Berwick sting Reds with late blow
Linlithgow Reds were on the wrong side of a thriller as a late penalty miss saw them lose 36-33 away to Berwick.
The away side had fought back from a 17 point deficit in the second half to level things up entering the final stages in the East Region League One contest.
Berwick edged in front only for Reds’ Jack Frame to fire a last-kick penalty wide of the posts to end a pulsating contest in defeat.
The signs that it would be a highscoring and free- flowing game were there from that start.
The Reds got things going when Frame slotted over a penalty in the second minute only for Berwick to score the first of their five tries inside 10 minutes.
Play continued to ebb and flow before Linlithgow won a line-out deep in Berwick territory and made sure to make the most of it as Ross Plenderleith burst through to score under the posts. Frame added the two points to lead 10-7.
But that lead wouldn’t last long as Berwick added another try with Frame responding with a penalty.
Berwick touched down again before the interval when they were awarded a penalty try after getting the better of the Reds’ scrum, something they would continue to do throughout the contest.
A third Frame penalty made it a one-score game at half-time as the hosts held a narrow 21-16 lead.
The home side started the second half on the front foot and drove the ball over the line thanks to another great effort from the scrum.
Once again, the forwards would prove the difference as Berwick began to look in total control of the match with another pushover try. The successful conversion made it 33-16 with 25 minutes left.
The Reds showed real strength and character to score 17 unanswered points as firstly Plenderleith and then Stuart Bell scored converted tries to reduce the gap to three points with a little over 10 minutes remaining.
Presented with a penalty from distance, Frame’s impressive display continued as he split the uprights to make it a tied game.
Unfortunately for the Reds, the Berwick forwards would continue their dominance which led to a penalty being awarded, and converted, by the hosts.
Not wanting to go home emptyhanded, the Reds charged up the field and were given a chance to seal a draw. Cruelly, on what was an otherwise faultless performance, Frame’s kick drifted wide and the whistle was promptly blown.
The Reds entertain Ross High at Mains Park on Saturday. Kick-off is 3pm.