P5
Fixture List
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Whitecraigs Friendly Tournament – 15-9-2002 ELLON Rugby Club Junior Section’s mini teams kicked off their new season at the weekend when they travelled to Whitecraigs in Glasgow for a friendly tournament against some of the most notable teams in the Glasgow area. Coaches
were anxious to see the results of the summer training programme and
with Ellon taking 10 wins from 12 matches they were not disappointed. “This was
a good result for us,” said Convener Jim Millar. “We had a lot of
new players of all age groups on the field during this tournament and
the performances we saw gave us an excellent boost for the remainder of
the season.
“Once
again we were fortunate that our supporters chose to follow the team on
its four-hour journey to Whitecraigs and as ever, the section would like
to The Ellon P5
team travelled to Glasgow for the first tournament of the season in
fairly confident mood. The boys had all played together in last year’s
P4 team reaching the semi-finals or finals in most competitions, and
training had gone well, but had they improved enough to cope with the P5
game? Only time would tell. Ellon 3
Glasgow Accies 1 This game was fairly scrappy at first until both
teams settled down to their own style of play. The Ellon team had been
practising with the forwards driving two or three times and then
releasing to the backs. This type of play led to the first try being
scored by David Millar following driving and support from Alick Ross and
Callum Cruickshank. Ellon then scored a second when D. Millar fed Keith
Esson who burst through and passed to Matthew Dalton who scored in the
corner. Glasgow Accies came back at Ellon and scored just before half
time. The start of the second half was fairly even as neither team could
take command of the game. With a few minutes to go Ellon wrapped it up
when Fraser Rodman picked up a loose ball and worked his way through to
score. Ellon
3 Dalziel 2 Ellon started very well in their second game, driving up the park right from the start to gain a scrum a few yards from the try line. They then won the scrum and worked a textbook move, passing the ball along the back line for Dalton to score in the corner. Dalziel came right at Ellon and through good support play from Jamie Cochrane and Ben Stubbs scored a try. Ellon then combined well driving forward, then passing on for D. Millar to score. Once again Dalziel worked their way up the park to score on halftime. These two evenly matched teams were well up for this game, each working well together going forward, and giving very little away in defence. With the time ticking away Ellon managed to create an opening for Dalton to score the winner.
Ellon 8
Whitecraigs 3 The P5 team had a 10-minute break and then was on against the hosts Whitecraigs. From the start Ellon worked a good passing move for Dalton to score. The P5s then went to sleep and let Whitecraigs score two very soft tries. Whitecraigs now had their tails up and Ellon had to work hard to get back into the game. From a loose ball Dalton burst through and ran almost the whole length of the pitch to equalise. Ellon then went back to the game plan of driving and supporting, which led to scores by D. Millar and Rodman. Although Whitecraigs managed to get one back, Ellon were now working very well as a team, driving, passing from the tackle, and supporting well. They scored another four from Ross (2), Hayden Millar and D. Millar. Overall
this was a very workman like performance from the whole team and things
look good for the season ahead. Well-done lads. The P5 Squad: Jamie Cochrane, Callum Cruickshank,
Matthew Dalton, Keith Esson, David Millar, Hayden Millar, Fraser Rodman,
Alick Ross, Ben Stubbs.
ONCE again
Ellon’s Mini Section found itself heading south at the weekend in
order to develop its skills against the big central belt teams. This
time it was a visit to the Section’s old friends and rivals, Stirling
County. And, as is becoming customary, our following of
supporters made the trip south to add their vocal support to those on
the pitches. The Primary 5 team travelled to Stirling with only
seven players, as three of the regulars were unable to travel.
Thankfully Callum Temple came back on Saturday for his first training
session of the season and fitted in well during the games on Sunday. We
also managed to get replacements from Stirling County. Ellon
3 Stirling County 3 Once again the first game of the day was fairly
scrappy and the ref. blew for every little mistake rather than let the
game flow. Stirling scored the first try when one of their backs ran
round everybody to score. At half time Ellon got reorganised and started
playing their running, supporting and passing game. The Ellon forwards,
Callum Cruickshank, Hayden Millar and Alick Ross rumbled on and then
passed to David Millar who scored. Ross then drove forward and passed to
D. Millar to score the second. The backs then decided to get into the
action. Callum Temple straightened up the attack, passed onto Esson,
then onto Ross who found that man D. Millar on his shoulder again who
went over to score his hat trick. After all their hard work Ellon took
their foot of the gas and forgot to defend, allowing Stirling’s speedy
backs to run round and score two tries to level the game on the final
whistle. Ellon 4 West
of Scotland 2 In the first half Ellon never really got going.
They were standing watching their teammates rather helping to them go
forward. Their defending was also sloppy and by halftime West had scored
two tries. At the break Coach Cruickshank read the riot attack and they
were a different team in the second half. Following some good pressure
play by the forwards D. Millar scored. He scored a second by running
hard and shrugging off three tackles. They now had the bit between the
teeth and were working well for one another. A good passing move
involving Ben Stubbs, Keith Esson and Ross sent D. Millar in for a try
again. West Came back and almost levelled it but Esson put in a try
saving tackle two metres from the line. D. Millar finished it off with
his fourth on the final whistle.
