West of Scotland Tournament 25/4/04

ELLON’S Primary 4 and 5 rugby squads enjoyed medal success once again last weekend when they took the winner’s trophies in their age groups at the West of Scotland tournament in Milngavie.

The Primary 6 team was unlucky not to be in the medal pool as well, they won two of their games and drew a third to put them equal top in their group but lost a place in the final through scoring rules.

Ellon’s results are a good forerunner for their own home tournament, which takes place this weekend at Ellon Meadows.

Ellon 8 Lenzie 1

This began as a very stop start game with Ellon finding it hard to get into its rhythm. When the Ellon boys did manage to gain some rhythm they put some good phases of play together. At half time they were 4 tries to the good with Ali Addy (2), Hamish Dalgarno and Matthew Fraser all scoring.

Ellon rang the changes in the second half with Kier Cleeton, Stephen Halmshaw and Cameron Harris coming on. Lenzie pushed up in the second half but Ellon held them at bay with some good defensive tackling from Harris and Halmshaw. When Ellon had the ball they managed to pass it out wide and score 4 further tries. The scorers were Addy (2), Blair Fraser and Scott Tennant.

Ellon 5 Marr 1

Both sides won their first matches so they both needed to win this game to get through to the final. There had been some hard fought contests earlier in the season between them and both teams knew whoever won this game would probably go on to win the final.

The Ellon players were in no mood to mess around and straight from the off they put Marr under pressure. They soon forced Marr into a mistake.  Tennant was first onto the loose ball and spun it out to Hamish Dalgarno on the wing. He sped over the line to score. Ellon was keen not to let this match slip and some determined tackling by M Fraser and David Taylor managed to contain any moves from Marr. They were forced into errors allowing Ellon to gain control of the ball. They worked it out well to allow both Addy and B Fraser to go over and score. The second half was more of the same. Ellon was not allowing Marr any space for their runners to move. They were closed down quickly whenever they made a break. M Fraser was tackling like a demon and this led to Addy getting the ball and running round the defence to score. From the restart Addy and Dalgarno made thumping tackles and Tennant picked up the loose ball and broke through two tackles and scored the final try in the corner.

Final

Ellon 11 West Of Scotland 1

The West boys were very nervous and knocked on at the start. This gave Ellon a tap penalty. A well-worked move put Dalgarno into space and he managed to outpace the West defence and go over to score. From the re-start Ellon was quickly up on West giving them no time to move the ball out. B Fraser made a big tackle and Addy collected the loose ball, sidestepped the defence and went over for an easy try. West now came back into the game with some good recycling of the ball the managed a score. They were pushing Ellon back and were threatening to score again.  Big tackles from Tennant and M Fraser enabled Taylor to pick up the loose ball, pass out to B Fraser who ran the length of the park to score.

In the second half Ellon stepped up a gear and were first on to the loose ball every time. This forced West onto the back foot. Tennant made a break. He drew the defence and passed out to Halmshaw who went over to Score. Ellon’s superior teamwork and passing showed through with them managing a further 7 tries. The scores for Ellon were Tennant (2), B Fraser (2), Addy (2) and M Fraser

“The kids have trained hard for this and for our remaining fixtures,” said coaches Jon Addy and Derek Fraser. “Their hard work in the paddock and their sheer determination on the day was rewarded. The boys are now in a buoyant mood and are looking forward to our own home tournament at the Meadows this Sunday.”

Primary 5 squad: Ali Addy, Kier Cleeton, Hamish Dalgarno, Blair Fraser, Matthew Fraser, Stephen Halmshaw, Cameron Harris, David Taylor, Scott Tennant

Stirling Tourney – 18.04.04

ELLON'S young rugby Bravehearts were on the competition trail again at the weekend when teams from the Primary 4, 5, 6 and 7 age groups travelled south to take part in the Stirling RFC tournament.

This time out though, the teams which have been on a winning streak recently, had to come home empty handed although the Primary 4 and 5 teams both made it through to the semi-finals.

Local rugby fans will have the chance to see Ellon's young teams in action at the Meadows during May Day weekend in what promises to be a bumper display of youth rugby.

On Saturday, May 1, Ellon will host its first S1/S2 Sevens Tournament with eight teams from all over Scotland competing. The following day will see the annual Ellon Mini Tournament for P4-P7 players.

