A new season, a new U18s team, and a sense of anticipation is what came with this opening fixture.

Within 10 minutes we were 5-0 up when Kieran Eaglesham out-ran the Stornoway defence to score in the corner. However the windy conditions proved too difficult and the conversion was missed.

It was clear to those who were watching that both teams were a bit rusty, but it was an absorbing game none the less. The remainder of the first half saw both teams slowly getting into a rhythm of play but with no real threat to either try line.

The second half was a different story: Stornoway were much the better side for long periods of play and were camped in our 22 for a good 15 to 20 minutes. Each time we regained possession our clearing kicks were hampered by the wind. Just as they did last season the boys showed how good they are at defending the try line and thwarted every Stornoway drive with excellent team effort.

Slowly we started to gain some territory and with less than 10 minutes remaining Gabe Dobson was able to evade the tackles and double our lead. Again the wind pushed the conversion attempt just wide.

There was a palpable sense of relief through our team and if this seemed a cruel blow to the Stornoway players it was made worse for them a few minutes later when Peter MacDowall added a third try in the last passage of play in the game, which Gabe Dobson converted.

A good game played in good spirit and a welcome 2 points for us. A big thanks to Stornoway for bringing the boys across.