Ellon 1
Livingston 0 This was a tight game between two evenly matched
teams. Ross and Cruickshank were driving hard up through the middle, the
Millar brothers were putting breaks round the fringes while Stubbs,
Esson and Temple were working hard out wide. Despite all this Livingston
scored a try just before half time. Ellon came back hard after the break
and put Livingston under pressure. Ross scored from a solo effort
shaking of a number of tackles. “Overall it was a good day’s
work considering we only had seven Ellon players,” said Coach Andy
Cruickshank. “David Millar had an excellent afternoon scoring seven
out of the eight tries. It was disappointing to throw away the win
against Stirling County, and the team will have to play more
consistently if they are going to win any tournaments.” Primary 5
Squad: Callum Cruickshank, Keith Esson, David Millar, Hayden Millar,
Alick Ross, Ben Stubbs, Callum Temple. Ellon Friendly Tournament- 29-09-02 FOR once, Ellon RFC’s Mini Section found
themselves on home ground last weekend when they hosted a friendly
tournament which brought in around 200 young players from Ellon,
Stirling, Howe of Fife, Aberdeen Wanderers and Aberdeen Grammar. Great weather coupled with a high standard of
play on the field produced a great day of sport at an event which proved
that Rugby is alive and kicking in Ellon. “The Ellon
supporters were out in force as usual and proved no less vocal in their
support on home ground. Many new voices swelled the ranks this week and
our thanks go to everyone who came down to support us,” said Convener
Jim Millar. The Ellon P5 Team went into this tournament with
a record for the season of 4 wins and 2 draws and so were desperate to
win all their games when they were playing on home soil. Ellon 18 Howe of Fife 0 The P5 Team got off to an excellent start against
a weaker team. They used their tactics of running hard, supporting the
man with the ball, and passing out of the tackle to very good effect.
The whole team were playing their part and by half-time had scored 10
tries through Fraser Rodman (5), David Millar (2), Alick Ross, Keith
Esson and Ben Stubbs. It would have been easy to ease off the pressure
in the second half but the boys knew they would have harder games later
and felt it was better to stay focused. They scored a further 8 after
the break through Rodman (4), Ross (2), Jamie Cochrane and Callum
Cruickshank. All credit to Howe, they never let the heads go down and
almost made it to the Ellon line, only to be stopped by a determined
Ellon Team. Ellon 4 Grammar 1 The games against Grammar are always close and
this one was to be no different. Both teams were working hard to gain
some advantage, with little being given. Grammar was first to score when
Ellon failed to stop a forward bursting through. Ellon came back and put
the pressure on, bursting through and passing for Rodman to score. Into
the second half the P5s kept the work rate up and from the base of a
ruck, Millar made a burst for the corner to score. Grammar was still
causing problems but the Ellon team was working well together to stop
them doing any real damage. From a good driving, passing move, involving
forwards and backs Millar scored again. Grammar came back again
determined not to let their local rivals beat them, but they met a team
who were now working together like a well oiled machine. Rodman finished off the game with one of his
trademark, hard weaving runs, brushing off a number of tackles to score. Ellon 4 Stirling County 0 This was the return leg of last week’s game which
finished as a 3 - 3 draw. Ellon took a few minutes to get into their
stride again and almost let Stirling score, but managed to push the
player into touch. The forwards drove up field then Cochrane released
Dalton who raced up the wing to score in the corner. Stirling came back
again and was making the Ellon defence work hard. The P5s worked a move
from the training pitch, which worked a treat. From a tap on right side,
Millar fed Ross who looked as if he was going to drive into the
opposition only to pass to Rodman who burst through the Stirling line
and run most of the length of the pitch to score. Ross then gathered the
ball from a ruck and put in an excellent run to make it 3. In the second
half Stirling were still making the P5 team work hard. Cruickshank made
a good burst, breaking through a tackle on the line and looked as though
he had scored only for the ref. to wave play on. Cochrane finished off
the day, collecting a pass and braking through to score. A delighted coach Andy Cruickshank said this was
an excellent team effort with every member playing his part. It just
shows what these young lads can do when they play consistently hard for
the whole of a game. Fraser Rodman must get a special mention for
scoring 13 tries in one afternoon, but just as important, the P5s only
let one try past them. Primary 5 Squad: Jamie Cochrane, Callum
Cruickshank, Matthew Dalton, Keith Esson, David Millar, Fraser Rodman,
Alick Ross, Ben Stubbs. West Friendly- 03-11-02 YOUNG rugby players from Ellon swept the boards
at the weekend when they took part in a friendly tournament at the West
of Scotland ground in Glasgow. In what was one of the most successful outings
ever, four teams of mini players from the ERFC Junior Section won all 12
games in which they competed, scoring a total of 84 tries compared to
only 10 tries scored against them. Convener Jim Millar said players, coaches and
supporters alike had been delighted with the outcome of the day which
saw Ellon play against Helensburgh and Marr College as well as the host
team West of Scotland. “We went down with high hopes but this beat all
