County turn on the style in the BT Cup
Stirling ease past Whitecraigs with eight tries
Whitecraigs ..... 10 Stirling County 50 Stirling County eased through to the last-16 of the BT Cup, scoring eight tries in a comfortable win at Whitecraigs.
County travelled to Newton Mearns with a strong team, bolstered by the returning full- back Bruce Sorbie and second-row Adam Sinclair. Youngster Logan Bonar made his First
XV debut, coming on as a secondhalf replacement at full-back, following recent good performances with the Seconds. Alex Black took over the captaincy in the absence of
Callum Hunter-Hill, who has joined London Scottish on a shortterm arrangement until the end of December.
County took the match to their hosts from the kick-off and opened the scoring inside two minutes, when the visiting pack drove over the Whitecraigs’ line and hooker Reyner Kennedy touched down for an unconverted try in the left corner. County doubled their lead on nine minutes, when Sinclair powered over to score a try in the left corner, with the conversion attempt missed.
Whitecraigs, who play their rugby in BT National League Two, put their Premiership opponents under a spell of pressure, but the County defence withheld and they broke clear with winger Logan Trotter finishing off a length of the field move to score a try to the left of the uprights, converted by stand-off Ross Jones.
Two minutes later Sorbie scored a try under the posts, following a kick-ahead by Jones, who converted the touchdown to give County a 24 point advantage.
Whitecraigs responded and after a series of forward drives towards the County line, the hosts moved the ball wide and exploited a gap in the County rearguard to score an
unconverted try in the left corner. Five minutes before the break, County’s Jones received possession on half-way and the stand-off sidestepped his would-be tackler, before slicing through the home defence to score a try under the posts, which he converted.
Like the climatic conditions, County made heavy weather of the first quarter of the second-half, and it took until the hour-mark before the visitors added to their tally with Trotter and replacement Douglas Westwood exchanging passes before the winger scored his second try under the posts, converted by Jones. Five minutes later the visitors moved the ball wide within the Whitecraigs’ 22, stretching the home defensive cover, with Westwood finding space in the right corner to score an unconverted try, increasing County’s lead to 5-43.
The home side refused to give up and the hosts scored a consolation try in he left corner with three minutes of the match remaining.
County had the final say in the last minute, with a second try from Sinclair in the right- corner, which Jones converted from the touchline to give the Bridgehaugh men a thoroughly deserved fifty-point win.
Whitecraigs – Sam Adair, Conor Drummond, Philipus MarinusSnyman, Neil Alexander, Mathew McShane, Brandon Wamberg, Stuart Gormley; Ian Laidlaw (capt.), Graeme Wilson, Andrew Paterson, Sean Callaghan, Michael Christine, Archie Winnington-Ingram, Lewis Ramage, Stuart Pollock. Replacements: Callum Galbraith, Sundar Atwal, Charles Wagner, Stuart Henderson, Stuart Fisher.
Stirling County – Bruce Sorbie, Matt Lamb, Craig Pringle, Alex Black (capt.), Logan Trotter, Ross Jones, Matt Donaldson; Colin Hutton, Reyner Kennedy, Fergus Bradbury, Hamilton Burr, Adam Sinclair, Ruaridh Leishman, Shaun MacDonald, Harry Henderson. Replacements: Matt Emmison, Adam Wood, Douglas Westwood, David Montgomery, Logan Bonar. . Referee: Lee Fish. . The draw for the third round of the BT Cup will take place later this month, with ties scheduled to be played on January 28.
County return to BT Premiership action on Saturday December 3 when they visit third- placed Glasgow Hawks – kick-off at Old Anniesland is 3pm.