BIRKMYRE picked up their third league victory away to Lomond Helensburgh.
A total of 11 players crossed the whitewash to touch down for scores for both sides and there were five yellow cards and one red shown as the Kilmacolm club won by 45 points to 29.
Birkmyre started well and won the early contacts. This resulted in a penalty being awarded just outside the 22 which Lewis Higgins slotted over. The visitors extended their lead in the 10th minute. From a scrum on the centre spot, Birkmyre rucked the ball into opposition territory. Cammy Marr made a line-break and powered to the edge of the 22. He then slipped an incredible pass out the back of his hand to Callum Moglia, who raced in from 22 metres out under the posts. Jonny Davidson, slotted over the conversion.
Liam Nicolas extended the lead further only four minutes later. Defending a ruck on their try line, Helensburgh let the ball roll over the line. Liam pounced on the mistake and dived on the ball for the score. Davidson converted again. Helensburgh could easily have been reduced to 14 players at this point when one of their forwards connected with a punch to the head of Angus Rintoul. However, the referee seemed to miss the incident.
The game then turned slightly with the first yellow card. Birkmyre’s Jamie Haran was adjudged to have deliberately knocked on and was sent to the sideline for 10 minutes. The home side took the advantage to run in two tries prior to Jamie returning to the pitch.
Birkmyre should have been awarded a penalty try on the 29th minute. Skipper for the day, Paul Carruth, had made a bursting run from 40 metres out. He was high-tackled only five metres out with no other defenders about. The defender was yellow-carded but, to the amazement of the crowd, no try was awarded. However, from the resultant penalty, Owen Nicholas powered over from short distance near the corner. Just before the half, Owen’s brother, Liam, saw yellow for a high tackle.
Birkmyre extended their lead five minutes into the second half with a second try for Owen Nicholas. Louis Henderson did all the hard work, but Owen was on hand to touch the ball down.
Only minutes later, Helensburgh saw red. The referee spotted their number five head-butting Birkmyre’s Jamie Muir. For this he was given a yellow card however it was upgraded to red for something he said to the referee before walking off.
Being a player down, didn’t stop Helensburgh as they proceeded to run in the next two tries closing the score to 22-31. Callum Moglia then pounced for his second score on 62 minutes before Paul Carruth saw yellow for a tackle in the air shortly before the 70-minute mark.
There were two more scores in the final flurry towards the end. The first went to the home side who scored from a quick tap-and-go penalty five metres out before Cammy Marr rumbled over off the back of a quickly taken penalty with two minutes left. Player of the Match, Davidson then completed his “full house” of six conversions.
The victory helped consolidate Birkmyre’s mid-table league position before they travel to Uddingston on Saturday.
Scorers:- Tries: C Moglia (2), O Nicholas (2), C Marr, L Nicholas; Penalty: L Higgins; Conversions: J Davidson (6)
