S1 & S2
Fixture
List
S1 & S2 MATCH REPORTS
Livingston 16/11/03 Mixed fortunes for Ellon teams. Ellon RFC S1 and S2 squads traveled to Livingston on Sunday to play the host club as well as Ayr RFC. S1 Results Livingston 7 Ellon 30 Ellon proved far too strong for the host club. They dominated all areas of the game and Livingston found great difficulty in making any ground against a very well organised, and determined, Ellon side. Ellon were five tries to nil up at half time. To Livingston’s credit they maintained their composure and rallied in the second half and managed to score twice. Ellon reasserted themselves with 3 tries and finished the game in splendid fashion.
Try Scorers: Lee Adams 1, Michael Copland 3, Grant Fox 3, Jonathon Stalker 1. Conversions: Craig Catto 5. Ayr 33 Ellon 0 Having had full control of the previous game it came as tremendous shock to Ellon to find that Ayr could dominate the game so easily. The Ellon boys were caught napping and Ayr ran in 3 tries within the first 5 minutes. The Ellon team couldn’t get to grips with the determined running of the Ayr forwards and were fighting a losing battle trying to contain them. With Ellon throwing men in to plug the gaps in the forward line Ayr found plenty of space to go out wide and were scoring at will by half time and ran out having scored 23 points with no reply. Ellon came out with more determination for the second period and spent a lot of time in the Ayr half but their pressure had no reward. Ayr were restricted to only 3 more tries in the second period as Ellon began to show more of the form that they had in the first game.
Coach Phil Copland said, “Ellon worked very hard for their victory over Livingston and each member of the squad put in a tremendous effort. There were four P7 players in the team and they showed great determination and skill in what was a very fast and physical game. Ellon's driving and support play was delightful to watch and the wingers in particular were given numerous opportunities to run at the line. “ Ellon may have been too confident going into the second game and Ayr rocked them on their heels very early on. Ellon couldn’t pick up the pace again until after half time and it is a tribute to their character that they continued to compete even when so far behind”
S1 Squad from: Lee Adams, Iain Bass, Sylvester Cadger, Craig Catto (Captain), Michael Copland (P7), Kristopher Dey, Grant Fox, James Halmshaw (P7), Sean Marr (P7), Sam Mountain, Craig Peat (P7), Jonathon Stalker, Rory Yuill.
S2 Results Livingston 15 Ellon 6 In their last encounter Livingston ran up a cricket score against Ellon. It was a very determined Ellon side that took the field for this encounter. Ellon got off to the worst possible start as they gave away three scores almost immediately to breakaway runs by Livingston. Ellon regrouped and began to exert real pressure on the home side until half time. The second half was a great game to watch with Ellon players moving the ball quickly between forwards and out the back line in contrast to Livingston’s more measured play. Ellon matched Livingston try for try in the second half and the final score may not have reflected Ellons pressure in the end.
Scorers: Rory MacDonald 1, Kyle Adalsteinsson 1. Ayr 12 Ellon 6 Another enthralling game for the spectators. Both sides were well organised and play flowed up and down the field as each side probed for weaknesses. Ayr’s backs broke through twice to score in the first period with Ellon getting 1 in reply. The second half was a real scorcher and neither side could dominate. Ayr scored twice with Ellon replying with one try just on full time. The final score was a reflection of the fact that Ayr took their chances while Ellon couldn’t always convert pressure into points.
Scorers: Ali Rose 1, Kyle Adalsteinsson 1. “Two cracking games,” said Ellon coach Ian Cochrane. “I have nothing but praise for the boys' performance. They worked very hard against two good sides and if they had taken their chances we might have squeezed a result from either game." Coach John MacDonald agreed: “A good, workmanlike performance from a team troubled by injuries and absences. The boys showed great character to take the game to Livingston in particular given the recent heavy defeat at their hands. “All the teams played their hearts out today and it was very exciting to watch, however, I truly feel that we haven’t seen the best of the Ellon squad yet and I feel very optimistic about the rest of the season.”
Ellon S2 squad from: Kyle Adalsteinsson, James Caven, Scott Cochrane (Captain), Arran Eley, Ali Gossip, Benoit Giudicelli, Kyle Hutton, Troy Innes, Rory MacDonald, John McLean, Calum Redmond , Ali Rose, Billy Coupar.
