Birkmyre Rugby Club

Position	Team	Played	W	D	L	F : A	Diff.	Bonus	Points
1	Birkmyre RFC	14	11	0	3	306:171	135	6	50
2	Isle of Mull RFC	10	9	0	1	325:73	252	6	42
3	Braidholm RFC	12	8	0	4	308:236	72	8	40
4	Hyndland RFC	13	6	1	6	207:237	-30	7	33
5	Bishopton RFC	12	6	5	4	207:152	55	5	31
6	Lanark RFC	12	4	0	8	140:202	-62	5	21
7	Renfrew RFC	14	2	1	11	134:341	-207	5	15
8	Mid Argyll RFC	11	1	1	9	63:278	-215	1	7

Saturday, 05 September 2009
	14:45	Birkmyre	10	:	6	Bishopton
Saturday, 12 September 2009
	15:00	Birkmyre	38	:	10	Lanark
Saturday, 19 September 2009
	15:00	Birkmyre	25	:	0	Renfrew
Saturday, 26 September 2009
	15:00	Mid Argyll	10	:	30	Birkmyre
Saturday, 03 October 2009
	15:00	Birkmyre	P	:	P	Mull RFC
Saturday, 10 October 2009
	15:00	Hyndland	27	:	22	Birkmyre
Saturday, 17 October 2009
	15:00	Birkmyre	20	:	31	Braidholm
Saturday, 24 October 2009
	15:00	Bishopton	P	:	P	Birkmyre
Saturday, 31 October 2009
	14:00	Lanark	0	:	6	Birkmyre
Saturday, 07 November 2009
	14:00	Renfrew	3	:	24	Birkmyre
Saturday, 05 December 2009
	14:00	Birkmyre	25	:	7	Mid Argyll
Saturday, 12 December 2009
	14:00	Mull RFC	P	:	P	Birkmyre
Saturday, 16 January 2010
	14:00	Birkmyre	P	:	P	Hyndland
Saturday, 23 January 2010
	14:00	Braidholm	14	:	24	Birkmyre
Saturday, 23 February 2010
	14:00	Birkmyre	18	:	14	Mull RFC
Saturday, 27 March 2010
	14:00	Mull RFC	18	:	0	Birkmyre
Saturday, 10 April 2010
	14:00	Birkmyre	50	:	26	Hyndland
Saturday, 17 April 2010
	15:00	Bishopton	5	:	14	Birkmyre

Saturday, 17th April 2010: Birkmyre vs. Bishopton - P. Haveron

Well we did not get the bonus point but we did get the win. 14 points to 5 over a stuffy and competitive Bishopton team. Attending on the day were some officials from the SRU and it looks odds on that they will be penalized for a non show last week. This means they cannot catch us so it is PROMOTION TIME for the first time in 15 years.
A match report will follow in a few days, but in the meantime well done to everyone who played, spectated (what a good turn out we had on Saturday) and officiated.

Saturday, 10th April 2010: Birkmyre vs. Hyndland - P. Haveron

A 7 try (50 to 26) win over Hyndland was without doubt our best performance of the season. Made all the better in that it extinguished memories of our early season reversal to the same side; and we were able to play a great running game of rugby in front of a sunbathed capacity crowd at the Stadium of Light. This was helped by the consistent and understanding contribution from referee McInally, who had an excellent game. It was also helped by the fact that most players did not seem to have the usual hangovers this week.

The match could not have started any better in that after less than a minute, a mix up in the Hyndland defence allowed Johnny (Jenson) Dobson to pounce onto a loose ball to score a try in only his second game for the club. This may have been Hyndland’s mistake but you can only score tries like this if you are putting pressure on your opposition. A second try soon followed after an individual break from Derek McCombe who scored under the posts. The latter player went on to convert 5 of the seven tries plus a penalty during the afternoon, some from way out on the flanks, to grab a personal total of 18 points.

