Following a difficult visit to Cupar last week Garnock could not have faced tougher opposition when league leaders Allan Glens made the trip to Lochshore.
Garnock had a number of changes to their team with Rory Walker returning at stand-off and youngster Kyle Crossan making his debut in the back row. On the bench Luke Wynn returned to the side for the first time in 2024 and young Cameron King was set to make his league debut.
In the past games between these two teams have been hotly contested close affairs and this game proved no different. Glens kicked off playing toward the hub and quickly regained possession. They attacked through their backs however the defence held firm. The first score came from a clearance by Rory Walker which took a wicked bounce away from the Glens fullback into the hands of the chasing Jared Reekie. The Garnock centre had the pace to beat the covering defence to score. Conv good 7-0
This early reverse seemed to refocus the visitors and they controlled the game for the next 15 minutes scoring three converted tries to take a 21-7 lead. At this point Garnock heads could have dropped however this side are made of stronger stuff. Determined to claw their way back into the game Garnock set about attacking the visitors through both the forwards and backs. From a Garnock scrum 15m from the visitors line No8 Ross Brocket picked from the base and powered through the final defender to score. Conv missed 12-21
With time in the half running out Garnock had possession 40m out and a sublime line from Ross Brocket saw him break the defensive line only to be stopped by a good tackle 5m from the line. A couple of phases later the No8 again found himself in possession and this time he made no mistake. Conversion good bringing the half-time score to 19-21
Similar to the previous week Garnock started the second half in lacklustre fashion and within the first 15 minutes they conceded two further tries allowing Glens to stretch their lead to a comfortable looking 19-35. Captain Matt Shiells rallied his troops and for the next 20 minutes the Garnock pack dominated the opposition with strong carries from replacement prop Luke Wynn, Ross Brocket, Richard O’Neill and Shiells himself. By this stage the Garnock lineout was functioning well securing all their own ball and Jonny Watson stole a number of crucial balls on the Glens throw. In the backs recent recruit Cian Smith attacked with power and Jared Reekie proved a handful.
Garnock added three further tries in quick succession. The first came from a smart piece of opportunism from Tony Woods when the ball squirted out from a Glens ruck 5m from their line and the home winger swooped in to scoop up the ball and go over untouched. The next score came after Garnock had again made their way into the 22 and following a number of phases Matt Shiells barged over. Garnock’s final try came from a strong carry by Ross Brocket to within 5m and an offload to flanker Stuart Wilson to go over. Two of the conversions were successful taking the score to 38-35
Not to be outdone Glens attacked strongly in the final 8 minutes however Garnock appeared to be coping well. In the 79th minute Glens were awarded a penalty inside the Garnock 22. With their lineout shaken they opted not to go for the potential try and took the shot at goal. Their reliable kicker slotted the kick with ease .38-38
At full time a draw was probably a reasonable outcome however both sides would have mixed emotions. The Garnock coaches will be satisfied with the resilience show by their charges when other sides may have folded. Both debutants Kyle Crossan and Cameron King showed up strongly against good opposition.
Next week Garnock make the short trip to Hughenden to face Hillhead Jordanhill
Garnock team Shiells, O’Neill, Chapman, Watson, A Miller, Wilson, Crossan, Brocket, K Walker, R Walker, Irvine, Smith, Reekie, Woods, Anderson Reps Wynn, F Miller, King and Young
