Local rivals Ross High were the latest team to try to bring PL’s unbeaten run to an end and anyone looking at the scoreboard after 39 minutes to see it showing 3-0 might have thought that they were just about on track to cause an upset. However, six minutes of playing time later and it was a whole different story as by that time, PL had scored four tries to secure the bonus point and the spirited Ross High defence had been broken.

Most of the first half was a rather dour affair even though PL were totally dominant in the scrum, pushing their opponents of the ball on several occasions which meant that they had plenty of opportunities to create chances to attack. There were too many mistakes in their play though and Ross High were playing right on the limit of the offside line to try to prevent the PL half backs getting the ball away cleanly. This was to be a dangerous tactic that allowed Greg Kinross to slot a penalty from 40 metres when they did stray offside and twice in the half, they were reduced to 14 men when first David Hughes and later Ryan Strachan were sent to the sin bin as their team gave away too many penalties for the referee’s liking. Apart from one chance when Bruce Stoddart stole the ball from PL and charged through the middle of a ruck, they had little to show in the way of possession throughout the half. Several of the PL players would catch the eye in some way or another, such as Aaron Welsh in the line out, Craig Quigley in the loose and decent kicks from Greg Leitch but it wasn’t until near the end of the half that they would break the defence and get over the line. A scrum five was followed by another penalty and as Leitch took it quickly to raise the tempo of the game, he had Quigley on his shoulder to take the ball and finish the move under the posts. Kinross added the conversion and it looked like it would be 10-0 at half time but the referee allowed the game to be restarted and Quigley immediately carried it almost unopposed into the Ross High 22 before passing to Stuart McLean and the lively prop was unstoppable from there. This time, the break did come after Kinross had added the conversion to make the score 17-0.

The second half would be a completely different story, with PL back to their best and a procession of seven tries would follow at regular intervals as their superior fitness, and power up front proved too much for Ross High to contain. To be fair to the Tranent men, they did try to stand up to the onslaught but PL used the quality of their possession to maximum advantage with quick thinking and slick passing stretching the tiring defence. Tries came from Darren Eales who stretched over the line after being put clear by Andrew Clark and then Greg Leitch took another quick penalty that allowed himself a clear path to the line but this followed a good move that was started in the PL 22 when Raymond Mackie broke out before passing to Ali Wood.
PL’s speed and passing was now the feature of the game and another five tries would be scored by Keith Duncan, Ali Wood (2), Chris Dixon and Chris Guiney but it was the build up to each of the tries that emphasised PL’s skill and dominance. The moves were slick and well worked and players from each area of the team linked well together – especially the back row and the three-quarter line. Add to that, a first class day from the boot of Greg Kinross when he only missed one shot at goal (out of nine) and it’s easy to see why PL are riding high at the top of the league on maximum points
Ross High were unlucky not to be awarded a consolation try following a charge down inside the 22 when the referee couldn’t be sure that the ball had been touched down properly but it was PL’s day and at the end of the match with the scoreboard showing 64-0, it was their captain Blair Cowan who collected the Billy McNeil Trophy for which the two clubs play annually.
PL are on the road to the capital to play Portobello next Saturday. Kick off 2pm.

Preston Lodge Team:
G Kinross, D Thomson, R Gray, C Dixon, C Guiney, A Clark, G Leitch
K Duncan, R Mackie, S McLean, A Welsh, B Cowan, C Quigley, D Eales, P Voy

Replacements (All Used):
A Archer, A Wood, D Naismith