Published: Friday, 19th September, 2008 11:35
Lomond luck out
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Pic by: Gordon McCombe
Cumbernauld RFC 8 Loch Lomond RFC 5
Lomond made the short journey down the M8 to Cumbernauld, for what is traditionally a difficult fixture.
But they went in confident mood following a comfortable opening league victory against their newly promoted local rivals Clydebank.
However if they had entertained any notions of an easy victory, these were quickly blown away as within minutes of the kick off, they found themselves under concerted pressure from a determined side with a well-practiced game-plan and the personnel to make it work.
The opening exchanges saw Lomond constantly harried and turned over in the tackle and despite their dogged efforts in defence it seemed inevitable their resolve would crack.
The breakthrough came when a series of drives from the home pack carried them over half-way and allowed them to ship the ball wide.
A hesitation from Lomond’s veteran winger and a lack of pace to recover was all that was required and Cumbernauld scored a try.
The conversion was missed but with defences generally on top, the damage had already been done.
Lomond struggled to make any headway through the remainder of the first half and the only further points were a penalty for Cumbernauld to extend their advantage by three.
Lomond realised they were fortunate still to be in the match and upped their level in the second-half, applying greater pressure on the hosts at the breakdown and putting in some big hits in midfield.
But chances for either side were still few and far between. And with the game balanced on a knife edge, it was becoming apparent it would ultimately be decided by whichever team managed to hold on to their composure and make the most of the limited chances.
After a period of constant pressure, to groans from the sidelines, it seemed Lomond had finally earned the right to go on and win the game.
A series of infringements in the tackle area saw Cumbernauld reduced to 13. But it was not to be.
Despite throwing the entire bathroom suite at the home try line, the most Lomond could manage was a single Urquhart try, after which the game seemed to fizzle out.
When the referee’s whistle blew Lomond trudged crestfallen from the field.
But by the time the players have had some time to reflect and after a cathartically hard training session, they will realise they can take much credit from their performance.
Their pack stood toe with a beefier eight, fought them to a standstill and, but for the bounce of a ball, they could have left with a victory.
A losing bonus point will also have provided more than a little comfort on the trip home.
Next up is a home fixture at the Dilly against Oban (kick off 3pm, all welcome).
Training is at 6.30pm at the Dilly on Tuesday and Thursday this week – all players should attend.
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