We drove down the M77 towards Irvine with a sense of foreboding. East Kilbride’s performances at Maress in recent seasons have been disappointing and last year’s loss by 3 points, a last minute penalty, defined the season for EK. Had it not been for that result EK would be playing in the SRU National Leagues now. Thankfully our sense of foreboding was relieved when Aiden Stott touched down for EK’s third try at the end of the first half making the score Irvine 7, EK 19 at the break.
A strong, cold westerly wind blew across the field as EK kicked off to get the game underway. During the opening minutes play was frantic as both sides attempted to gain an upper hand. The huge Irvine front row took an early control of the set piece driving the EK pack off the ball on their own (EK's) put in. The home side did not, however, take full advantage of this early superiority and it was EK that opened the scoring. With the Irvine no. 12 serving a 10-minute period in the bin for an illegal tackle that floored Roddy Beaton, Ian Brown crossed in the left corner 20 minutes into the half and Scott Shankie added the extra points. Irvine’s response was almost immediate. Sloppy defensive work on the part of EK gave the home side an opportunity to open their account and this they did with a converted try to level the scores. EK’s second try came on the 29th minute when Aiden Stott’s pace took him past the home defence to score on the right wing. 35 minutes into the game EK players and supporters hearts were in their mouths as Scott Shankie was helped from the field following a heavy hit from an Irvine defender. The scoring was not over and it was Aiden Stott who added to the EK score with his second try, scored in 35th minute of the half and converted by Grant Dryburgh.
EK entered the second half with a 12-point cushion to which they added a further 7 points almost immediately. The combination of Ian Brown and Aiden Stott set up a try for the latter in the first minute of the half. Scott Shankie, who had returned to the fray, added the conversion. Further tries put East Kilbride in a commanding position. The first of these was claimed by Evan Middleton, a player who has played well throughout the season with little reward. Evan’s try 6 minutes into the half came from attacking play sparked by a Roddy Beaton break. EK’s 6th try was claimed by Ian Brown after 17 minutes of the half. He completed a good break on the left to go round behind the posts giving Scott Shankie an easy conversion.
With the Irvine pack looking tired EK were, by this time, getting the upper hand in this department. Irvine had not given up and when EK conceded three penalties in succession on their (EK's) right wing the , Irvine no.8, a well-kent individual, barged over from a short penalty taken around 10 metres from the EK line. He repeated the feat five minutes later and the conversion brought the score to Irvine 19, EK 40. The loss of two scores with only 5 minutes of normal time remaining spurred EK into action. Ian Brown scored twice, the second converted by Grant Dryburgh, with similar runs down the left wing and Roddy Beaton rounded off the game with an unconverted try to make the final score Irvine 19, East Kilbride 57.
This was a good victory and one which, we hoped, laid to rest the bogey of Maress. During the first twenty-five minutes of the game the EK support feared that the demons of previous years might return to haunt them. Aiden Stott’s second try scored just before half-time helped to settle nerves and EK broke loose in the second half to produce a well-deserved victory. On the negative side EK could have defended better. The Irvine no. 8, who was undoubtedly their most valuable player, was given far too much room and too many penalties were conceded throughout the game. It was also a game that could have proved costly. Scott Shankie, Stuart Henderson, Alistair Marriott and Alex Irvine all had to leave the field. Thankfully Scott and Stuart both returned to the fray but we’ll have to wait and hope that the injuries to Alistair and Alex do not see them out of action for too long. Player of the match? This week it’s between the try scoring machines that are Aiden Stott and Ian Brown. For his work not only in scoring three tries but also for attacking and defensive play in mid-field the player of the match is Aiden Stott.
Team: Marriott, E. Beaton, McLellan, Rosie, McLean, Irvine, R. Beaton and Middleton. Ellison (C) and Henderson. Dryburgh, Shankie, Stott, Brown and Murray.
Replacements: Greenfield, Jaap, Dalgleish & Hagerty