expectations,” he said. “I would like to congratulate the boys on their
performance; they did a great job, played really well throughout the day
and thoroughly deserved their success.” Ellon 11 Marr 1 Right from the start Ellon put Marr under
pressure and forced them back into their own half. Ellon then got a
penalty and Fraser Rodman scored following a series of driving runs and
passes. Rodman then made a probing run and passed on to Keith Esson to
score. The forwards got in on the act and a series of passes by Callum
Cruickshank and Esson released Alick Ross to score. Marr then decided to
come back into the game and after some good passes broke through to
score a try. This only sparked the P5s into a higher work rate which led
to Jamie Cochrane scoring. Cochrane then passed to David Millar from a
scrum on the left side and the ball went from there to Rodman to Matthew
Dalton who scored in the corner. Dalton finished off the half by making
a mazy run and scoring. In the second half they continued their good
running, supporting and passing to score another five tries from
Cochrane, D. Millar, Ross and two by Jordan Ferguson on his first day
with the team. Ellon 10 Helensburgh 1 This was the first time that the P5 team have
played Helensburgh and so they were an unknown quantity. The Ellon team
were soon on track, closing them down, tackling well and gaining the
ball and then using it well. Cruickshank burst through some weak
tackling and then passed to Dalton to score. The forwards and backs were
linking well and D. Millar fed Ross to drive over. Hayden Millar then
passed to Dalton midway in his own half who took off on a Dalton dash to
score. From another good driving and passing move Cochrane scored.
Helensburgh were always coming back at Ellon but did not have the same
support play as Ellon. Ben Stubbs got a pass from D. Millar, broke a
tackle and scored. The forwards then worked a move for Cruickshank to
score. Right on half time a Helensburgh back jinked his way through to
score. The second half was a continuation of the first with Ellon in
control and driving and supporting well to score tries through Rodman
(2), Cochrane and Dalton. Ellon 6 West of Scotland 4 Ellon beat West in their two previous encounters
this season, but both were fairly close games. West was on home
territory this time and were more determined to win. Ellon went at it right from the start and from a
good driving move by Cruickshank and Ross, sent Esson over. West came
right back and made an excellent run to score. Ellon went back to their
driving and supporting play and Ross passed to Rodman to score. Both
teams were now working hard and giving nothing away. Stubbs then picked
up a lose ball, broke two tackles and scored. Into the second half and West were applying the
pressure first and scored. The Ellon forwards went back into the action
and ground their way up the park, Cochrane then fed to D. Millar who
passed to Stubbs to score in the corner. A West back then got the ball and jinked through
three or four tackles to score. Working as a unit, Ellon took the ball over the
gain line, making their way up the park, for D. Millar to drive over.
The backs then passed well and made space for Rodman to score. West was
not finished yet and came back to score one more PRIMARY 5 team: Jamie Cochrane, Callum
Cruickshank, Matthew Dalton, Keith Esson, Jordan Ferguson, David Millar,
Hayden Millar, Fraser Rodman, Alick Ross, Ben Stubbs.
Stewart Melville, Edinburgh Friendly Tournament – 02-03-03
After a long winter break enforced by weather conditions, players from
the Primary 4 to Primary 7 squads of ERFC’s junior section took to the
road again when they traveled to the Stewart Melville grounds in
Edinburgh at the weekend to take part in a friendly tournament.
The teams had taken part in a successful friendly training tournament
with local teams from Aberdeen Grammar, Moray and Mackie, at Ellon, the
preceding weekend. Not only was the day good fun for the participants
but it provided a chance to strengthen relationships with other clubs.
It also provided Ellon’s first challenge since November and they were
keen to continue their match play experience at Edinburgh prior to their
all-important home tournament this weekend.
Ellon 0 Biggar 0
This was a rather scrappy game with neither team able to get the upper
hand mainly due to the many knock ons or mistakes. The Ellon team was
also making too many sideways runs rather than going straight forward.
One passage of play, which lasted three or four minutes, went from
touchline to the other four or five times but only went ten yards
forward. In the second half things did improve and both Ben Stubbs and
Jamie Cochrane almost made it to the line but were held. The boys were
putting in a lot of effort, tackling hard and making breaks forward, but
not working together as a team as well as they can do.
Ellon 4 Stewart Melville B 1
The P5
Team went into this game determined to try and get some points on the
board. They started fairly well and from a good driving move Captain
Rodman passed onto Ross who made good ground, for Cochrane to collect
the ball and score. Moving from a penalty, Cruickshank ran forward and
passed to Ross who burst through two tackles and fed Esson who scored.
The team was playing better but there was still too much running
sideways to try and find space. Then Alick Ross got the ball and ran
straight through to score. The Ellon boys went to sleep and let Stew Mel
get one back. The P5s then got back into gear and from series of drives
and passes Rodman ran for the corner and scored. Stew Mel were not
finished yet and almost managed to score but for a Rodman tackle.
