Last-gasp Ellon end Dunfermline’s winning run

Tennent’s Caledonia Region League, Division One: Dunfermline 37 Ellon 38

THE perfect start to the season for Dunfermline Rugby Club’s first XV came to a dramatic end on Saturday in a McKane Park thriller.

Gavin Emerson’s team went into their meeting with Ellon top of the table with a record of three wins from three, accumulating try-scoring bonus points in each of them.

While they remain at the summit, it is courtesy of points difference as the Aberdeenshire visitors scored a last-gasp converted try to clinch a 38-37 victory.

In a match that swayed from one end of the field to the other, the visitors outscored Dunfermline on the try count in the first half, scoring three to their opponents’ two, to lead 19-12 at the interval.

An unconverted score, and a penalty, put the hosts into a onepoint lead, which was extended by Mattie Wilson crossing the whitewash.

That put Dunfermline 25-19 up but two scores, one of which had the extras added, put Ellon six points clear, which was reduced to one when Wilson, again, went over.

Another score, this time by Lewis Cumming, gave Dunfermline – who secured a losing bonus point – a six-point lead, but a last-minute try from the visitors gave them victory.

Dunfermline, who host Caithness on Saturday, and Ellon both have 17 points from four matches, with Caithness four back in third.

Tennent’s Caledonia Midlands Region League, Division Three: Grangemouth seconds 33 Rosyth Sharks 19

ROSYTH Sharks head coach

Mark Love says that his team are in a “good place” despite falling to their second defeat of the season on Saturday.

The Harley Street outfit, despite a much-improved second half, went down to Grangemouth Stags second XV in a match that saw them fight back from a 24-0 deficit.

The visitors outscored their opponents by three tries to one after half-time but, after what Love described as “putting ourselves under pressure in the first 20 minutes”, they couldn’t complete a fightback.

Rosyth were also on the wrong side of two refereeing calls for potential tries, and Love said: “I think the game was a lot closer than the scoreline suggests.

“We put ourselves under pressure in the first 20 minutes.

“There was a high penalty count and we didn’t particularly get the referee on side. Within that time, we had a man yellowcarded and they scored a couple of tries.

“We screwed the nut, got the plan back on track, and started to make inroads.

“We won the second half three tries to one, which is a good positive. It shows that the structure we’re working on, and trying to develop, is working.

“Things are pretty positive. We’re getting good numbers, considering where we were this time last season.

“Over the past few weeks, we’ve been able to pick a side on a Thursday, and potentially say to guys on a Friday that we can’t pick them because we’ve got too many numbers.”

This Saturday, the Sharks host third-top Howe Crusaders at Harley Street, with kick off at 3pm.

In the same division, Dunfermline’s second XV travel to Waid Academy, and do so on the back of a 54-12 home win over Strathmore second XV.

That result moves them on to nine points from four matches played, three ahead of the Sharks, who have played a game less.