Winning start for U16s

By Steve Thomson

The U16 team had their first match of the season on Sunday and performed well against a big team from Gala

In weather conditions more like mid winter than August the U16 kicked off with the wind at their backs. The big Gala pack controlled the ball well and it was several minutes before any of the North Berwick lads got their hands on it. Both teams adopted game plans influenced by the weather and Gala kept it tight while North Berwick looked to spread it wide when they could.
NB were first to score through Mackle after a good handling move. Gala then won the ball back from the kick off and after several phases of play took the ball deep into home territory where their No 8 drove over. The Gala forwards continued to impose and made it difficult for the NB lads to get good possession. It was some quick thinking by Grierson at scrum half that got the home scoring moving again as he first put Elms in at the corner then, from another quick tap penalty, Mackle scored to further extend the lead. Elms then scored after a break from back-row Carmichael cleverly drew two defender before off loading. Towards the end of the half Slater scored under the posts for NB then Gala completed the scoring, again through the forwards after a good break
Half Time 31 – 10
The strong westerly was in the face of the home team at the start of the second half and the NB forwards chose to keep it in close. They pushed deep into the Gala half before moving it wide where Salisbury scored. Mackle completed his hat-trick then assisted Elms score his third as the Gala forwards tired. Gala didn’t give up and were rewarded for their efforts when they capitalised on mistakes by North Berwick. Their scores quickly cancelled out by tries from Grey and Salisbury.
After a concerning injury to a Gala player, the referee decided to shorten the game in order that he could receive first aid.
Final Score 62 – 20
Overall a good team performance however the weather meant made flowing play difficult. Both forward and back units worked well but still gave the coaches some areas to work on for the next match. The pre season fitness work also paid dividends especially during the second half.