Two more tries followed before the break, one from the excellent Davy Armour, who again led from the front, and one from Ruaridh Pinkerton who also selected Saturday to play his best game for Birkmyre. The half time score read 31 to 5 after Hyndland scored a try themselves.

Coach Black was reluctant to make too many changes too early into the second half, particularly after the memories of our second half collapse earlier on in the season to Hyndland. So with the same team taking to the park for the second half it was business as usual as two more tries were scored from Graeme Wilson and another from Davy Armour. It was at this point that we decided to rest key players and we felt that we had enough to make a mass substitution. This type of situation always interrupts the flow of play while the new men get up to speed and every new player gave their all with some excellent performances.

Hyndland were able to come more into the game at this point and scored 3 tries of their own to secure a bonus point, although Birkmyre had the last word with a late Stewart Clark try following an excellent 80 yard run from the pirouetting David Carruth. This final try was converted by Kevin Stevenson to bring up the 50. (How good is it to see this player return after injury?)

It is not often we have the luxury of reporting on the quality of the Birkmyre rucking and continuity play, but it was there for all to see on Saturday, and a special mention must also go to Charlie McCarthy who dominated the line out. Whilst the players mentioned are worthy of note this was a team performance from numbers 1 to 22.

Saturday, 27th March 2010: Birkmyre vs. Mull - P. Haveron

Saturdays 18 to nil loss to Mull has definitely been a set back, however we must admit that on the day the better team won. Birkmyre travelled well and the warm up showed that we had expectations for the game. Even the first 5 minutes showed we were very serious about why we were there, but several good attacks were thwarted by strong Mull tackling. A feature of their play they showed well during the entire game.

Our progress was not helped by the loss of Derek McCombe early in the game following an accidental head injury, and whilst all our players rallied around, it clearly upset our rhythm. There followed probably our poorest half hour of the season where Mull took advantage with two unconverted tries and a penalty. This was followed by another try just after the half which basically ended the game there and then.

To be fair Birkmyre had a better second half and as reported Mull had to tackle strongly to keep their line from being crossed. Unfortunately a lot of our efforts lacked the penetration we would have preferred and the game ended with Mull taking the spoils.

On the plus side the trip home was as usual eventful. However best not to be reported in print. We have a rest week this saturday, followed by Hyndland at home on the 10th. Training will be on Tuesday night, please attend.

Saturday, 23 February 2009: Birkmyre vs. Mull - P. Haveron

Saturday was a must win game for the club with Mull having gone through the season so far undefeated. With Birkmyre Park under 8 inches of snow we were very grateful to the generosity of our friends at Greenock Rugby Club who lent us their facilities for the day.

The game could not have started in better fashion for us with a try from the off from Wallace Muir. This came from a very accurate throw from Molsy, (who played superbly all day), and a clean catch from Chris Carruth. These two combined all day to give us regular line out ball, in addition to frequently disrupting the opposition line out. Mull were a very efficient team and have clearly recruited well, and with the wind behind them put a lot of pressure on the Birkmyre defence. Their clearly able kicker was off target with two early attempts which would have been psychological with regard to keeping the scoreboard ticking over. As it was two further kicks did meet with success giving them a brief 6 to 5 point lead. However another well worked Wallace Muir try restored the lead and with an exchange of penalties we went into the half 12 to 9 ahead.

With the wind now behind us we felt the second half may allow us to extend the lead but Mull played a strong 40 minutes to keep the game in the balance. An early excellent 40 yard penalty from Derek McCombe gave us some breathing space but with 10 minutes to go Mull scored a try and had a very kickable conversion to take the lead. Luckily for us this was missed, and a late penalty saw us narrowly home.

Great performances all round with Davy, Fraser and Wallace dominant in the back row. Other forwards of note on the day were Craig Chris and Molsy, although as is often the entire pack played their part including all the subs. One footnote which is well worth making is that in such a competitive game we finished with all our young lads on the park, Ruaridh, David and Martin, and they all contributed to the team win, and can be proud of themselves for playing up to this standard.