Ellon 6 Stirling County Monument 6     

Stirling got off to a flier and within no time the Ellon boys were three down. The boys re grouped and started to keep their shape in defence. With some stiff tackling they managed to win the loose ball, and move it out wide for Alistair Addy to go over and score. This was then followed by another good Ellon move where Matthew Fraser made a run, drew in the defence and passed onto Hamish Dalgarno on the wing for him to run in a try. Stirling managed another try before half time.

In the second half the Ellon boys pushed forward trying to pull the game back. Unfortunately they left some gaps and Ellon were two further tries down before they knew what had happened.  Ellon rallied and with superb interlinking play between Scott Tennant, Blair Fraser and David Taylor they managed to pull three tries back, Dalgarno, Addy and Taylor scoring. The ref signaled the last play of the game with Stirling in possession. Some hard tackling from M Fraser, gave Ellon control of the ball and they spread it out wide to Tennant who broke though the defence to score in the corner for a well earned draw.

 Ellon 3 Stirling County City 3  

With Stirling having three teams in the P5’s, Ellon faced another strong home side. Ellon started well with some hard tackling from Tennant and Stephen Halmshaw. The ball was recycled well and Addy managing to slip his way through to score. Ellon then went on the back foot and conceded three tries.

After a stiff talk at half time it was a different side that took to the field for the second half. They did not let Stirling settle onto the ball and were pushing up well. Taylor broke free and passed out wide to Addy who ran through to score. With time running out B Fraser managed to break free and after a mazy run managed to score in the corner.

 Ellon 5 Madras 2 

Ellon had played Madras recently and it has been a close game. Both sides needed a win to reach the semis so Ellon knew they would have a hard game on their hands. The Ellon boys pushed up straight from the off and the pressure on Madras showed. Fraser Stevenson made a good run forward and passed out of the tackle to B Fraser who ran through to score. Madras made a break down the wing with Addy in pursuit, and he got the tackle in just before the line. Dalgarno was first onto the ball and he passed out to B Fraser who ran for the far corner of the Madras try line. Once he had committed the Madras defence he then passed inside to Addy who ran over the try line to score

The second half was more of the same with Ellon pressing forward at every opportunity. M Fraser was unlucky not to score after a good run. He was stopped short of the try line, Stevenson was first onto the ball and he managed to pass out to Tennant who went over the line for an easy score. After some good defensive work by Ellon with some good tackling by Dalgarno, Taylor and Addy. Tennant found some space and passed to B Fraser who went over to score.

Ellon 3 Stirling County Castle 4 (Semi-final)

Ellon started this game at a ferocious pace and after some well worked moves by M Fraser and Addy, Dalgarno and Tennant went through to score a try apiece. Stirling came back into the game and equalised. After half time the Ellon boys were on the rack but some good tackling from Addy and Dalgarno kept Stirling out. B Fraser and Tennant managed once again to link up well allowing Tennant over to score. Once again Stirling came back to equalise then scored the winner right on the final whistle.

Coaches Jon Addy and Mike Shirron said the team is now starting to come together again and play well as a team and they were unlucky not to come away with some silverware. The boys should be pleased with the way they played on the day.

Primary 5 team: Alistair Addy, Hamish Dalgarno, Blair Fraser, Matthew Fraser, Stephen Halmshaw, Fraser Stevenson, David Taylor, Scott Tennant

Howe o Fife Tournament – 28.03.04

Ellon's Primary 4 rugby team was in the medals again at the weekend when they took runners-up place in their age group at the Howe of Fife Mini Tournament.

Teams from the ERFC Junior Section's primaries 5, 6 and 7 age groups also took part in the event.

Ellon 0 Stirling 6

This score line says it all, Ellon were still half asleep for most of the game and only some hard hitting tackles kept the final score at 6-0

Ellon 8 Madras 7

This was a keenly contested game and Ellon was soon into a 3-0 lead with tries from Alistair Addy (2) and Matthew Fraser. Ellon then switched off and allowed Madras back into the game and a half time Ellon were pegged back to 3-3.

The start of the second half was a nightmare for Ellon and Madras was soon into the lead. Ellon was in the corner and fought its way out with some fine tackling from Blair Fraser, which stunned Madras. Addy, Scott Tennant and Hamish Dalgarno were instrumental in pulling Ellon back into the game, with Tennant and Addy bagging a try each and Dalgarno netting a hat trick

Ellon 7 Stewart Melville 6 

Again Ellon expected a win and that’s how they played. The team never got into top gear and Addy, David Taylor and Blair Fraser tries were all cancelled out thanks to some weak tackling, which allowed Stew Mel in for 3 easy scores

The second half was an improvement on the first, however Ellon’s defence was time and time again exposed. Ellon’s second half tries were well taken by Addy, Tennant (2) and Taylor.

