Garnock made the trip east to Tranent to face Ross High in the first of their reverse fixtures. Garnock had secured a comfortable win against the same opponents at Lochshore in the first competitive game of the season however a tighter contest was anticipated.
The Garnock squad showed a couple of changes with Gareth McCrorie and Richard O’Neil both unavailable. They were replaced in the 19 by Rory Walker and Shelton Ferreira.
The game kicked off with Garnock having the benefit of the slope and they appeared determined to get the scoreboard ticking over as early as possible.
The first score of the game came from a 5m lineout from which a driving maul was set and Matt Shiells was driven over. Conversion successful 0-7
In the fixture at Lochshore Ross High had struggled to secure their own lineouts and the second try came from one such issue. A lineout on the home side’s 10m line was stolen by Jonny Watson and released to the backs. The ball was spread to the touchline where it was recycled and moved again finding Ross Brocket in midfield. The big No8 crashed through the midfield defence to score beside the posts. Conversion good 0-14
Ross High were holding their own in the scrum however Garnock were getting the upper hand in all other aspects. After 20 minutes Garnock again had possession in the opposition half and were keen to spread the ball wide. Having gone from touchline to touchline space was created in the middle of the pitch and centre Rory Dominy cruised through to score. Conversion good 0-21
From the kick off Ross High were able to keep the visitors in their own half for a short period however a pinpoint kick from stand off , Rory Walker , resulted in a 50/22 and a Garnock lineout throw. Expecting a driven maul Ross High were prepared however Garnock quickly switched up the blind side to waiting second-row Jonny Watson who went over. Conversion wide 0-26
The Garnock general dominance resulted in the home side conceding a number of penalties and with 30 minutes gone one such award was kicked to the corner. The lineout was again secured and with the home pack going backwards scrum-half, Keir Walker cleverly nipped up the blindside to score . Conversion missed 0-31
With half-time approaching Garnock were again inside the 22 and a driven lineout resulted in Stuart Wilson dotting down. Conversion wide 0-36 at half-time.
The second half started with Ross High taking advantage of the slope and attacking for the first 5 minutes. The big home support took heart from this however strong defence kept them out. Any hope of a comeback was diminished shortly thereafter when from a lineout in the Ross High 22 Garnock hit the ball up through the backs and from the resultant breakdown Keir Walker was able to snipe through to score. Conversion good 0-43
Straight from the kick off Garnock secured the ball through Stuart Wilson releasing Rory Dominy up the narrow side to break the defensive line. He then released centre partner Jared Reekie to cover the remaining 50 yards to score. Conversion good 0-50
Ross High won the ball back from the kick off and went through a couple of phases through their forwards before second row , Alan Miller jackaled the ball at a ruck around midfield. The ball was quickly spread wide and after good yards from Sam Wynn full-back Per Jacobson was on hand to take the final pass and score. Conversion good 0-57
The home side kicked long from the restart and a Garnock error gave them possession in the 22. Initial defence was strong however Ross High were able to go through a number of phases and eventually score. Conversion good 7-57
Determined not to let the match drift Garnock refocused and from a midfield scrum the ball was spread to Sam Wynn on the wing who made good yards into the 22. The ball was recycled and given to the backs who went wide. Rory Dominy hit the ball at pace breaking through the defenders tackle score. Conversion successful 7-64
By this time Garnock were running the ball through the backs at every opportunity and the forwards were always in support. On one such occasion Garnock had gone from one touchline to the other and back again before the home side ran out of defenders allowing Shelton Ferreira to coast over. Conversion good 7-71
With 15 minutes remaining it was one way traffic and was simply a question of how many more Garncok could add. from the kick off the Dominy/Reekie combination was again to the fore with the former making a break then releasing the latter to scorch up the touchline to score. Conversion good 7-78
The game went quiet for the next 5 minutes before Stuart Wilson took a short pass, broke the first line of defence and made 50 metres upfield before being tackled. the ball was recycled up the narrow side with Jonny Watson touching down. Conversion wide 7-83
At this point we were approaching 80 minutes however Garnock continued to play. Stand-off Rory Walker made a classy break from his own half before drawing the final defender and putting Jared Reekie in for his third try. Conversion missed 7-88
This was a good performance by Garnock however they clearly have more to give when required.
Next Saturday Garnock face Whitecraigs at Lochshore with a 2pm kick off
Garnock squad Shiells, C Wilson, J Chapman, J Watson, A Miller, S Wilson, D Ramsay-Miller, Brocket, K Walker, R Walker, Anderson, Dominy, Reekie, Woods, Jacobson Reps L Wynn, Craig, S Wynn, Ferreira
