On Saturday Garnock travelled south of the border to face Carlisle in their first preseason fixture. The squad was short of a number of players due to unavailability however this allowed some less experienced players to get competitive game time and for youngsters Huck Hutton and Andrew Holmes to get their 1st XV debuts.
Similar to Garnock our hosts had won their league title last season with only one defeat in the process.
The weather in Carlisle was glorious and the playing surface was immaculate making for a great day for handling rugby. The match was to be played in three sessions, two of thirty minutes and a final 20 minutes.
The first session was very evenly matched and keenly contested. The forward exchanges were physical and both sides tried to play attractive rugby. The first score came from a Garnock lineout close to the Carlisle line. A trademark catch and powerful drive saw Matt Shiells crash over. Conversion hit the upright 0-5
Carlisle had plenty of possession and were keen to release their backs whenever possible. Good defence from the visitors kept their line intact with only a couple of scares. With 20 minutes gone Garnock added to their tally with a backline move on the Carlisle 22 releasing Jared Reekie to power through between the posts. Conversion good 0-12. This remained the scoreline at the end of the first period. The only negative aspect was the loss of Ross Brocket after 15 minutes. The big No8 suffered a knee issue and left the field for the remainder of the game as a precautionary measure
Carlisle, who had a large squad made a number of replacements for the second period. Despite both sides having opportunities neither was able to change the scoreboard in the 30 minutes.
In the final 20 minutes both sides made a number of changes and in truth Garnock dominated the final session firstly adding a try by Keir Walker from a powerful 20m run. The next score was a fantastic solo effort from Adam McGowan. In the changes Adam had switched to full-back where he collected a loose clearance from Carlisle in his own half. Taking his time to pick a line he spotted a hole in the Carlisle chase and sprinted through the gap and cruised past the remaining defenders to score between the posts.
With time running out the Garnock pack was now in control and a dominant 5m scrum allowed Stuart Wilson to pick up from the base and cruise over. All three of the final session tries were successful taking the final score to 0-33
The Garnock coaches were happy with the performance as a first hit out . There were plenty areas which could be improved however the defence and keeping a good opposition to zero was particularly pleasing.
We would like to thank Carlisle for being excellent hosts and we wish them all the best for the season ahead.
