No second win of the season as Dundee High lose narrowly

With the first win of their Tennent’s National 1 campaign in the bag last week, Dundee High Rugby travelled to Meggetland with hopes of doubling that total against a Boroughmuir side sitting one place above them in the table and eight points ahead.

They were close for most of the game but, in the end, were unable to take revenge for the 38-20 defeat at Mayfield earlier in the season, although they were unlucky not to came away with at least a losing bonus after a 10-7 half-time margin grew to the 17-7 final score.

Tantalisingly close to getting something from the game, but the story of Dundee’s season so far.

In National 2 Kirkcaldy’s match at Greenock fell foul of the weather, but in National 3 Howe of Fife rattled in a 78-10 win against Caithness which now leaves them in fifth place in the table with only nine points separating the top five.

If Howe were to take maximum points from the two games they have in hand over Ardrossan, they could pass the current leaders.

Ian Aitken had 16 of Howe’s 26 first half points with two tries and three conversions, with Sean Murray and Sam Rowlands adding the other two, Hamish Coghill’s try the only Caithness score of the half.

It then became a bit of a rout as Howe romped in a half century after the break with a Fraser Allan hat-trick, a brace from James Lawrie and one each from Will Howley, Stuart Dawson and Jack Todd with Aitken adding to his tally with five conversions.

All credit to Caithness, they had the final word when Rhys Taylor crossed for the 14th try of the afternoon to double the score, bringing up a scoreline of 78-10.

When Strathmore travelled to Scremerston they ended up at the wrong end of a 21-10 scoreline against Berwick, then leaders of National 3, but hopes were high at Inchmacoble that they could turn that around.

They came so, so close to doing that and to lose by a try in the final play of the game which pinched the points and a try bonus for Berwick was as sore as a 24-23 defeat could be.

Jordan Lees put Strathie in front with a couple of penalties, and tries from Gaz Hill, Euan Thomson and Aidan Rosie converted by Jack Webster took Berwick into a 17-6 lead which was cut before half time by a Lees try and conversion.

Seven minutes into the second half Matt Russell’s try took Strathie into a one-point lead stretched to six points by Ian Reid’s strike on 60 minutes.

The home side held on for 20 minutes until the final play produced the heartbreak as Berwick No 10 Jack Webster went over for the try and slotted the winning conversion himself.

After such a huge effort against a side challenging for the title, a losing bonus was small compensation for Strathmore.

It was an unhappy end to the year for Perthshire, their trip to Lasswade ending up with not even a point on the board let alone one to count in the league.

The 64-0 win for the men at Hawthornden leaves Shire now sitting second bottom of the table with only Carrick below them.

Dundee High went down 17-7 away to Boroughmuir.