Ellon 0 Stewart Melville A 6
The Ellon P5 Team now faced the A team and knew they would have to work
even harder to compete with them. Right from the start Ellon was under
pressure from a larger and well organised team. Although they worked
hard they did not seem to have enough men to tackle them and were down 2
– 0 at half time. At the start of the second half the boys really got
the bit between their teeth and managed to drive their way to within
eight yards of the line only to lose the ball and watch Stew Mel work
the ball to their speedy winger who scored. The P5s got up, dusted
themselves off and tried again. Some good work by David Millar, Rodman,
Ross, Esson and Dalton took them even closer to the try line only for
Stew Mel to snatch the ball again and run the length of the pitch and
score. The boys lost heart after that. They never gave up but Stewart
Melville managed to score another two tries.
Ellon 5 Stirling County 3
The P5 Team was feeling a bit down having lost the last game but went on
to face Stirling, a team they have not lost to this season. Ellon soon
settled into their game and Keith Esson burst through the defence to
score. Stirling came right back and scored. Then Esson collected the
ball from Martin Giudicelli near his own tryline, went off on a mazy run
(we wondered where he was going), and scored. Once again Stirling broke
through some weak tackling to score. Into the second half the P5s
decided to play the game the way they are meant to. Ross drove forward,
Rodman then took it on and fed Esson who managed to drive over the line,
despite two defenders, and score. Stirling came back again but Ellon
managed to get the ball. Hayden Millar broke from near his own line and
passed to brother David who ran on and passed to Ross, then onto Rodman
and onto Dalton who came in off his wing and scored. The forwards then
worked together to push Ross over the line to score. Stirling was not
finished though and finished a good passing move with a try.
PRIMARY 5 team: Jamie Cochrane, Callum Cruickshank, Matthew Dalton,
Keith Esson, Martin Giudicelli, David Millar, Hayden Millar, Fraser
Rodman, Alick Ross, Ben Stubbs.
Ellon Tournament –
9-3-03 The Primary 4 and 6
teams from ERFC’s Junior Section emerged triumphant at the weekend after
taking top placing in their Home Tournament at Ellon Meadows. The Primary 5 and 7
teams also made their mark when both won through to the semi-finals in
their age groups. More than 350 young
players from 10clubs took part in the Tournament, which is the highlight
of the ERFC Junior Section calendar. The event attracted some of the
best teams in Scotland with clubs from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling,
Ayr, Fife, Livingston, Musselburgh and Aberdeen joining the home club. The standard of rugby
at all ages was outstanding with players aged from eight to 12
demonstrating the skills and talent which will undoubtedly see many of
them called to join national teams in the future. Tournament organiser,
Derek Fraser said that the success of the event had been down to
teamwork. “I’d like to thank all
the coaches, parents and supporters for their help both prior to the
event and on the day itself. The reward for all their hard work was an
event, which ran smoothly off the field and the chance to watch some top
class rugby on the field. “I’d particularly like
to thank all our local players who took part in the tournament. They put
heart and soul into what they were doing and two winners and two
semi-finalists was an excellent result for Ellon. They faced some very
tough opposition and they proved that they were up to the challenge and
consolidated Ellon’s position as one of the best junior and mini
sections in the North of Scotland.” Ellon 4 West of
Scotland 2 The P5s settled into
their game fairly quickly and started driving forward and feeding the
backs. From an early drive by forwards Callum Cruickshank and Keith
Esson, Alick Ross went over for a try. West were not going to let Ellon
have it all their own way and were back probing at the Ellon defence
until they found a space and burst through to score. Ellon went into the
lead again when, after winning a scrum, a pass from Jamie Cochrane to
David Millar to Fraser Rodman to winger Matthew Dalton resulted in a
score. The P5s then scored a third with the whole team involved in the
build up to release Esson to go over. Ellon were playing well going
forward but looked a little erratic when defending and West was not
giving up. From another burst up field Rodman ran in to score. The P5s
then went to sleep and allowed West to finish the game with their
second.
All the teams in the P5s
league had now won one and lost one so the Ellon team knew that if they
were to progress to the semi-finals they had to win this game. They got
off to a great start and through some good running and support play
Jordan Ferguson was released to score in the corner. From a loose ball
Esson then burst for the line, breaking two tackles to score. Livingston
was not just here to make up numbers and came back and scored two tries.
In the second half the Ellon team was more determined and took the game
to Livingston. Cruickshank and Millar drove on then passed to Ross who
scored. Cruickshank then collected a loose ball and burst through only
to be stopped short of the line. The backs then got into the act; Rodman
passed to Millar who had to quickly pass onto Dalton who dashed over the
line. Livingston finished the scoring on the final whistle. This was a
much better team performance and hopefully the team would use the same
skills in the semi-final.