Ellon 12 Dunfermline 2

Ellon have only ever played this side once previously and were not sure how to set themselves up. The team started well and was able to breach the Dunfermline defence every time they had the ball. That put them 6-1 up by half time with scores from Tennant (2), Addy (2), B. Fraser and Dalgarno.

The second half was more of the same and Ellon were soon changing players regularly. Keir Cleaton, Cameron Harris and Frazer Stevenson had some great runs and Harris and Cleaton made a couple of try saving tackles.

Stevenson has only been with the squad for a few weeks and this was his finest game for the team to date, culminating in a first, hard-earned, try.  Further scores were taken by B. Fraser, Taylor, Dalgarno, Tennant and Addy.

Howe of Fife 9 Ellon 5

With Stirling having won all their games this was a game for second place. Howe had earlier in the season made things very difficult for Ellon and today was no different and they started to make their mark on the score board. Ellon was under a lot of pressure, but again some great cover tackling from Addy, Fraser and Dalgarno kept the Howe lads out. Ellon’s first half tries came from Addy and B. Fraser.

Similarly to the boy’s performance against N Berwick at Forrester’s, Ellon upped their game in the second half with tries being scored by Addy and Tennant (2).

Coaches Jon Addy and Derek Fraser summed up the performance  “All in All a good day at the office spoilt by lapses in concentration.

" If Ellon had only played like this in the first half then the boys could have been returning home with runners up medals. Ellon is turning into a “game of 2 half’s” team and the boys need to learn to play their “good rugby” for the full duration of every game."

Primary 5 team

Alistair Addy, Kier Cleaton, Hamish Dalgarno, Blair Fraser, Matthew Fraser, Stephen Halmshaw, Cameron Harris, James Hay, Frazer Stevenson David Taylor, Scott Tennant

Forresters Tournay – 14.03.04

THERE was medal success for Ellon's Primary 5 rugby team at the weekend after they took the runners' up place in their age group at the Forresters' Tournament in Edinburgh.

Unfortunately the Primary 4 lost out on their chance to match their club mates when a refereeing counting error meant that they missed their place in the playoffs. By the time the mistake was corrected the play offs had taken place.

Although the Primary 6 team didn't make it to the finals, the tournament was valuable experience for several new members of the squad who were taking part in their first competitive games.

Ellon 5 Watsons 3

Ellon had played this team earlier in the season and had convincingly beaten them. This time round they had improved and did not let Ellon settle onto the ball. During the first half they were evenly matched. Ali Addy, on his return from illness was outstanding in the loose, ably supported by Blair Fraser, Scott Tennant and Hamish Dalgarno. The Ellon boys had victory in their sights and after some driving runs from David Taylor and Stephen Halmshaw, Ellon ran out convincing winners with scores from Addy 2, Fraser 2 and Dalgarno

Ellon 7 Linlithgow 1

In a bid to reach the final Ellon retained the same players from the previous game. The first half saw Ellon play some structured rugby and Fraser, Dalgarno and Addy were in no mood to go home empty handed. Addy crashed over the line twice followed by a typical Dalgarno try. The second half was confirmation that the boys weren’t for being messed about and Addy scored a 2nd brace of tries with Tennant and Fraser adding to the score line.

 Forresters 3 Ellon 8 

Ellon has previously struggled against Forresters, and needed a win to secure a place in the final. Moves that had previously been practised were now being exercised with brutal efficiency. B. Fraser scored remarkable five tries on the trot. Players were now being replaced by the minute and Kier Cleaton, Cameron Harris, Matthew Fraser and Jamie Hay were outstanding helping secure further scores from Dalgarno and Addy (2) which allowed Ellon to secure a comfortable win to ensure a place in the final.

Ellon 1 North Berwick 7 (Final)

This game was always going to be about commitment; N Berwick knew Ellon from previous encounters and they were aware that this final would be played at fast pace. Ellon started well but N Berwick was the better team in the first half. The second half saw Ellon turn on the “Go get em” switch and some incredible tackling from Fraser stunned N Berwick. Addy was in no mood to go home empty handed and his try was well earned and stemmed from a great Tennant/Dalgarno move. Both Halmshaw and Taylor found another gear and the game ended with Ellon the Stronger team.

