have been entertaining of emulating Moray Eels' comeback were dashed almost immediately however, when the Storm kick-off found touch deep in Whites territory and captain Gene Munro crossed on the resulting set to give Ross Bryan another routine conversion.
Kris Hobson then scored on the kick-off reception set to leave the half time score at 46-4 in the Storm's favour.
The Storm came flying out of the traps after the break, Michael Kirk bringing up their fifty with his second try of the afternoon in the corner from another good attacking position forced deep in the Whites half.
They continued to dominate after this and by the hour Scott Robertson had completed his hat trick, scoring on an ill-disciplined defensive set by the Whites before racing in from long range on the subsequent set after a lengthy injury stoppage. Bryan converted the latter to put the Storm 60-4 up.
The Whites rallied and forced a good attacking position from the kick-off reception but just as it looked as if the Aberdonians were going to notch a consolation try, Jordan Marshall intercepted and the Storm broke upfield.
The Whites withstood the initial set but then gave the ball away in their own half, and it fell to substitute Scott Cook to notch the Ayrshiremen's twelfth try of the afternoon in the corner on 64 minutes.
This marked the end of the Whites' resistance, and the Storm saw the game out with second tries of the afternoon for Gene Munro, Boyd Littlejohn and Kris Hobson, and a first for Kyle Matheson, Munro's and Matheson's converted by Bryan to take the score to 84-4.
The Whites had some late chances in the dying minutes but it scarcely mattered at this stage as the Storm had done more than enough to clinch the trophy.
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