Coach Andy Cruickshank said
the boys had worked hard and if they had played against Stirling as they
had against Livingston it might have been a closer game. They must learn
to play more as a team, and help one another. A special word of thanks
must go to Alick Ross and Ben Stubbs who were both struggling with colds
but were determined to play for the team.
Primary 5 team: Jamie
Cochrane, Callum Cruickshank, Matthew Dalton, Keith Esson, Jordan
Ferguson, David Millar, Niall Murray, Fraser Rodman, Alick Ross, Ben
Stubbs. Forresters Tournament- 16-03-03 Edinburgh Ellon’s young rugby players were among the
silverware again last weekend after the Primary 4 and Primary 7 teams
both picked up runners-up medals at the annual Forresters’ tournament in
Edinburgh. The Primary 5 and 6 teams also distinguished
themselves by winning their leagues to gain places in the 3-4 playoffs. The Ellon P5 team travelled to Edinburgh in fairly
confident mood. They had shown steady improvement over the last two
weeks and some of the weaknesses had been ironed out at training. The
target was to get through to the final. Ellon 1 Watsonians 2 The boys came straight off the bus and had only a
quick warm up before the first game. Unfortunately they did not have
their rugby heads on and were not quite up to speed. They started well
and took the game to Watsonians. Forwards Alick Ross, David Millar and
Keith Esson drove up the field, and almost made it over the line, but
managed to present the ball back for Ben Stubbs to collect and score.
The P5s then let Watsonians back into the game, but managed to keep them
out until half time. In the second half Ellon made some good breaks, but
the support was not there on time and they lost the ball. Watsonians
managed twice to break through some weak defending to score. It had been
a close game and one which would have been winnable had the P5s had a
little more preparation time. Ellon 4 Linlithgow 0 The P5 team went into this game a little subdued
following their defeat, but determined to do better. Within a short time
they were getting into their pattern of play, making good breaks and
supporting the ball carrier. Fraser Rodman made a break and passed to D
Millar who took it on and then passed to Stubbs who scored. From a
penalty Esson broke through a space and fed Rodman who burst through two
tackles to score. The Ellon boys now had their tails up and keen for
more. Martin Giudicelli made a break and passed to Callum Cruickshank
who made good ground, but was tackled and passed to Jamie Cochrane, who
put in a long pass to Jordan Ferguson who ran half the length of the
pitch to score. Ellon then finished the scoring from a move started by D
Millar who passed to Esson then onto Ferguson to touch down in the
corner. Ellon 4 Currie 0 This started a much closer game with both teams
working hard to gain ground, and giving little away. Eventually the
Ellon forwards worked well together to drive through and recycle the
ball for Cochrane to feed Rodman who scored. Into the second half Ellon
were under pressure deep in their own half until Hayden Millar passed to
Ferguson who went off on a mazy run to within 10 metres of the try line
and passed to D Millar who broke through to score. Ellon were now
putting Currie under pressure, and Esson forced a Currie player to make
a bad pass which Rodman collected and ran into score. The forwards
worked well with D Millar driving forward, Ross recycling the ball to
Esson who burst over the line to finish the scoring. This had been a
much better game with the boys putting some of the things they had been
working on in training into practice. Ellon 5 Boroughmuir 3 As we had lost our first game we were through so
the 3rd/4th place play off against Boroughmuir.
Right from the start Ellon was under pressure from the Boroughmuir
backs, two of them were very difficult to catch, and they scored first.
The Ellon backs decided to copy and Cruickshank and Rodman linked to
free Ferguson who scored. Esson then picked a loose ball and burst
through to score. Boroughmuir once more passed to their back who ran
round several tackles to score. Ellon were working well going forward
and D Millar found a space and drove through to score. Into the second
half Boroughmuir once more broke through and were awarded a penalty try
as the wee lad was tackled high in a desperate attempt to stop him
scoring. The game was now very tight with teams believing they could win
it. Ferguson made a tremendous tackle to stop Boroughmuir scoring again.
The Ellon forwards then drove forward and Rodman collected the ball and
drove over to score. D Millar finished things by bursting into space and
then releasing Rodman who ran into score. Coach Andy Cruickshank said: “It was disappointing
to start with the loss and if we had played Watsonians later in the day
I think we would have beaten and gone into the final. The boys are
working hard and improving with each week. If they keep this up we
should be in with a shout for some silverware soon.” Primary 5 team: Jamie Cochrane, Callum Cruickshank,
Keith Esson, Jordan Ferguson, Martin Giudicelli, David Millar, Hayden
Millar, Fraser Rodman, Alick Ross, Ben Stubbs Howe of Fife Tournament – 30/03/03 Ellon’s Primary 7 team was among the silverware for
the second week in a row when they took the runners’ up awards at the
Howe of Fife tournament last weekend. It was a well-deserved victory
with each member of the team playing consistently well throughout the
tournament and maintaining his determination to never give up. Teams from Primaries 4 to 6 also performed well as
they took on teams from Perthshire, St Andrews, Edinburgh and
Dunfermline as well as the Cupar-based home club. Ellon 6 Howe of Fife 1 The P5 team started well and soon got into a good
rhythm of running hard, supporting and passing on to the next man.