Coaches Jon Addy and Derek Fraser were full of praise for their players who, when their backs were to the wall, showed their true colours.

Primary 5 squad: Alistair Addy, Kier Cleaton, Hamish Dalgarno, Blair Fraser, Matthew Fraser, Stephen Halmshaw, Cameron Harris, James Hay, David Taylor, Scott Tennant

West of Scotland -18.01.04 

Ellon's young rugby players took on the elements as well as the opposition when they travelled to Milngavie near Glasgow to compete against home club West of Scotland and visitors Helensburgh and Hillhead Jordanhill.

Despite the appalling weather, the players from the P4 to P7 squads gave a good account of themselves despite not having played competitive rugby for almost two months.

Ellon 13 Helensburgh 0

Despite the driving rain and underfoot conditions that would be more suited to hippopotamuses, the Ellon boys were in no mood to mess around, passing the ball wide at every opportunity and concentrating on being first onto the loose ball. This led to Ellon being 7-0 up by half time with scores from Ali Addy 2, Blair Fraser 2, Scott Tennant and David Taylor.

Changes were made in the second half allowing Keir Clayton to come on for his debut on the wing and with a superb run down the wing bursting through tackles he managed to score his first try for the club. By now the Helensburgh boys seemed to tire and allowed Ellon to score a further five tries from Blair Fraser 2, Hamish Dalgarno and Scott Tennant 2.

Ellon 5 West Of Scotland 2

West was the more organised team and had good support play. Ellon had to work hard to get the ball but when they did they were able to recycle the ball well and go onto score. They made life difficult for themselves by ball watching but in the end came out easy winners. The scorers for Ellon were Blair Fraser 2, Hamish Dalgarno 2 and Scott Tennant.

Ellon 8 Hillhead Jordanhill 3

By now the weather was beginning to take its toll on the boys. From the start they were on the back foot from the off allowing Hillhead into score a try. This shook the boys into life and with some superb ball handling and support play Ellon went into halftime 4-1 up.

In the second half Hillhead took the game to Ellon and with some powerful forward play managed to score two further tries. However Ellon’s superior teamwork and passing showed through with them managing a further four scores. The scores for Ellon were Scott Tennant 3, Blair Fraser 2, Hamish Dalgarno 2 and Keir Clayton.

Primary 5 squad: Ali Addy, Keir Clayton, Hamish Dalgarno, Blair Fraser, Matthew Fraser, Stephen Halmshaw, Cameron Harris, David Taylor, Scott Tennant

Heriots, Edinburgh – 4.11.03

Ellon RFC Junior Section's mini teams headed south once again last weekend to take part in a friendly tournament hosted by Heriots in Edinburgh.

They found competition against the home team and also against teams from Boroughmuir and also took part in some mixed "Barbarian" games which gave them the chance to play with, and meet, new players.

Ellon 14 Boroughmuir Green 1

The first half was played in Boroughmuir’s half with Ellon pushing up well in defense, forcing Boroughmuir to making mistakes. Whenever Ellon had the ball they scored. By half time they were 9-0 up with scores from David Taylor 2, Ali Addy 4 and Hamish Dalgarno 2

Ellon coasted through the second half allowing Boroughmuir in to score three tries but whenever Ellon had ball in hand the were able to work some good moves and score tries at will. Further scores from Addy 2, Stephen Halmshaw, Scott Tennant and Mathew Fraser.

Ellon 10 Heriots 3

Heriots were more organised and had some good ball handling skills. Some good tackling by Stephen Halmshaw lead to the first try. Ellon had to work hard to get the ball but when they did they were able to recycle the ball well and go onto score.

The second half was more of the same with Ellon pushing to score at every opportunity. This led to the boys leaving gaps and letting Heriots through to score a couple of tries. The scorers for Ellon were Tennant, Taylor, Dalgarno 3 and Addy 5

Ellon 9 Boroughmuir Blue 0

Ellon took the ball into Boroughmuir’s half at the beginning and this was where it was to remain for virtually all of the game. The referee from Boroughmuir decided to play only five minutes each way to save his team from becoming demoralized. Ellon's pace and support play was too much for this side to handle. Tries came from Halmshaw, Tennant, Addy 4, and Dalgarno 3 

Primary 5 team: Alistair Addy, Hamish Dalgarno, 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

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 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 6 Stirling C 0

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.

Ellon 6 Linlithgow 3

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 2 Stirling A 5

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.