On Saturday Garnock took on Cumnock at Lochshore in their West 1 campaign. Cumnock had already beaten Garnock twice this season , once in the Shield and once in the league.
The home squad was along similar lines to usual however the bench saw the return of Rory Walker, Jordan Taggart and Ross Brocket. Following the heavy rain during the week the pitch was a little heavy but generally in good condition.
The first half was pretty uneventful with both sides struggling to gain any real dominance and most of the play being between the 22s. The only scoring was a successful penalty from Cumnock after 20 minutes . The damp conditions resulted in regular handling errors from both teams and therefore neither side was able to string together phases to pressure the opposition. Half-time score was 0-3
The second half started with Garnock determined to reduce the error count . The big Garnock pack slowly began to edge the set pieces and the backs looked dangerous. 15 minutes into the half Garnock were awarded a 5m lineout and a well set up drive saw Alan Miller power over for the first try of the game. The conversion was wide 5-3.
The setback spurred the visitors into action and the next ten minutes were played almost entirely in the Garnock half. After 25 minutes Garnock stole possession in their 22 however they failed to clear their lines and ultimately conceded a penalty. The kick at goal was successful. 5-6
There was a sense of deja vu among the spectators . From the kick off Garnock applied pressure to the visitors possession and were awarded a penalty in front of the posts 22m out. Keir Walker spotted the opportunity to take a quick tap however he was stopped from progressing by the Cumnock 8 who had not retreated the 10m. The referee awarded another penalty and yellow carded the Cumnock player. The kick was successful 8-6.
The game could still have gone either way with both sides having plenty of possession. In one of the few moments of quality Garnock had possession on the halfway line. Scrum-half Aadam McGowan spotted the opportunity to go down the blind side and good hands from Lewis McGeachy released Jordan Taggart 40 m out. The strong winger was able to outpace his opposite man before rounding the full back to score. The conversion was narrowly wide 13-6
The final five minutes saw Cumnock have the majority of territory and possession however the Garnock defence held firm. The final whistle from the referee came as a relief to the home side with Cumnock deep in the 22.
In truth this was a match which could have gone either way and Garnock were relieved to take the four points.
Garnock team Shiells, O’Neill, F Miller, AMiller, McGeachy, Wilson, Watson, Wynn, McGowan, K Walker, Reekie, Dominy, McCann, Woods, Perry Bench Ramsay- Miller, Brocket, R Walker and Taggart
Nexxt week Garnock face another difficult encounter away at East Kilbride
