Bell Tolls For Cumbernauld
An away day to Cumbernauld is never a great day out for Clydebank but
this week it was one to remember when the 1st XV returned with a precious
four points that gives them two wins from two and puts them second in the
league.
The weather was wet and miserable and the match was never going to be one
to write home about. Clydebank however, made the most of it and put in
a fine display of defensive rugby against the home team who were desperate
to win their first home match of the season.
Cumbernauld
had the early pressure even though the wind favoured Clydebank. The
early part of the match was played mostly in the Clydebank half with Clydebank defending well.
Several penalties were exchanged with Cumbernauld electing to kick for
touch or take the scrum rather than attempt a kick at goal, something they
would later regret.
Clydebank did manage some forays into the Cumbernauld half and were
rewarded with a penalty on the quarter hour mark. However, the kick went
wide and the match settled into a battle in the middle of the park.
Just
before the half hour Clydebank had another venture deep into Cumbernauld
territory when several kicks set up an attack close to the try line.
With the ball being recycled well it gave Clydebank an excellent
attacking opportunity which fell to David Bell who took a pass out to the
backs at pace, crashing through the Cumbernauld defence and scoring the try.
Cumbernauld had several more chances to attack the Clydebank line and
even the score but each attempt was absorbed by Clydebank and the first half
ended without any further score.
The second half saw the weather deteriorate, which did not help the
rugby. Cumbernauld tried to get back into the match early on but could
not penetrate the Clydebank defence which held strong.
Clydebank controlled the play just inside their own half and thwarted
anything Cumbernauld tried to throw at them.
A lone error by the Clydebank defence did see Cumbernauld charge towards
the line, only for the Cumbernauld player to fumble the ball just before the
try line and throw away the chance of an equalising score.
Cumbernauld did get a penalty soon after which this time they opted to
kick. The kick was good and the score was now 3-5.
It wasn't until the last minute that the match saw some real excitement
when Clydebank were holding out and attempting to count down the clock
before kicking the ball out of play to end the match. With seconds to
go, they attempted to take the ball on once too often leading to a penalty
for Cumbernauld for off-side. The kick was in range and Cumbernauld
obviously chose to kick and try to snatch a late winner.
The kick was missed but the referee let Cumbernauld try again when he
penalised a ten year old Clydebank supporter for shouting at the wrong time.
With the Clydebank support crestfallen, Cumbernauld kicked again but only
to miss a second time. The ball was then cleared to touch and the
match ended marking the first win at Cumbernauld for a very long time.
Team Photo
The 2nd XV had their first run out for the season when they welcomed
Allan Glens to Whitecrook in the first league match.
Recent experience had shown that Glens were a very good team and the
ensuing match was to reinforce that when they ran in ten tries to two to
take the match 10-67.
Clydebank took heart from fielding a team in the first match and the two
tries from Declan Coyle and Graeme Smart took the edge off the pain of
losing.
The U17 side, which was full of new young players, came up against a
stronger Uddingston team who ran in eight tries without reply to seal the
victory. Clydebank managed to improve as the match progressed and
definitely held their own in the physical exchanges that peppered the match.