With no other games in our league played on Saturday we now return to the top of the league on merit. With 3 games to go we are definitely in contention.

Saturday, 23 January 2010: Birkmyre vs. Braidholm - P. Haveron

Saturday was a very tough day at the office for everyone, but a very satisfying day with a vital result going our way. The game pitted first against second in the league, and as we were 2 points behind going into the game a win was very important in setting our stall out for the rest of the season. A loss would have put us a long way behind, but a win meant we can now look forward to a competitive end to the season, and with the right attitude we have the potential to secure a strong finish. Birkmyre won this tie 24 points to 14.

The game was played on the main pitch at GHA Rugby Club, which is like 2 of our pitches tacked together, and certainly not a track we are used to. Both teams started strongly and the possession over the first 30 minutes was very even. In fact the only score in the half came from Derek McCombe’s boot from a penalty. Braidholm had a couple of chances to equalize however their kicker just missed with his attempts. A sour point during this part of the game was the fact that we lost the services of centre Graeme Wilson following an off the ball incident. Graeme is playing very well at the moment and was not a player we wanted to lose at that time. However the rest of the team upped their game following this and several inroads were made into the opposition territory.

The second half started much as the first had ended, however one aspect where Birkmyre started to dominate was in the line out. Good throwing from first of all Sam and then Jonny, saw Robin and Chris dominate this area of the game, and both of these young players deserve praise for securing so much ball. (Birkmyre dominate the line outs, I struggled to believe this myself, but well done to all concerned).

Constant pressure paid off and a try followed from Boots which once converted by Derek from near the touchline brought the score to 10 nil. Unfortunately Boots was injured whilst scoring his try from a careless challenge and he also had to leave the field and make his way to the RAH. Some subsequent handbags saw Birkmyre reduced to 14 men for a 10 minute period, and this was not helped by players having to play out of position. Braidholm sensed their opportunity here and scored two quick tries, both form defensive mistakes from our team. 14 to 10 down was not a good position but this was literally Braidholms last positive contribution to the game. Birkmyre dominated possession and two tries followed from Wallace Muir and Ruaridh Pinkerton, and Derek again added the extra’s from difficult positions. In fact we nearly stole the bonus point when Charlie B nearly went over from the last move of the game.

This was a win which showed a great deal of character and great credit goes to captain and man of the match Davy Armour who led from the front. All 19 players used were magnificent and played their part, and it was great to see Ryan Rodgers making a comeback towards the end of the game.

Saturday, 7 November 2009: Birkmyre vs. Renfrew - P. Haveron

With all the other games in our section being called off on Saturday, Birkmyre were able to consolidate their second place position in the league with a bonus point win away to Renfrew. Whilst this result helped us to achieve our objective for the day, Renfrew as usual, and to their credit, made life difficult for us, and forced us to work hard for our result. We were also again hit by the “Birkmyre Centre Threequarter Disease” early in the game with Niall Campbell unable to continue with an injury. This is two weeks in a row we have lost a player in this position early in the game.

Whilst Birkmyre had the more agile team, the early period of the game proved frustrating as the heavier Renfrew pack made it difficult for us to retain as much possession as we would have preferred. In fact the home team deservedly took the lead with a penalty goal after about 15 minutes of the game. Thankfully this helped to motivate the Birkmyre team, and an excellent backs move, coupled with some fine individual skills saw centre Graeme Wilson cross under the posts for a try converted by Dougie Harvey.

This could have opened the gates for more scores but Renfrew were having none of it and their defence proved frustratingly able right up to a minute before half time. A clearance kick missed touch and a fine counter attack from Stewart Clark eventually saw Alex Fraser cross in the corner to make the half time score 12 points to 3.

Renfrew again made life difficult in the second half with a number of opportunities from Birkmyre just not being converted into points. It was at least 15 minutes before winger David Carruth crossed over for our third try, which was soon followed by another from Alex Fraser to secure the bonus point. (Dougie again provided the afters). There were opportunities for more points which unfortunately did not materialise, and in fact Birkmyre were able to show they had some good defensive qualities following some late pressure from Renfrew.

