Dalziel hammered in season opener Bad start for new coaching duo in home loss
Dalziel’s season started in terrible fashion with a heavy home defeat at the hands of Newton Stewart.
It was the opening game in the BT National League Three against the newcomers from the south-west of Scotland.
Saturday was also the first competitive action with the coaching team of Bengy Barsanti and Graham Calder at the helm.
Barsanti was assistant coach to Jules Maxton for the past 18 months, before making the step up this summer.
Kiwi Barsanti has had a well travelled sporting career, playing in his native New Zealand, Italy and Scotland – where he met Calder.
Former scrum-half Calder, son of Dalziel great Alan, played with Dalziel until 2002, and since 2008, Graham has masterminded the club’s annual Youth Festival.
Unfortunately, the duo could not mastermind a victory over Newton Stewart.
Newton fullback Tyrell Wilson was first to score four minutes in after he capatalised on a Dalziel fumble before centre Fraser Morton converted to make it 7-0.
A line out from deep in the Dalziel half resulted in the pack trundling forward before Jason McKie crossed the line for the reds.
Morton’s conversion kick went wide but Newton Stewart were 12 up with ten minutes gone.
Five minutes before half time, however, the floodgates opened and tries from James McMiken, James Muir and Morton – who also made two conversions meant Dalziel were faced with a 31-0 score at the half time break.
With 15 minutes played in the second half hooker Thomas MacDonald made a superb break through the field. Dalziel were penalised at the resulting tackle for not releasing and Newton Stewart had the put in at the scrum.
A massive push from the reds in the scrum allowed Jason McKie to scoop up the ball and slip around the side to for his second try of the game with Morton adding the extras for 0-38.
Newton Stewart then ran amock, scoring a further seven tries.
Euan Dewar scored, Jamie Muir finished three of the second half tries, Morton got his second and both Robbie and Mark McCornick got in on the action too.
Elsewhere, Dalziel’s second XV lost 90-10 to Hamilton’s third string whilst the third XV lost 54-14 to Allan Glens of Bishopbriggs.
This week, Dalziel’s first XV travel to play Ardrossan Academicals whilst the second’s head to East Kilbride and the third string take on Ardrossan’s second XV.