Gala YM V Trinity Academicals
15 December 2012

After several matches without a report, your correspondent felt that it was time to put 2 fingers to the keyboard and mark the third Trinity Accies league win in a row. The 1st XV came off second best in their cup encounters against opposition from higher leagues but wins against Lismore, Edinburgh Northern and now Gala YM show that the team has made a good recovery after a ropey start to the league campaign. So keen were they to get some rugby before the holiday break, Gala had managed to secure the (for some) sacred turf of Netherdale for this pre-Christmas affair and it was in great condition on a pleasant afternoon.
The Trinity side were champing at the bit and dominated the early stages
with a penalty by John Spencer after 5 minutes being a fair reward for their bright start. After this, Gala got into their stride, turning over ball that should have been the visitors, and also using the driving maul to good effect, much to the frustration of Coach Wood.
However, just as it appeared that the home team were building some momentum, Trinity stand off Spencer read a move and intercepted about half way. The pacey No10 took, what seemed to the spectators, an age to touch down between the posts and then converted his own try. The remainder of the half saw Gala pressing, despite the total dominance of
the Trinity pack in the scrums, but their heads seemed to go down when two relatively simple penalty chances were missed.

Half time
Gala YM 0 Trinity Accies 10.

Trinity, now with the breeze at their backs, began to dominate the game and after a heel against the head and a 20m scrummage drive they were awarded a penalty which was kicked by Spencer.
This was followed by a try when scrum half Grant Fraser sniped round the
back of a ruck, diving in at the right hand corner. Spencer converted from the touchline and then added another 3 points from a penalty soon after.
At this point Dave Lightbody and Tom Huggard came on for Adam Begbie and
Ross Herbert.
The game seemed to be over as a contest as Trinity, without using the wide open spaces as well as they might have, continued to defend very well and keep several Gala attacks at bay including holding the ball up over the line, an effort that led to Nathan Ross twisting a knee and having to be replaced with Begbie coming back on.
Whether this disruption to the back line caused the visitors to switch off is open to debate (Kenny Campbell certainly thought that it had!) but a Gala player then drove between two defenders to claim their only try of the match which was converted.
This spurred Trinity back into action and they spent the final 10 minutes camped in the Gala half and after two failed drop goal attempts, Tom Huggard went over from close quarters, just reward for the forwards efforts. The post denied Spencer a 100% place kicking record.

Full time
Gala YM 7 Trinity Accies 28

Team
1. Murray Clouston
2. Keith Bobby
3. David Stroud
4. Angus Decker
5. Ross Herbert
6. Jamie Watts
7 Stats
8. Kenny Campbell
9. Grant Fraser
10. John Spencer
11. Scott Simpson
12. Duncan Wood
13. Nathan Ross
14. Dave Devlin
15. Adam Begbie
16. Tom Huggard
17. Dave Lightbody

So at the halfway point of the season, in their Centenary Year Trinity
Accies lie mid-table with all to play for in the New Year.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all at the club