This result brings us closer to the top of the league, and we will be looking to go one better when the league games resume again in December. In the meantime our attention turns to the Scottish Cup and to the Autumn internationals.

Saturday, 31 October 2009: Birkmyre vs. Lanark - P. Haveron

Our day at Lanark did not start well. With several players unavailable and a few more crying off overnight, it was a reduced squad which arrived at lanark's ground. The squad was reduced even further by the fact that a few more players got lost and arrived late making the warm up ineffective.

Anyway the game started with Birkmyre enjoying a stiff breeze behind them, and this allowed them to settle. Lanark, particularly in their back division were liverly and it took some sterling defense from several players to stem what could have been a tide of attacks. Gareth Henry and Graeme Wilson were very effective during this part of the game, as they were for the whole match. Craig Malcolm was also making inroads into the Lanark half and it was clear by this stage confidence was growing. Sadly we lost Michael Degnan in the early stages to what has now been diagnosed as a broken ankle, and we hope this talented young player makes a swift recovery.

The half was fairly even and the only difference was 2 Birkmyre penalties kicked by Dougie Harvey, something I suspect he has not done for a few years. Going into the second half against the wind and only 6 points up the bookies had stopped taking bets, and it looked like it was going to be a long half for Birkmyre. However a bit of spirit arose and everyone dug in. Lanark were the main attacking team for the first 20 minutes, but clearly the stronger finishers were Birkmyre. A perfect example was the performance from young Chris Carruth who had by far his best performance in Birkmyre shirt.

The final whistle brought a mixture of relief and elation, and an ugly win on the road was very much enjoyed. Well done to all.

Saturday, 17 October 2009: Birkmyre vs. Bradholm - P. Haveron

A tough encounter against the league leaders on saturday went against Birkmyre in the end, but the result could easily have been very different.

Braidholm are a young and eager outfit, and it as this enthusiasm which saw them through at the end. Unfotunately for us they scored 5 tries and we really were caught out on 3 of them by handing over very costly mistakes.

Birkymyre had a lot of the early play and it was no surprise that they went 7 nil up from a try from Alex Fraser, this followed a beautiful run from Charlie McCarthy. Braidholm scored next against the run of play from a breakaway where we were caught sleeping a bit. They followed this by a good try just short of half time to go in 14 to 7 up.

Birkmyre responded quickly with another try from new try king Alex and Derek added the extras to level the scores. Another gift to Braidholm followed giving them 19 points which Derek narrowed to a 2 point lead with a well struck penalty. Another Braidholm try pushed the gap to 7 which was again reduced to 4 from a Derek drop goal. Birkmyre pressure at this time really put the game on a knife edge, however with Birkmyre throwing everything at trying to win the game, another mistake led to a final Braidholm try allowing us to finish with nothing to show from a great effort. Braidholm worked hard for their victory, and well done to them for it.

The game ended on a sour note with a very dangerous tackle on Alex leading to a red card to the ungratious Braidholm full back.

Saturday, 10 October 2009: Hyndland vs. Birkmyre - P. Haveron

At the 39th minute of this game, it would not have been arogant to predict a bonus point win against Hyndland on saturday, however the next 41 minutes were not our best, to say the least.

The game started well with Birkmyre showing top of the table form, and cruising to a 22 to nil lead. A superb early try from Charlie McCarthy sent out a message that we meant business and this was soon followed by a well struck penalty from Kevin Stevenson. Two further tries followed from Kevin and Charlie again, although I am sure Hyndland would have been disappointed with their defensive work during this period of the game. Hence our 22 to nil lead.

Hyndland scored just before half time and to honest there should have been no alarm bells at that stage. However their pack dominated the second half and they scored 4 more tries. It was only with about a minute to go that they took the lead but that was only because they could not get any kicks over from their earlier tries.

In the end they deserved their win and it is back to the drawing board for us.

