Stewartry under-16s record comfortable win over Annan

Stewartry under-16s recorded an emphatic win over Annan at the weekend.

After weeks of watching interminable World Cup kick, chase and defend, it was a joy to be entertained by a match that may have been lacking the World Cup intensity and skill but still renewed the faith in the glorious game for all sizes and shapes that encourages running and passing.

The rain held off and two fairly evenly matched teams scored nine tries between them.

In this long-standing local derby, Annan arrived at Greenlaw with a large experienced team with many faces returning from last year’s fixture.

They set to with a will and with a well developed kicking game pinned Stewartry back.

Stewartry knocked on the first kick-off, giving Annan good field position from which they scored.

A determined kick chase of the resulting kick-off saw Stewartry camp in the Annan 22 and force a penalty.

Quick thinking by a group of senior players saw Stewartry tap to Arthur Bolland who, with a bit of footwork and a lot of strength, forced himself over to level the scores.

Annan immediately responded, kicking deep and forcing Stewartry mistakes, eventually going over for two tries one of which they converted – an ominous position for the Stewartry team. The score did not stay this way for long however as Stewartry followed up their kick-off, pressuring Annan into mistakes from which Bolland again profited with another try on the right.

Then from the Annan kick off Daniel Eakin Watt made 50m up the centre of the park and two phases later broke tackles to stumble across the line under the posts. Fraser Davies converted this try to level the scores as the whistle went for half-time with the scores all square.

The second half saw Stewartry