Highland take advantage of early red card for Dundee

NATIONAL LEAGUES: Mayfield mauling takes visitors’ season’s tally past 100

Dundee High, who lost four players to injury last week, saw Kevin Franco redcarded after 10 minutes this week and Tennent’s National 1 promotion-chasers Highland took full advantage.

Stuart Macdonald Butler ran in the first try, Scott Fraser converting, and tries by Oscar Baird and Andrew Findlater stretched the visitors’ lead to 19-0 at half-time.

Sean Blair clinched the bonus for Highland before an Angus Thomson try got Dundee on the board but tries from Mike Gordon, Steven Murray and Gordon Gregor, the last two converted by Fraser, took Highland out of sight with Finlay Ormiston’s late try for Dundee hardly a consolation.

Dundee were left contemplating a 43-12 defeat and they ended up shipping well over 100 points to the Inverness men this season.

Peebles pitched up at Beveridge Park having eased themselves into promotion contention from National 2 in the knowledge that Kirkcaldy’s bid to go up had imploded in their last few games.

Things got worse for the home side as they could only register a Craig Letham penalty before the break while tries from Murray Brown and Dave Collins, with Greg Raeburn converting the first, took Peebles in 12-3 ahead.

A Chris Mann try closed the gap and Raeburn slotted a penalty but Kirkcaldy had upped their game, trailing only 15-8 and looking as though they might end their woeful run of results.

Those hopes were dashed as Murdo Anderson crossed for Peebles, and when James Dow went in late on for the visitors, it not only clinched the bonus, but denied Kirkcaldy even a point.

Kirkcaldy are now well out of the promotion race while Peebles lurk in third spot, level on points with Dumfries with a game in hand.

It was only a couple of weeks ago that Strathmore turned over Howe of Fife in their National 3 clash by 33-20 but the tables were turned spectacularly when they met again at Duffus Park with Howe running out 60-19 winners.

Tries from Fraser Allan, Jake Douglas, Rory Drummond and Jack Todd had the bonus in the bag before the break but Henry Arbon’s conversion of tries by Matt Russell and Glenn Feighan kept Strathie just about in touch at 22-14 at the break.

Graham Thomson put in a try for Howe, which Callum Willison converted, but Ruaridh Beaton’s try kept the gap at 10 points.

Suddenly the floodgates opened and Howe ran in 31 unanswered points as Drummond and Todd each grabbed their second, Sean Murray helped himself to a pair and Willison and Aitken divvied up the kicking duties.

The National 3 promotion race now gathers pace with Howe in fourth spot, three points behind Greenock with a game in hand and six points behind second-placed Lasswade.

Perthshire hosted Murrayfield Wanderers looking to reverse the 36-31 result in the capital at the beginning of February and, in the end, they ran out comfortable winners by 30-17.

Jay Pettie and Mat Rae had a couple of tries each, Dan Bowater had one, with Jonny Armitt slotting a penalty and conversion.

With Caithness losing at home to Hillhead Jordanhill, Shire are now seven adrift but have three games in hand over the team in third-bottom place.

Sean Murray: Scored two tries in Howe of Fife’s big win over Strathmore.