Faces new and old turned out last Saturday to make history as Aberdeenshire would have 3 teams playing league Rugby for the first time in over a decade.

Ryan Mountain, who according to Ashley probably played for the 3’rd all those years ago, captained the side to a 40-21 victory over a Huntly side who managed to get a team together just in time for the match.

Due to Huntly’s lack of players it was decided during the warm up that the scrums would be un-contested, something Shire 3rds (Nickname Pending) hoped to use to there advantage, especially knowing the could deploy players like Steven “Cookie” Cook in the midfield.

After kick off Shire got point on the board early after the forwards managed to bring play into Huntly’s half then sending it out to the backs before Jamie Stephen made easy work of the home teams defence to score the opening try which Ashley would go onto convert.

Huntly levelled the match not long after as Shire struggled in the Line-outs and Scrums but the Introduction of front-row turned centre Stephen Cook came on too put Shire back in front after powering through several players and finishing easily.


Huntly continued to trouble the 3’rd in the line-outs and rucks but Shire stayed strong and before long Jamie Stephen had scored his Second of the match.

Huntly got a try back through Stand-Off Willie McPhee, formerly of Shire, but the 3’rds went on to score two more trys through the Half-back pairing of Matthew Benbow and Ashley Wiles.

Benbow, playing his first game in Shire colours, scored after some quick thinking from a ruck near the Huntly try line and was on his toes later on in the same area to find Ashley on the blind-side who ran in at the corner.

Huntly got another try before the break but Shire looked the stronger at the end of the first half.

Half Time: Huntly 14 – 35




Both sides managed to hold strong in defence as Shire had plenty options on the bench to turn too. The same could not be said about Huntly who went down to 14 men after losing there number 10 to a broken nose curtsy of Dave MacDonald. The player did return to the fold later on after, Huntly scored the first try of the second half, to score the conversion.

But Shire ensured victory after Man of the Match Jamie Stephen capitalised on the tired home sides poor defence yet again before un-selfishly giving away his hat-trick try to home town boy Andy Cran. A player the few home-fans were less than happy to see score.

The 3’rd will now look on to the next landmark as they play there first home game at Woodside against League Leaders Deeside.

1.R McLachlan
2.T Dugdale
3.P Eden
4.C Wilson
5.P Watson
6.D MacDonald
7.R Davin
8.R Mountain
9.M Benbow
10.A Wiles
11.M Clayton
12.J Stephen
13.A Cran
14.T Miller
15.M Simpson
16.S Cook
17.N Gillanders
18.J Wallace
19.C Spooner
20.G Marr
21.D Welsh