Good defence gave visitors the edge

Following their successful campaign to reach the final of the Under 15 West Region Plate, Cumbernauld kicked off league duties on Sunday with a game at Mount Vernon, taking on the Uddingston/Glasgow East team.

It had been a wet couple of days, so although the weather was bright, the pitch was soft which would make the game all the more energy sapping. However, at the end of the day, it all played out in Cumbernauld’s favour.

Cumbernauld played into the wind and up the slope first half, and found themselves under the cosh for a good ten minutes, but some excellent defensive work ensured the try line was not breached. As they gathered themselves, Cumbernauld started to get themselves a foothold in the game, working their way back up the pitch through hard work in the forwards and then some good offloading to open up space in the backs.

It was a real ding-dong battle, with both teams really going at it. Cumbernauld quickly replied to Uddingston opening the scoring with Lewis (St Maurice’s) scoring in the corner, but another two quick tries for Uddingston seemed to let the wind out of the Cumbernauld sails, as they started to hang onto the ropes and look for half time. But all was not lost as Clinton (St Maurice’s) scored again to bring the gap back to one try at the interval. In the first half, Cumbernauld had competed well, and showed how aggressive they can be at the break down.

The second half got off to a great start for Cumbernauld, as Hill (Kilsyth) picked up a dropped restart kick and sprinted to score in the corner – game on, and a few more smiling faces from some players who a few minutes earlier looked to have their heads down. The try was followed up with a successful conversion from Smith (St Maurice’s).

For the full report see this week’s Cumbernauld News and Kilsyth Chronicle - on sale now!