This fixture wasn't exactly a promotion decider because there's still plenty of rugby to be played by both sides but whichever side won would know that their fate lay in their own hands and the advantage would definitely lie with them. In such circumstances, you might expect a tense, nervy affair with neither side willing to take too many risks but in fact, on this occasion the opposite was true – this was a cracker and a credit to both teams.

Injuries and unavailability meant that PL welcomed Stuart McLean back into the front row after a long absence and also gave a 1st XV debut to James Burnett in the second row but these changes appeared to be pretty seamless during the opening minutes as the pack came together and held their own while competing for the ball in the loose. Dumfries also looked lively and their backs were dangerous going forward with good passing skills that stretched the PL defence on a couple of occasions. PL were first to get points on the board however when Graeme Patterson slotted a penalty from 28 metres in front of the posts to give his side a 3-0 lead.
Dumfries were playing well and started to dominate the line-out which was giving them good ball to play with but the opening try came from a PL error when Jonathan Brash tried to run the ball out of defence but got caught on his own 22. The Dumfries pack were up quickly to steal the ball before the backs showed great handling skills to get the ball from right to left across the field and winger Euan Laverty was able to squeeze in at the corner. This gave the visitors a 3-5 lead and was the first of six times that the lead would change hands during the game.
In the 37th minute, Brash had more success in avoiding his tacklers and broke upfield for 30 metres before linking with Raymond Mackie on the charge but the Dumfries defence was quick to regroup and stop the danger. PL's cause wasn't helped in the 39th minute when Jonny Sked was sent to the sin bin and after the penalty had been kicked to touch, Jack Johnstone the Dumfries scrum-half had a great break which almost saw him through to score but Mackie was able to bring him down near the line before stealing the ball and getting it clear. The referee brought the half to an end with the score at 3-5 and plenty to play for during the second 40 minutes.

Mackie was back in action immediately after the restart as he danced through the defence and looked like he might score but the final tackle was good and the ball was lost near the line. The teams were matched up again in the 45th minute when a Dumfries player was shown the referee's yellow card, and this time Patterson was able to slot the kick to put PL 6-5 ahead.
The Dumfries line-out was still working well and disrupting PL on their own throw but Bruce Stoddart, James Burnett and Jonny Sked were alert to the danger and did well to prevent the ball being distributed as they slowed things down at the ruck. The visitors had plenty of ball and much of the play was taking place in the PL half but they often gave it or kicked it away too easily allowing Brash and then Mackie good opportunities to break out of defence and set up chances for Jason Riley and Paul Dixon. As the hour mark approached another good passing move set Wilson on the Dumfries right wing almost clear from close range but a good tackle by Brash saved a try in the corner. For the next five minutes or so, it was all Dumfries as PL struggled to get their hands on the ball and eventually the pressure became too much and a penalty was conceded on the 22 right in front of the posts. John Carlisle made no mistake with the kick to put Dumfries 6-8 up.
That lead only lasted three minutes though because as soon as PL had kicked off again and Dale Gordon and Hamish Munro had set up a move in midfield, Dumfries were penalised and Patterson made no mistake with the kick at goal and the score was 9-8.
The intensity of the game was relentless at this time as both sides tried to dominate but despite some good work on the ground by Pete Johnstone and Stuart McLean another penalty was conceded in front of the posts as the support players came in from the side and Carlisle helped himself to another three points to put Dumfries 9-11 in front with 10 minutes of regular time to go.
It seemed that whenever one of the sides was under pressure in their own 22, they would concede a penalty and this happened again as the PL backs surged forward towards the line. As the ball went loose in the air, Dumfries looked as though they could scramble it clear but chose to deliberately knock it away and the referee was quick to award a penalty and crucially send the offending player to the sin bin, where he would remain for the rest of the game. With the man advantage, PL were more creative with the penalty and once Gordon had set things in motion, he passed to Patterson who looked like he might get through for the try. However, he cleverly turned inside and with a neat pass found Paul McClung who came in at pace and was unstoppable as he dived over for a fantastic try under the posts. This was PL's 100th try of the season and certainly one of the most important so it was just as well it was a good one.
16-11 would be the final score but this was far from the end of the match. The six minutes of regular time remaining extended to 14 minutes of actual playing time as the referee prolonged play by awarding a string of penalties against PL. Dumfries used these well to create lots of pressure in PL's 22 but the home defence held their discipline until eventually the ball was spilled and the game was ended.
Credit to both sides for the manner in which they tried to play good rugby and special mention should go to the PL pack who played the entire 88 minutes unchanged.

PL have two games to go, and are 10 points ahead of their rivals who have three to play so it is still quite tight at the top. Both sides have still to play league leaders Lasswade and that's where PL travel to next weekend for a top of the table clash. KO time is still to be confirmed.

Preston Lodge Team:
J Brash, D Cunningham, H Munro, R Mackie, P Cooney, G Patterson, D Gordon
S McLean, P Johnstone, P Dixon, B Stoddart, J Burnett, J Sked, C Dixon, J Riley
Replacements:
J Burns, P Glynn, P McClung