Winning feeling is back
East Kilbride Rugby Club bounced back from last week’s stinker at Stewartry with a much-improved performance to beat a very good Lenzie side.
The hosts had walked through Division Two last season and had started this campaign well, losing only by a squeak at Garnock while winning their three other encounters.
Lenzie are traditionally a club relatively lightweight up front but with a sparkling backline, and this iteration is little different, albeit with a decent enough pack.
Their forwards though struggled to contain the ball-carriers EK brought, Paul Rosie and Jono Ford prominent as always.
Roddy Beaton was always around the ball and was rewarded for his industry with two tries, Aidan Stott claiming his eleventh of the season for the third.
Lenzie’s sharp backs kept them in with a chance of taking the victory and East Kilbride were as grateful for the younger Beaton’s ability to disrupt the home lineout as they were for his try-scoring prowess, constantly denying them possession in pressure situations.
All in, this was a decent showing by EK, particularly after underperforming last Saturday. They still find themselves 12 points behind league leaders Allan Glen’s, albeit with a game in hand.
The Bishopbriggs side though have picked up bonus points from all five of their games, while EK have gained only one from four, a statistic that may prove significant in 2020.
This Saturday EK switch to cup duties when they host a Wigtownshire side who were familiar visitors to Torrance House in the 80’s and 90’s but have not been around for a while.
TEAM: 1. Marriott, 2. Ford, 3. E. Beaton, 4. McLean, 5. Rosie, 6. O’Neill, 7. R. Beaton, 8. Middleton, 9. Ellison, 10. McGibbon, 11. Dryburgh, 12. Shankie, 13. Stott, 14. I. Brown, 15. Murray.
Replacements: Steel, Mason, Greenfield and Smith.