Saturday 21st
September ELLON’S combined S1/S2 team
from the ERFC Junior Section played host to a team from Mackie,
Stonehaven, on Saturday. The game was played in three 20-minute periods
to allow the coaches to make changes to the teams as often as possible
in what is still the early part of the season. Ellon S1/S2 37 Mackie
14 Ellon gained possession straight
from the Mackie kick off and within two minutes, second row forward
Arran Browne had powered his way over the line past a floundering Mackie
defence to score the first points of the game. Full back Kyle Hutton was
unsuccessful with the conversion. As Mackie tried to find the pace of
the game the Ellon players gave them no respite with scrum half Danny
Copland skipping round two players to go over near the posts.
Hutton duly obliged with the conversion for his first ever points
with his boot. Ellon’s forward line of Ali Rose, Scott Cochrane and
hooker John Maclean put tremendous pressure on the visitors, securing
loose ball and winning scrums against the head. They gave Sam Jennings a
platform from which to launch a long mazy run past numerous Mackie
forwards before popping over between the posts to make Hutton's job of
conversion an easy one. Ricky Roy scored on the other wing and Browne
got his second of the period, which Hutton again converted. Mackie
hadn’t been in the game up until this point, and barely in the Ellon
half, but slack marking and a fast break allowed them in for their first
score, which was duly converted. The whistle saw Ellon go into the
change over 21 points to 4 ahead and apparently cruising. Injuries on the Mackie side saw
Ellon’s Scott Butler pull on a Mackie shirt to much good-natured
catcalling from his Ellon colleagues. Ellon started off at a gallop
again with Roy getting his second and Hutton proving that he scores
tries as well as converting them. Mackie's Ellon sub Scott Butler got
the last laugh as he drove his way over the line on one of Mackies rare
forays into the Ellon half. Ellon’s Ross Millar had joined the
forwards and, along with Calum Redmond and Ben Guillame, their power saw
Mackie denied any clean ball in the middle of the field. Kyle
Advalstiensson and Ian Westerman on the right side of the field were
making short work of snuffing out any potential Mackie break through
with good cover tackling. Hutton popped up again for his second try,
which he duly converted to take Ellon out 31 to 8 leaders. With many players in the Ellon
side substituted for the third period the game began to change markedly.
As the Gordon boys tired, Mackie began to find more space and time to
run at the Ellon defence. Arran Eley dived bravely for the line to open
the Ellon account again but Mackie replied almost immediately through
another Ellon substitute, Kevin Taylor, who showed a surprising turn of
speed to cross the line from a penalty tap 15m from the Ellon line.
Ellon new comers Troy Innes and John Stevens were being given plenty of
tackling practice now as Mackie upped the tempo as their team finally
began to link together. Scrum half Ali Gossip showed that he is back
with a bang, after his recent injury layoff, by scoring late in the
game. Mackie however had the last word as their very quick centre ran
round a tiring Ellon defence to complete the scoring on the stroke of
full time. Ellon Coaches John MacDonald and Derek Aitken announced themselves delighted with the result. “The boys were given a bit of a tough time at Garioch last week by a stronger side. However they have taken on board all the advice they were given during the week and the result was a squad that supported each other very well today and made best use of their advantages over Mackie,” said John. Derek Aitken agreed saying,
“The boys performed well and their individual work rates were very
high. It was this commitment that gave their opponents little time or
space to settle and allowed Ellon to largely dictate the play” Ellon Squad: Kyle Advalsteinsson, Arran Bower, Scott Butler, Scott Cochrane (Captain), Danny Copland. Arran Eley, Ali Gossip, Benoit Guillame, Sam Hemmings, Kyle Hutton, Troy Innes, Rory Macdonald, Ross Millar, John McLean, Ali Rose, Ricky Roy, John Stevens, Kevin Taylor, Ian Westerman. S1/S2
Gathering Meadows, Ellon 13/09/03 A
glorious day on Saturday saw the Ellon S1 and S2 squads in action for
the first time this season. ERFC hosted the first area club gathering
which brought in around 120 young players. These are intended to allow
local clubs to compete in an informal atmosphere where team sizes and
playing times can be altered to accommodate those participating. Since
none of the teams attending could form complete teams on their own it
was agreed that teams would combine to form 3 20-strong squads in each
age group. Ellon and Banff. Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen Wanderers and
Aboyne and Mackie formed the three squads. The intention was to play
single games of 20 minutes and for each squad to play each other twice
as time allowed. S2
RESULTS Ellon/
Banff 15 Aberdeenshire/ Aberdeen Wanderers 0
Combining with Banff, Ellon got off to a great start against the
Aberdeen-based duo. Ellon’s forwards continued the domination they had
enjoyed last season and the well established front row of Ali Rose, John
McLean and Scott Cochrane made sure that every scrum went Ellon’s way.
