Bulls get new year off to a bang with bonus point win
HAMILTON ............................................... 35 FIFE ............................................................ 17
Hamilton got 2019 off to a great start with a bonus point win over Kirkcaldy, moving them up two places in Tennent’s National League 1.
The Bulls now sit ninth in the table, having defeated their Fife opponents 3517 at Laigh Bent on Saturday.
In cold conditions on a pitch that was perfect for running rugby, Hamilton took the initiative straight away, launching a wave of attacks.
Their aggressive tackling won Bulls possession and a penalty in four minutes, which Owen Mcleish converted, to get the scoreboard moving.
Kirkcaldy showed that they also posed a threat but Hamilton’s defence was up to the task, and Mcleish’s judicious use of the downfield kick turned the heavy visitors’ pack to put Bulls into opposition territory.
On nine minutes Hamilton capitalised on untidy Kirkcaldy lineout play to steal possession close to the line, leaving space for Gregor Brodie to crash over for a try, converted by Mcleish.
Kirkcaldy fought back and stand-off Alex Black made several good line breaks, only to be thwarted by a determined Hamilton defence.
However, on one such break, Black spun out of the tackle and released Josh Laird, who narrowed the gap with a welltaken try under the posts, which was converted by Gavin Mckenzie.
However, Hamilton quickly regained control of the match and it was only unforced handling errors which prevented them from going further ahead.
In 34 minutes that pressure told when, after some great handling by Craig Skilling, Ben Plant broke clear on the flank to dot down in the corner, with Mcleish converting from out wide, giving Hamilton a 17-7 interval lead.
The second half continued in much the same way, with Kirkcaldy coughing up a succession of penalties, giving Mcleish the chance to land a further two penalty goals.
After all these penalties, the referee was left with no alternative but to yellow card Mitchell Harper for a high tackle in 48 minutes.
Hamilton threw everything at the Kirkcaldy line and were unlucky not to score from a lineout drive, the ball being spilled at the last moment.
In 58 minutes, however, Ross Mcqueen was able to control the ball at the back of a driving maul and scored Hamilton’s third try, converted by Mcleish for 30-7.
Harper’s return signalled a step-up in intensity from the visitors, who laid siege to the Hamilton line.
Hamilton nearly scored a fourth try though when good defence and a brilliant break by Scott Alexander took play deep into Kirkcaldy territory, and only a lastditch tackle forced Plant into touch, just short of the line.
Black got things moving again for Kirkcaldy with a clean line break in midfield and offload to Laird, who was stopped just short by Skilling.
With their tails up, Kirkcaldy launched a wave of attacks and in 70 minutes Harper found himself on the end of some good handling to barge his way over, and repeated that action four minutes later, reducing the gap to 30-17.
However, with the last play of the match, Hamilton chose to kick for the lineout, and man of the match Jack Bruce secured possession and moved ball infield.
Mcleish spotted a huge gap on the blind side and moved ball quickly to substitute Robert Brown, who had a clear run in to the line for the bonus point try.
Coach David Gemell was delighted with the win and said: “We controlled the game and possession.
“It would have been a travesty had we not got that final try.
“Still, we do have things to work on before we visit Jed-forest on Saturday. We still need to work on ball retention in the contact areas.
“I’m delighted with the points, though.”