Callum Cruickshank made a good break and burst for the line, only to be
caught, but Jamie Cochrane, who was on his shoulder, caught the pass and
scored. Alick Ross then broke from a maul and passed to Jordan Fergusson
who sped over the line to score. David Millar then found space and broke
through to feed Fergusson who scored. Ross then made another drive up
field and passed to Keith Esson who went over to score. Ellon then went
to sleep and allowed Howe to break through the middle to score. The P5s
then got back into the groove and scored two more tries from Fraser
Rodman and Millar The P5 team had a short rest and were back on again
and from a good run by Ross, Esson broke through to score. Perthshire
came right back and equalised. Ben Stubbs then took on the ball and
passed to Rodman who beat three defenders to score. From a good passing
move, which involved most of the team, Fergusson scored. In the second
half Ellon continued to break through, support and pass well to score
five more tries by Millar (2), Cochrane, Rodman and Ross. This was a
good team performance, but they knew that there would be harder games. Again the P5 team had only a short break before
going up against Currie who they beat for the first time two weeks ago.
Currie opened the scoring with a good passing move and broke through
some weak tackling to score. Ellon came straight back and from good
driving from Millar and Ross, Martin Giudicelli passed to Rodman who
burst over the line to score. Currie then scored two tries by breaking
through some weak tackling and supporting the man with the ball. Into
the second half and from an excellent run by Millar, Esson scored.
Currie then scored another. The P5s were determined to get back into
this game and worked hard to make ground, but they were trying to do it
individually rather than as a team. Too often they would break through a
couple of tackles and then get caught, but the support was not there in
time and they lost the ball, which Currie would then run straight back
at us and score. Ellon 2 Dunfermline 8 The P5s then played their fourth game on the trot,
this time against Dunfermline, a team they have not played this season.
Very quickly it was clear that they were a well-drilled side and soon
were two in front. The P5s were maybe tired but they were not going to
give up yet and from a loose ball Matthew Dalton ran through to score.
Ellon tried everything they could but the pressure from Dunfermline was
high and they soon scored another two. Again the P5s were trying to
things by themselves rather than as a team, in defence their tackling
was poor, and Dunfermline managed another four. Ellon never gave up and
had the final score when Rodman finished off a pass from Ross. Ellon 3 Madras 3 They boys were now tired but had a 20-minute break
before their final game against Madras. The first half was a comedy of
errors with neither team able to score. Into the second half Madras
opened the scoring. Captain Rodman levelled the score by driving on
taking three defenders with him but managing touch down. Madras went
ahead when they broke through the Ellon line. Rodman again made a burst
through and passed to Millar who scored. Ellon then went into the lead
when most of the team combined pass and support for Esson to score.
Unfortunately the P5s could not hold onto their lead and let Madras in
to score again on the final whistle. Primary 5 team:
Jamie Cochrane, Callum Cruickshank, Matthew Dalton, Keith Esson, Jordan
Fergusson, Martin Giudicelli, David Millar, Fraser Rodman, Alick Ross,
Ben Stubbs.
Stewart’s Melville Friendly Tournament 13-9-2003
Ellon’s young rugby players kicked off their new season in good form at
the weekend, when a bus load of youngsters from the Junior Section’s
P4-P7 squads travelled to the Stewart’s Melville grounds in Edinburgh to
compete against four other clubs. It
was a particular learning experience for the P4 and P5 teams who were
playing for the first time to new SRU guidelines. The new format
sees these younger squads now play six-a-side rather than eight-a-side
teams in games which encourage players to make more use of available
space and to pass out from tackles to keep the play flowing. Ellon
9 Watson’s Warriors 1 Ellon
got the new season off to a flying start with the first try of the new
season coming from Blair Fraser with a fantastic run in from the half
way line. Some missed tackles let Watson’s back into the match at 1-1.
This seemed to wake the boys up. From this point on they stepped up a
gear with some ferocious tackling and clinical finishing. Ellon ran out
easy winners with scores from David Taylor, Alistair Addy, Scott
Tennant (2), Hamish Dalgarno (2) and a further two from B Fraser. Ellon
4 Marr 4 Both
teams took to the field knowing this would be a hard fought contest
after three close games last season.
Straight from the off, Ellon pushed forward and they were soon rewarded
for their efforts with a double from Addy. Marr then fought back and put
Ellon under immense pressure but the Ellon boys’ nerve held to keep them
at bay with some hard tackling. This led to Blair Fraser having to be
substituted through injury. Allowing Mathew Fraser to come on and make
his debut for Ellon. Marr managed to pull one back just before half
time. Ellon
started the second half in true style, some fantastic recycling of the
ball allowing Dalgarno to score in the corner. Ellon then let Marr back
into the match with some missed tackles letting them score three easy
tries. Injuries were taking their toll with Tennant having to go off.
