Lasswade 30 Dalziel 15

Control and teamwork earn a well deserved bonus point.

This game opened the final League run of four fixtures during March, three at home and the fourth just a short run down the road to Haddington. Although it’s unlikely that they can improve their position in the table much, this sequence of matches presents a real opportunity to end the season on a high and Lasswade grabbed that with both hands in the sort of disciplined performance that brought them into Premiership 3.

Kicking off with an influential breeze at their backs Dalziel were unable to regain possession of the ball for fully four minutes as their hosts drove patiently and steadily up the park to the half way line, putting a marker down on the rest of the game.

After a brief exchange of possession and on their first full incursion into Dalziel territory, Lasswade won their lineout five metres out and when the drive for the line was held up, recycled through three rucks until Hennessey drove over near the corner.

Traffic wasn’t all one way and just past the quarter hour a deliberately wheeled scrum gave fullback Simpson the chance to open Dalziel’s account with a well taken 40-metre penalty.

The home side continued to control most of the possession and shortly into the second quarter more close forward play allowed Robertson to crash over the line to make it 10-3.

When they could get their hands on the ball Dalziel used the wind to make ground and on the half hour set up a lineout in the Lasswade half and whipped to ball wide to the strong running opposite winger, Johnstone, who finished the move off from 20 metres out into the corner for the eventual half time score of 10-8.

With both the wind and forward dominance, Lasswade pinned the visitors in their own half throughout the third quarter but dogged defending restricted their losses to two Brown penalties.

Relentless pressure mostly from the forwards and exemplified by Lasswade’s man of the match, Donald Hearn, eventually paid off with fifteen minutes left when a deft chip over by Hennessey was chased down by Blackwood and Forrester with the latter gathering and touching down beside the posts. Brown’s conversion opened the lead to a fairly comfortable fifteen points.

Dalziel weren’t finished though and just a few minutes later Reid crossed the line and Simpson converted to put them back in touch, albeit that time was against them.

As the clock ticked down, the bonus point continued to elude the hosts until replacement Ali Elliot got the ball 30 metres out, tight on the left wing, weaved through three defenders and sidestepped the fourth and rounded off this individual effort under the posts for an easy two pointer for Brown for the final score.

The fairly sizeable home crowd will have been heartened by this return to form and will want it to continue when title-chasing Howe of Fife are the opponents at Hawthornden this Saturday. Kick-off 3pm.