High let leads slip in agonising loss to Selkirk

They may have taken two points from their BT National 1 clash with Selkirk – a try and losing bonus – but Dundee High Rugby came agonisingly close to clinching their second league win of the season.

High went down 32-29, twice throwing away a decent lead in the process.

It looked good for the Dundee side as they raced into a 14-0 lead with tries from David Turnbull and Ali McKay with McKay converting both, but then the defence went for a collective snooze and Selkirk ran in 17 unanswered points.

Peter Forrest and Aaron McColm had the tries for Selkirk, Rory Banks converted both, and it was only a penalty by McKay late in the half which saw Dundee go in level at 17-17.

McKay grabbed his second try, Pete Hamilton got the bonus-clinching score and High looked good at 29-20 ahead. However, the concentration lapsed again, Selkirk sniffed a win and tries from Clintin Wagman and Phil Anderson, with Banks converting the second, saw the points heading for Philiphaugh.

Dundee High coach Colin Sangster will rue the way they threw away the win as it leaves them with only one success from three league starts and their eighth spot in the table is due mainly to the fact that they have salvaged four bonus points from those games.

Record books were being scoured at Beveridge Park on Saturday after Kirkcaldy’s 60-0 win over Aberdeenshire, to establish the last time (if ever) the Fifers had been top of BT National 2 or its previous incarnations.

The other feat which was being considered with some astonishment was Dayle Turner’s haul of six tries, something few have achieved at this level.

Rhys Bonnor also got on the scoresheet with a hat-trick, Craig Letham had four conversions and a penalty and Finlay Smith rounded it all off with a couple of conversions.

Kirkcaldy are now a point ahead of Dumfries and five clear of third-placed Lasswade. Next week will test their mettle with a trip to Park Farm and a top-of-the-table clash with Dumfries.

A trip to Laigh Bent did nothing to ease the woes of Howe of Fife, going down 20-12 to Hamilton and narrowly missing the bonus that would have doubled their league tally.

Will Wardlow and Stuart Gray had Howe’s tries and Cameron Ellison kicked a conversion.

It also made sure Howe stayed firmly anchored in second bottom place with one point from three starts but a surprising stat is that six teams in the league have currently shipped more points than Howe.

Trailing 22-12 to Ardrossan at North Inch, there was little chance of Perthshire catching them in their BT National 3 contest and so it proved, the Ayshiremen running out comfortable 39-19 winners with five tries in the bag.

Hooker Euan McDonald, Ewen McDougall and Mat Rae had Shire’s tries, Ian Addison converted two but Shire remain one of four sides still to glean a point.

They sit second bottom with Orkney propping up the table.

Colin Sangster, who saw his Dundee High Rugby team let two decent leads slip in their 32-29 defeat by Selkirk.