Green Machine picks up the points
OBAN Lorne made the short trip to fellow Argyll rivals Helensburgh RFC on Saturday for the first meeting between the sides this season.
Both clubs have been struggling in BT West Division One this season and sit in 12th and 11th place in the league. The Green Machine have been improving since the start of the season, having put together a recent upturn of results and performances.
Saturday’s squad was a strong one despite the missing player/ coach Corrie Louw due to illness. Oban Lorne’s RBS National Bowl winning captain Robin MacQueen came out of retirement to start the game at prop, while there was also a start for centre Andrew Abraham returning to Oban to visit family. Lorne MacLachlan played his last game of the season on Saturday before starting a trip abroad.
It was the visitors who made a bright start to the game at Ardencaple with scrum half
Finlay Carmichael putting Oban ahead 3-0 with a well taken penalty.
Having gone a month without a game, Oban were looking a little rusty on occasion and were gifting the home side easy possession.
Helensburgh raced into a 12-3 lead with two tries against the run of play, one of which resulted from an intercepted pass from an Oban Lorne attack. Dominant
As the first half wore on, Oban’s scrum and forward play were becoming dominant. The front row of Robin MacQueen, Daniel Kemp and Tommy Sutherland were all having a great game allowing Lorne MacLachlan, Jack Baxter and Richard MacKay to have some good attacking runs.
From 12-3 down Oban led 12-13 at the break. Carmichael scored first with a well-taken try, followed by another good penalty attempt.
The second half was commanded well by Oban Lorne who maintained the majority of possession and territory thanks to their dominant set pieces. Iwan Rhys Roberts at stand off was orchestrating his back line well putting Andrew Abraham and captain Craig Wright into good attacking spaces.
Oban were rewarded with a try from man of the match Lorne MacLachlan and another Carmichael penalty that took the score to 23-12. The men in green pushed for a further try but were undone by a Helensburgh defence that proved hard to break down for the majority of the afternoon.
The gloss was taken off Oban Lorne’s crucial win in the last play of the game as another intercepted pass resulted in a try for the home side. Full-time 23-17 to Oban Lorne.
Saturday’s win lifts Oban Lorne into 10th place in the league, six points clear of Helensburgh who remain bottom of the table.
The Oban squad will look to build on Saturday’s win with two fixtures remaining of 2017.
The first is this Saturday away to second-placed Garnock, while they entertain thirdplaced Kilmarnock at Glencruitten on Saturday December 16.