With Ellon only having one replacement, Bradley Fraser stepped in from
the P4 squad and easily coped with the step up in age group with him
setting up Dalgarno to score the equalising try. Ellon
4 Heriots 2 Ellon
took the ball into Heriots half and this was where it was to remain for
most of the half although some last ditch tackling from Heriots managed
to keep Ellon out. However with Heriots in possession five metres from
their own line Taylor produced a big tackle and B Fraser managed to
pickup the loose ball and dive through and score. The second halve was
the same story with Ellon keeping up the pressure with further scores
from Dalgarno (2) and Addy. After this Ellon began to coast and let
Heriots in to score two tries. Ellon 4
Stewart’s Melville 3 Ellon
had just played three games on the trot and had only a 10-minute break
before the start of this match. The tiredness began to show with the
team losing their shape and letting Stewart’s Melville have more of the
ball than they should have. Some superb link up play between Addy, B
Fraser and Dalgarno split the home side’s defence wide open for Dalgarno
and Addy to score a try apiece. Sloppy defending and ball watching let
Stew Mel score tries either side of the break. The boys were keen to
finish off on a high and B. Fraser used his speed with a great swerving
run to carve the defence open before unselfishly passing to a supporting
Addy just before crossing the line to score. Halmshaw came across from
the right side and passed to Dalgarno who added another with a speedy
run down the left wing to put the result beyond doubt. Stewart’s
Melville managed to score just before the end.
Primary 5 team: Alistair Addy, Hamish Dalgarno, Blair Fraser, Matthew
Fraser, Stephen Halmshaw, David Taylor, Scott Tennant
Stirling Friendly Tournament-
28-09-03 ELLON’S
young rugby players had their second set of encounters of the season
when the Primary 4 to 7 squads travelled to Stirling to take part in a
friendly tourney against three other clubs. Depleted numbers
meant that some Ellon teams were short on numbers but the host side,
which has a very strong junior section, lent out some of its players
which gave all the sides the chance of some good mixed team training. It was a
particularly successful day for the Primary 4 team which won all of its
games. Ellon
started well with some strong offensive runs from Alistair Addy and
Hamish Dalgarno, both players seemed determined to stamp their authority
on this fixture and Ellon was soon ahead with a fine solo run from
Dalgarno. Blair Fraser worked tirelessly in the “loose” and his tenacity
paid off when Addy collected a fine pass from David Taylor who had
supported Fraser during some fine attacking play. The next try was a
textbook effort culminating in Fraser crashing through the tackle to
score Ellon’s third. Stirling
were aware of Ellon’s moves and capitalising on some sloppy tackling
almost snuck in in the corner, only some fine shadowing in defence by
Stephen Halmshaw kept the Stirling players form scoring. Ellon’s fourth
try was soon on the scoreboard with Scott Tennant speeding down the wing
to score. Matthew Fraser replaced Halmshaw late in the game and put in a
sterling performance, providing greatly needed support to the rampaging
Ellon team who quickly finished Stirling off with a brace of hard worked
tries from Addy and Tennant. Ellon
5 Stirling B 3 This
Stirling team was a totally different prospect to the previous one and
they were soon in command. Again Ellon’s lack of concentration let them
down and the boys turned round at half time losing three tries to one.
The second half however was to prove a watershed for the team as they
dug deep and the tackle count increased – Halmshaw and Taylor’s hard
work at training was paying off and both players upped their game to
halt the Stirling players from going further ahead. Ellon had cut down
Stirling’s lead and thanks to a try apiece from Dalgarno and Tennant
were now on level terms – could they go on to steal a win? Fraser’s
hard tackling was beginning to dampen Stirling’s spirits and Addy and
Tennant stole in at the end to earn Ellon a fine and well deserved
victory. After
the previous two games it was decided to give Ellon’s new recruits -
Matthew Fraser and Cameron Harris an opportunity to play in their first
full game. Both boys performed well, with Matthew scoring his first try
for the team, quickly followed by his second. Harris took to the pitch
for the first time ever made an impressive debut. He absorbed the early
onslaught from Linlithgow and his confidence grew as each minute passed. Taylor
was also relishing the chance to get his name on the score sheet, which
he did – twice! The game was scrappy affair but Ellon’s class shone
through in the end and the boys notched up their third win of the day. Ellon
was well aware that Stirling had a large pool of players – they were not
however aware of the quality of the players. Stirling was very well
organised and were soon into a 2 – 0 lead which they held until half
time. Ellon
tried their best to contain the pressure form Stirling and big tackles
from both Dalgarno and B Fraser kept the home team from overhauling the
Ellon side. Stirling upped the ante and fired in three quick tries in
succession. The boys gritted their teeth and dug deep with the boys
scoring two consolation tries well taken Dalgarno and Addy. Primary
5 Team: Alistair Addy, Hamish Dalgarno, Blair Fraser, Matthew Fraser,
Stephen Halmshaw, Cameron Harris, David Taylor, Scott Tennant.
