Forrester Given the Chop as PL March On

Winning is the only option for Preston Lodge as the season draws to a close and they continued their nine game unbeaten run with a five try victory against Forrester at the Pennypit on Saturday to keep their hopes of promotion firmly in their own hands.

Forrester kicked off and they were first on the attack after a clever kick through PL’s defence by Edmondson proved difficult for Chris Guiney to defend and he was forced to concede a scrum five as he pounced on the bouncing ball to touch down behind his own line. The PL defence held firm though and soon Greg Leitch managed to clear the lines to get his side up into the Forrester 22. The stand off was soon linking with Darren Eales to mount a dangerous attack and he looked as though his strength might get him to the try line but he was just brought down five metres short. From there though, the PL scrum was too much for Forrester to cope with and first it was Paul Voy who picked up and drove to the line but when he was held up, the impressive Eales was on hand to have another go and there was no stopping him as he burrowed over for the first try. Leitch added the conversion to make the score 7-0 after only eight minutes.
PL gathered the ball from the restart and old heads Euan Thayne and Greg Kinross worked together to get it back into the danger zone. The pace of the game had quickened and the Forrester defence were caught offside in front of the posts but instead of going for the points, Chris Dixon took a quick tap to sustain the pressure. After the forwards had recycled the ball a couple of times it was Leitch who broke for the line and with a deft show and go and step inside, he beat the defence to make himself space for an excellent try. This was PL’s 100th try of the season which proves just how much of a potent, attacking force they have become.
PL now had their tails up and Paul Voy especially, was all over the defence. The big No. 8 was unlucky when he charged down a clearance kick on the 22 but the ball bounced away harmlessly into touch. It didn’t take long before the third try was in the bag though and it came from another piece of Leitch skill and precision. First, Blair Cowan stole the ball at the front of a Forrester line out on the 10 metre line and from there, the pack drove forward and deep into the 22. It was then passed from Harris to Leitch and the stand off had a quick look before sending a 40 metre kick across the field to the waiting Jonathan Brash. He made no mistake has he grabbed the ball from the air and then cut inside past two defenders to finish off a fantastic move perfectly to gain the five points that it deserved.
This three try, 10 minute scoring spree suggested that PL would be going on to another big score but in fact, it would be fully 40 minutes before the all important fourth try would be scored. The rest of the half would see possession and territory shared equally between the teams as PL were a bit too eager to keep things moving at pace and Forrester took their chances with the ball and became more confident and dangerous looking as the game wore on. There were few real scoring chances until the final two minutes of the half when Forrester capitalised on PL’s mistakes to get the ball behind the try line but they were unable to get the touchdown. However, their pressure was rewarded with a penalty in the 40th minute and Edmondson seized the chance to get points on the board and make the half time score 17-3.

The second half started quietly and for the first 20 minutes, the game seemed rather flat as neither side could retain enough quality possession to mount any decent attacks. Forrester were showing that they were a decent side and their backs were dangerous when they were on the attack but PL’s pack was starting to dominate up front and this would prove to be the difference in the end. After a slight flare up of tempers that the referee was quick to deal with, PL regained their composure and started to regain control of the game. A reversed penalty was kicked to touch on five metres and as usual, a catch and drive followed allowing Dougie Naismith to be pushed over for the try that secured the all important bonus point and make the score 22-3.
The scoreline looked decisive but Forrester didn’t give up and managed to score a very good try of their own in the 72nd minute when a good move found the PL defence struggling to get back to cover and a few missed tackles allowed full back Crolla an easy run to the line. The added conversion made the score 22-10 and a nervous final few minutes might have been in store for the home support if the visitors were to be allowed to score again. They needn’t have worried though, because PL were back on the attack immediately following the restart to put together a good move that would lead to a try and complete the scoring.
Forwards and backs linked together to complete a series of passes that kept the ball alive and moving quickly and the Forrester defence couldn’t keep up. After several phases, it was left to Darren Eales once again and he was able to burst through the final tackles to score near the posts. This was the youngter’s sixth try in only five games in the first fifteen and it was deservedly converted by Leitch to complete the scoring at 29-10.

So, another solid performance from all areas of the PL team means that they finish the season unbeaten at The Pennypit and move on to play away at Cumbernauld in the final game next week. The task in hand is clear – a win or draw will ensure that they are promoted and mean that all their hard work this season is rightly rewarded.

Preston Lodge team:
C Guiney, J Brash, G Kinross, C Dixon, D Thomson, G Leitch, F Harris,
K Duncan, S McLean, C McLean, D Naismith, B Cowan, E Thayne, D Eales, P Voy.
Replacements:
R Mackie, D Wardell, A Wood (All Used)