Turriff RFC go top of league table with victory over Caithness
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Turriff RFC welcomed Caithness RFC 2nd XV to The Haughs on Saturday, keen to show that the hard work at training has paid off after a 31-15 defeat to them away last season, writes Isla Jack.
Following a minutes silence to pay respects to HRH Queen Elizabeth II, the starting whistle was blown to mark the start of what was to be an exciting first half.
The opening minutes saw mixed possession, and it was the visitors who opened with the first points after using the hands wide to their speedy winger who touched down for a converted try.
Turriff responded well and worked the phases, eventually using the space on the wing thanks to hands from number eight Dale Alsop out to Euan Crawford who broke through the defensive line to put Turriff on the scoreboard – the conversion was just wide, leaving Turriff two points behind.
Moving with the same intent, they piled pressure on Caithness, forcing a fumble and quick reactions from Crawford put him in for his second of the day, again unconverted.
Receiving the kick off again, Turriff were using the pods and retaining ball well. Caithness were awarded a penalty, however after missing touch, Crawford collected and set up for quick hands out to Chris Hinton who took the defender on and offloaded to speedy centre Mark Davidson who came from his own 22 to score – captain Daniel Chisholm’s kicking boot was back on form and saw the ball go straight through the posts.
On a roll now, Liam Jordan’s incredibly strong running saw him go over the whitewash to confirm a bonus point for the home team, boosted by another Chisholm conversion.
However, Caithness once again used slick hands out to their winger who was tackled high over the line by Jordan, resulting in a penalty try and yellow card. This meant the teams went into half-time with a score of 24-14.
A slight re-shuffle in positions saw Andy McDonald move from fullback into scrum half, and it did not take him long to get comfortable in his new slot.
A Caithness scrum on their own five metres gave a platform for Turriff to apply pressure and McDonald was lightning quick to wrap up the opposition nine, rip the ball and tap down to open the second half.
Aaron Inglis was next to score for Turriff, after a strong carry and offload from Luke Dobbie gave an opportunity for him to show his pace out wide.
Hungry for more and noting gaps in defence was backs man-of-the-match Mark Davidson who raced in for his second – a high tackle going over the line meant the second yellow of the match.
The forwards wanted some of the action next, first coming through flanker Matt Baron who dived over after supporting in attack, then from Riley Alexander who noted the gaps around the ruck and exploited them well.
Caithness showed a brilliant display of attacking flair though and their centre was more than happy to find the gaps and put Caithness in for a third.
However, Turriff had the final say of the match, again through the forwards. Morgan Page used his powerful hand off and leg drive combo to go over – bolstered by two points from Hinton – and then exciting youngster Alexander found another break in the defensive line to guarantee a strong 67-19 win for the home team.
Next up the team are away to Kinloss Eagles RUFC with a 3pm kick-off.