From this base the back line enjoyed a good supply of ball and it wasn’t
long before Banff’s Thomas Carmichael showed a clean pair of heels to
the opposing backs to score. James Caven, kicking into the wind,
successfully drop kicked for the conversion. The
forwards weren’t going to be left out of the action and a series of
driving runs saw Rose put on a burst of speed to get Ellon’s second.
Caven converted. The Aberdeen side were struggling to control the Buchan
boys and Ellon had a number of chances to score again before Kyle
Adalsteinsson took the ball wide to score in the corner after he had
outpaced the stretched defence. Rory McDonald, playing in the forwards
for the first time as a flanker, took a more direct route to the line
using his speed and power to break a number of tackles. Caven converted
to give him 3 out of 4 for the game Ellon/
Banff 13 Mackie/ Aboyne 0
Banff’s Carmichael had another super start to the game scoring almost
straight from the kick off and going over again within a few minutes
much to the dismay of a very rattled Mackie side. Caven missed the first
conversion but slotted home the second. The opponents gathered their
troops and began to take the game to the Buchan side. However Ellon were
stronger in all areas of play and Calum Redmond won almost every lineout
to keep the pressure on Mackie. Scrum half Ali Gossip was using the ball
cleverly and sniping down the blind side when an opportunity arose.
Number 8 Arran Browne showed his pace to outrun the defence having
tracked a good run by Arran Eley at full back. Caven again made sure of
the extra point. Gossip finished the scoring off for Ellon with a
typical opportunist try which saw him twisting past a number of players. Ellon/
Banff 15 Aberdeenshire/ Aberdeen Wanderers 3 Ellon
lined up against the Aberdeen boys for their second game after only a
short rest. Ross Fotheringham scored for the first time in an Ellon
shirt and Caven converted from a difficult angle to put the home side
ahead. Ellon let their concentration slip and Aberdeen took advantage of
some halfhearted tackling to score. The Ellon players took this as a
wake up call and set about re-establishing their lead. The Buchan
forwards again dominated the play and decided to take the game into
their own hands sending Browne and Rose over for a score apiece with
Caven stepping up to notch both conversions with ease. Browne again
popped up in support of a run by Danny Copland and his power put him in
for the last try of the game. Ellon/
Banff 19 Mackie/ Aboyne 0 It was
more of the same for the final Ellon game of the day. Mackie were
outplayed in all departments and the Buchan boys put over five tries for
no reply with Caven getting four out of the five conversions. S2
coach Ian Cochrane said: “It’s early in the season to make any
predictions but on this performance I would say that the Ellon boys are
obviously going to be a force to be reckoned with. I was particularly
pleased with the forward play as they dominated in every game.” Coach
John McDonald agreed, “The forwards certainly gave a good account of
themselves. The backs defended well as the single score against us
shows. The pace of some of the Ellon backs was quite startling and we
need to make more use of that where we can” S2
Squad: Kyle Adalsteinsson, Arran Browne, James Caven, Scott Cochrane
(Captain), Danny Copland. Arran Eley, Ross Fotheringham, Ali Gossip,
Benoit Giudicelli, Kyle Hutton, Rory McDonald, John McLean, Calum
Redmond, Ali Rose.
S1
RESULTS Due to
injury and non-availability it was a depleted Ellon side that took to
the field. Banff didn't travel with any S1 players and Ellon borrowed
players from other squads as available. Ellon
6 Aberdeenshire/ Aberdeen Wanderers 0 The
ad-hoc nature of the Ellon side showed initially as the Ellon boys tried
to sort themselves out under sustained pressure from the Aberdeen sides.
