Reds’ Teams Score 192 Points on Upper Mains Park on Saturday
It was surely a record on Saturday, with 192 points being scored by three Linlithgow teams on Upper Mains Park during the day!
It started with a superb performance by the Young Reds S3s for a cracking 64-7 win in their Conference playoff match against Musselburgh. It continued with a thoroughly entertaining match between a Linlithgow 3rd XV and a composite side from Thebans / Corstorphine, with the home side running away 70-10 winners. It finished with a stellar showing from the Reds 2nd XV in a 58-5 romp over mid-table Lasswade in a Reserve East 1 league match.
The Reds 1st XV had a fallow week and it was great to see so many of the Reds’ squad down at Mains Park on Saturday to support the 2s in their league match against Lasswade – there’s a real buzz around the Club and the players just now!
2s Run Lasswade Ragged in 10 Try Romp
Linlithgow 2s 58 – 5 Lasswade 2s
Saturday 11th November 2023
Report by Des Martin
It was a great day for rugby. The sun was out overhead, and the pitch was in perfect condition. The Manager and players were up for this return fixture knowing that the team was much stronger than in the previous encounter. The Reds 3rd XV team was playing on the top pitch before we were to take the park. Yes, a thirds team who won convincingly against a Corstorphine / Thebans composite side!
The Reds 2s game started off briskly and Lasswade soon indicated their intent with a very strong scrum from a large pack of forwards. The Lasswade team wanted to carry and intimidate our team. But that was not to be the case as all of the pack were tackling immensely strongly. The back row of Findlater, Chadwick and McHardy dropping the large forwards to the deck and the front five of Scott, Buckley, Holt, Magee and Kenny using their muscle to win any physical confrontation. The Reds kept on top of the Lasswade forwards for the first 20 minutes and soon they began to tire.
After a good turnover by Alex McHardy, the ball was chipped down the blindside by Struan McLean and Ross Wells touched down easily. (5-0 to the Reds) The Lasswade team were trying hard but the combined team work from the Reds came through when a nice break from Gregor McLean was supported by the industrious Alex McHardy to score a nice try converted by Gregor McLean. (12-0 to the Reds)
With the forwards working well and setting up the ball so cleanly, it was not long before Callum Lindsay cutting a great line inside Gregor McLean at stand off strode into score u
between the posts. (17-0 to the Reds) Confidence was high and from a turnover by Alex McHardy the ball was passed to Alex Kenny who made fine ground from his own 22 up to the 10 metre line before passing wide to his fellow lock Eioan Magee who brushed passed the would be tacklers and set off on a 70 metre run. With great pace he outflanked all of the defenders and scored in the corner. A brilliant run! (22-0 to the Reds) Adam Buckley then added a further try from a great drive before half time and the score was 27-0 at the break.
Changes were made at half time with both wingers Cammy Walker and Kyle Aitken off and Sam Dudchenko and Aiden Wan on in their place. In addition, Max Holt was replaced by Stu Young at hooker, with John Strachan also coming on. As it usually does, this upset the rhythm and the Reds were a bit disjointed for a while, but Aiden Wan picked up a scrappy ball and showed his pace supported well by Callum Lindsey who was tackled but managed to off load to Finn Chadwick who scored. (34-0 to the Reds)
Lasswade came back strongly and managed to score a try from forward play after a period of pressure near the Linlithgow line (34-5). The two McLean brothers, Struan and Gregor, who had linked well together as half backs all game, set up a nice move from which Gregor McLean scored, converted by John Strachan (41-5).
Another good run from Callum Lindsay and Ross Wells fizzled out close to the Lasswade line, or so we thought, but up popped Stu Young in support to drive over the Lasswade line for a fine team try. Ross Wells scored his second try to finish off a fine flowing back division move, while Eddie Beamish, who was back on in the last 10 minutes, added to Lasswade’s misery when he broke at pace from his own half to outpace the entire cover defence and go in under the sticks.
A final score by my counting of 58-5 to the Reds 2s. Some great performances all round, and the most pleasing thing was the numbers available for a game. “Seconds we need to believe we are good enough, if everyone’s available, to get a few more wins under our belt”! Home versus Edinburgh Accies next week.
