The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Grammar outmuscled by powerful Heriot’s in another loss
Winless run goes on but Duncan encouraged by display
but were let down by missed tackles, as thehome side scored five of its own.
The l o s s was hard enough to bear, but it was injuries to prop and captain Stuart Corsar and lock Stuart Smith that could be of long term worry for the side's future, though Duncan insisted the two would be in action soon.
He said: “We have had our share of injuries, but expect stand off Rob Aloe and winger Calum Anderson to be action by the middle of this month.
“Having players of their quality will be vital for us.”
The home side took the lead through Kevin Byrce try converted by Graham WilsonbeforeMurrayDouglas responded with one of his specials from a close in lineout.
Two tries from Struan Cessford and a gem from Colin Goudie gave the Goldenacre side a 17-5 lead at half-time.
An early touchdown from Grammar's stand out Tony McGinness gave the visitors a fighting chance, especially when stand off Alex Hagart kicked the conversion, but it was a second try from Goudie which paved the way for the home bonus point.
A losing bonus point beckoned when Erlend Oag nipped over for a try which replacement stand off Mark Ryan converted, only for Jason Hill's converted try to dash Aberdeen hopes.
The margin of the Edinburgh side's win may have been flattering, but the reality for the Rubislaw men is that it was a sixth defeat in seven outings.
However, encouragingly for Duncan's side, the three sides above them all lost. Aberdeenshire made it six wins in a row in pursuit of the Caledonia 1 title when they beat Ellon 28-6 at The Meadows.
Shire coach Eric Strachan said: “'We played well within ourselves, but were disrupted by the game going to uncontested scrums when Ellon ran out of front row players. It was, however, a good win. Our defence was solid. We played a controlled game, knowing we are capable of raising our game.
“Ellon threw everything at us, but we outmuscled them.''
Shire's two tries came from Barney Henderson and Rory Chalmers, while Gavin Cunningham kicked two conversions and four penalties. Ben Hickie scored a try for The Mead-