Glasgow Accies Tournament
05.10.03 Ellon’s
youngest rugby team have kickstarted their season in great style when
they returned home from their first tournament of the season bearing the
winner’s trophy. This is
the second year in succession that a Primary 4 team from Ellon has taken
top place in the Glasgow Accies Tournament. This year it was presented
by Glasgow Rugby's Rory Kerr. Last year’s P4 winners – the new Primary 5
– also racked up a success when they took the runners up placing in
their age group this year. And
while the Primary 4 to 7 squads were playing in Glasgow, for the first
time in recent history, the weekend saw all roads lead south as Ellon’s
other young teams also headed to the Central Belt – the S1 and 2 to
Edinburgh and the Under 16s to Dunfermline. Ellon
0 North Berwick 6 Ellon
got off to a slow start in this game and a fumble from Ellon straight
from the tap start led to North Berwick scoring. Ellon could not get
into the game in the first half and for every tackle the Ellon boys
made, there was someone From North Berwick to take the pass and Ellon
went into half time four down. Ellon
had more of the ball in the second half but the Berwick defence was
superb and left the Ellon boys with nowhere to go and often isolated.
Towards the end of the match the Ellon boys began to tire and Berwick
scored 2 more tries. Ellon
8 West of Scotland 1 Ellon
took to the field in a very determined mood and anxious to regain their
honour. Within two minutes, Ellon scored after moving the ball from
David Taylor on one side of the pitch to Ali Addy on the other in a
performance beyond their years. Not one pass was missed, setting up a
try, which stunned West of Scotland. They tried to come back, but Ellon
stopped each attack with some aggressive tackling, with Matthew Dalton
throwing himself into a try saving tackle. Ellon started to show what
they were made of with some fantastic tackling and then being first onto
the loose ball passing out to supporting players. These lead to further
tries by Addy (2) and Blair Fraser. Ellon
briefly dropped their guard in the second half, allowing West to score
one try, but all this did was make them more determined to come back.
The team fought every step of the way against a dogged defence, but
their perseverance paid off with four further tries from Taylor (2), B.
Fraser and Scott Tennant. Ellon
9 Glasgow Accies B 0 A lack
of organization saw the Glasgow team rapidly taken apart by the
disciplined Ellon squad. Bunching by Accies left huge gaps in the
defence. Matthew Taylor was the first Ellon player to break away,
making a superb pass to Addy as he was brought down on the half way line
who then found himself in open space and left the defence in his wake as
he used his speed to the score the try. Addy followed up his score with
another two. Ellon now seemed to be scoring at will with sublime
interlinking play from all players leading to further try’s from Tennant
(2), B. Fraser, Hamish Dalgarno, Addy and Stephen Halmshaw. Dalgarno was
tackled 5 meters short of the try line, Halmshaw took the ball on at
pace to burst through a tackle to score what was the final score of the
match when the referee called time after only playing 4 minutes of the
second half.
Ellon 7 Marr 1 (Semi-Final)
Ellon
went onto the park determined to get to the final. Having played Marr
three weeks ago they knew it would be a tough physical encounter. Ellon
got off to a flyer with an overlap from B. Fraser to Addy and back to
Fraser again to score in the corner. Ellon never let Marr settle on the
ball with some very hard hits going in from Addy and Tennant. B. Fraser
was first into clear out the ball every time leading to further scores
from Tennant (2) and Dalgarno (2). As half time approached the tackling
on both sides started to get too high and the Game Coach (referee)
pulled the coaches to one side told them to calm the boys down or else
he would have to send a player off. The second half was as hard as the
first with big tackles going in from both sides but with Ellon being
first into the loose ball this gave the Ellon boys more of the ball to
run at the Marr defence. Ellon had two further tries disallowed for
forward passes beyond the try line. Marr came back into the game and put
Ellon under pressure for the first time in the match and managed to
drive over the line and score. This spurred Marr on and put Ellon under
pressure only for Halmshaw to make a last gasp tackle. B. Fraser again
was first into the ball and made a pass out to Dalgarno who in turn
passed to Tennant who ran the length of the field to score. After the
restart Addy and Dalgarno made thumping tackles and Tennant picked up
the loose ball, broke through two tackles and scored the final try in
the corner. Ellon
1 North Berwick 10 (Final) After
half an hour wait, Ellon moved into the final, but fatigue was now
evident. Despite brave attacks by Dalgarno, B. Fraser, Tennant and Addy,
Ellon’s small team were unable to press home the advantage against the
bigger Berwick boys. The team
put up a stouthearted defence, but conceded four scores in the first
half. Tennant went off injured and was replaced by Bradley Fraser from
the P4s. Ellon held their heads up high and with some superb support
play by Halmshaw, and offloading in the tackle by Dalgarno and Bradley
Fraser, Taylor managed to drive through to the line to score a well
worked try in the corner. Constant hammering by Berwick in the second
half finished off the tired Ellon team with another six tries, although
Ellon never gave up attacking wherever possible. Primary
5 Team: Alistair Addy, Hamish Dalgarno, Blair Fraser, Matthew Fraser,
Stephen Halmshaw, David Taylor, Scott Tennant |