Biggar stretch their lead at the top
BIGGAR ...................................... 69 WHITECRAIGS ............................ 7 Biggar Rugby Club stretched their lead over second-placed Highland to 14 points in Tennent’s National League 2, with a comprehensive 69-7 win at home to Whitecraigs.
That their title rivals were idle at the weekend was not happy news, as all their games were postponed as a mark of respect for coach Alisdair Wemyss, who suddenly passed away.
The pair clash head on this weekend, but Biggar will not find it easy. Although Highland haven’t been in action prior to Christmas, they haven’t been beaten at home this season, and will want a victory in honour of Alisdairwemyss.
After a confident start in which they largely monopolised possession, Biggar ran in their first score after five minutes, Conor Lavery controlling an Iain Renwick grubber kick with his feet to run in, but Matthew Stewart was just short with the conversion attempt.
Ross Bradford ran in Biggar’s second score, taking a pass from Donald Voas, and this time Stewart converted for a 12-0 lead.
Whitecraigs fielded a massive pack and recorded a good score, with Andrew Paterson getting the credit for the try, with Graham Murchie’s conversion pulling the score back to 12-7.
Any lift ’Craigs may have gained from that, however, evaporated when Biggar bagged their third try 10 minutes later, when Chris Mulligan crashed over, with Stewart’s conversion taking the score to 19-7.
Stewart was also on target for the bonus point-earning fourth try after Mulligan ran in from some 40 metres.
It didn’t get any better for Whitecraigs ahead of the interval, with both Conor Lavery and Declan Dinnen crossing, with Stewart’s conversions taking them to a 36-5 lead.
Biggar started the second half in much the same fashion, as Bradford crossed for his second try.
Andrew Peacock was next up, taking a pop pass from Ewan Stewart to score.
Euan Sanderson was next to score, rounding off another fine move, and Peacock then scored his second try, Conor Lavery’s break and neat off-load in the tackle giving the big second row the simplest of tasks from five metres.
The final score fell to Euan Bogle, who picked up a well-timed pass from Robbie Lavery, crossed in the corner, but kicked a wonderful conversion from far out to complete Biggar’s 69-point tally.