Ellon not only weathered the storm but began to take the game to their
opponents. It was Joe Senior who eventually burst clear close to the
line after Ellon had moved the ball steadily upfield in a series of pick
and go moves by various players. Rory Yuill put the game beyond the
visitors as he showed his ability to break tackles and go past players
with real pace to get the final score of the game. Neither score was
converted in what were blustery conditions. Ellon
0 Mackie/ Aboyne 3 A
single score for the visitors settled this stuffy game. Neither side
could get domination of the game but Ellon were frustrated on a number
of occasions by desperate defending. Mackie made the best of the chances
that they had and got the winner which, on balance, they deserved. Ellon
12 Aberdeenshire/ Aberdeen Wanderers 0 Ellon
came out smarting after their previous defeat and the Aberdeen sides
were shocked by the determination of the home side. Sylvester Cadger
showed that he has real pace when he scored Ellon’s first with a long
run from his own half and got the second soon after from an almost
identical move. Rory Yuill put the game beyond a rapidly tiring Aberdeen
side to score the third of the game. Ellon
Coach Jeff Mountain said " It was a great performance for the S1 boys.
Bearing in mind they were playing without some key boys they performed
really well and improved as the tournament went on. “It
was very encouraging that they could do so well this early in the
season." S1
Squad: Lee Adams, Sylvester Cadger, Craig Catto, Kristopher Dey, Andrew
Fraser, Chris Gay, Scott Mitchell, Joe Senior (Capt), Jonathan Stalker,
Darren Stephen, Billy Stoo, Rory Yuill. Ellon
coach and event organiser Phil Copland said: “It was a great day of
rugby for the Ellon club and all the visiting coaches were delighted to
see their boys playing competitive games so early in the season. Many of
them commented on the fine facilities at the Meadows and the catering
staff came in for particular praise for their handling of the feeding of
the 120 boys and coaches who attended. No one went away disappointed
either by the standard of play or the Ellon hospitality.”
Ellon’s S1 and S2 rugby players
achieved a 100% success rate at the weekend when they competed in the
SRU North District Tournament and took top placings in their respective
age groups to earn them a place in the next stage of the knock out
rounds for the annual SRU national event.
Both teams finished top of their
groups, a feat which brings them a home fixture for the first knock out
round on February 15. The top teams from that encounter then face
another knock out round the following week in order to win a place in
the national final at Murrayfield on March 28. The S1/S2 coaching
teams praised the level of play from both teams. The S2 team was
particularly strong on the day, with all team members playing a key role
in the overall success. The S1 team, handicapped by a shortage of
players were able to borrow two players from Aberdeenshire to make up
numbers but still managed to produce a winning performance despite the
change in the team’s construction. Special thanks go to the two
Aberdeenshire volunteers for their enthusiasm and support. As icing on the
cake, both Ellon teams won trophies as district champions at the
Elgin-based event. The S2 winning
route saw them win their first three games to progress to the semi-final
and then to the final. Scores and try scorers were as follows: Try scorers James
Caven 2, Arran Brown Try Scorers Kyle
Adalsteinsson 3, Scott Cochrane, Rory McDonald Try scorers Ali
Rose, Kyle Adalsteinsson, James Caven, Rory McDonald Semi Final; Try scorers Troy
Innes, Arran Brown, Arran Eley, Scott Cochrane Final; Scorers Kyle
Adalsteinsson, Ali Gossip, Ali Rose S2 Squad:
Mike Allan, Arran Browne, James Caven, Scott
Cochrane, Danny Copland, Arran Eley, Ali Gossip, Troy Innes, Rory
McDonald, John McLean, Calum Redmond, Ali Rose, Ricky Roy, Kyle
Adalsteinsson, Ben Giudicelli, Ross Fotheringham, Jamie Simpson, Kevin
McHugh, Billy Cooper S1 results and
try scorers were as follows: Scorers Rory Yuill,
Grant Fox, Sam Mountain Scorers Grant Fox,
Rory Yuill, Scorers Grant Fox,
Joe Senior Ellon 6
Aberdeenshire 0 Scorers Andrew
Fraser, Sylvester Cadger, Joe Senior, Grant Fox (2), Rory Yuill S1 squad: Lee Adams, Arran Bower,
Craig Catto, Sylvester Cadger, Kristopher Dey, Grant Fox, Andrew Fraser,
Sam Mountain, Joe Senior, Jonathon Stalker, Rory Yuill. |