Saturday, 26 September 2009: Mid Argyle vs. Birkmyre - P. Haveron

An away win over Mid Argyle by 30 points to 10 keeps Birkmyre at the top of the league with 18points. We are 3 points ahead of Braidholm who are also undefeated, with the rest of the teams trailing behind.

Away games to distant shores can sometimes put a strain on availability but Birkmyre managed to get 21 players up to Lochgilphead on Saturday. Coupled with 9 other spectators and coaching staff this was quite a turn out. Well done and many thanks to all who made the trip.

The score looks as if we may have had an easy game of it, however the tale of the game was very different. Mid Argyle were a lively and committed outfit who made us work extremely hard for our victory. They scored a penalty very early on and were leaving Birkmyre very little of the available possession. It took a trademark drop goal from Derek McCombe to get us back on even terms, and it was not until sometime later that we were delighted to see Wallace Muir cross the line fpr a try which was converted by Derek.

This was how the score remained until well after the hour mark when increased pressure, (and some players deciding they had better start moving a little more quickly) alowed us to score two quick penalties to give us a small comfort zone.

Mid Argyle were clearly tiring at this time with a limited pool of players, and in the last 15 minutes Birkmyre scored two good tries from Alex Fraser and captain for the day Iain Ferguson. Mccombe completed the scoring by converting both scores.

Man of the Match for Birkmyre was Graeme Wilson who played at both centre and flanker on the day.

Saturday, 19 September 2009: Birkmyre vs. Renfrew - P. Haveron

Saturday's 25 to nil win over Renfrew, (with a bonus point included) gives us a 4 point lead at the top of the league. The next team to us are Braidholm who are undefeated after only 2 games played. Our win on Saturday was especially satisfying as it as achieved without several key players and this meant many other players had to take on extra responsibilities and "stand up to the plate" as it were. We went in to the game without Sam, Gareth, Charlie McC, Niall, Fraser, Niall, Dougie Callum Hall and Ryan; in addition to the long term injured Dug and Cliff.

It was worrying during the warm up, and indeed during the early stages of the game that our players seemed to lack the confidence that they should have had to do well. However a couple of probing positional kicks from out half for the day Kevin, gave the pack the confidence to take on their heavier opposition and gain the upper hand. Every player played his part on the day, but in the pack OD had one of his best games for a long time, and I cannot even remember him giving away any penalties. Captain Dave was immense and Wallace is like a fine wine getting better with age.

Two tries were quickly scored by our speedy young wingers David Carruth and Ruaridh, who are certainly getting to know where the try line is. With 4 tries in 4 games David " The TRY King" Carruth is collecting more white lines at the minute than Amy Winehouse. Our third try came just before half time from Wallace, which gave us a half time lead of 15 points to nil.

The second half had no longer started when Andy Hardie, (good to see him back in a Birkmyre shirt), crossed the line following an excellent blind side break from Fergie. Kevin added a conversion and an excellent long range penalty to finish off the day. There were no more scores in the game, but we had already achieved our bonus point win.

Man of the match was a close run thing, with several worthy candidates. Wallace, OD Captain Dave and Kevin all deserved mention for solid games, but the powers that be decided on vice skip Fergie who put in a solid and creative 80 minutes. However it must be quoted from Coach John that "no one in a Birkmyre shirt failed to deliver today"

Saturday, 12 September 2009: Birkmyre vs. Lanark - P. Haveron

Two games and two wins keeps us on schedule for our early season objectives, and this week we had a much more comfortable win than last week. We also had many more players available which makes life easier. It is keeping players available for every Saturday which will help us to achieve our goal, so a plea to all……………..please keep your Saturday’s as free as you can.

This game started at a good pace with the Birkmyre pack, including one Niall Campbell at prop, dominating proceedings. The only downside was the early serious injury to Ryan Rodgers, and we can only hope this knee injury is not serious. An early try from "JP Mccarroll" settled the nerves, and this was after a sucessful penalty was converted by Derek. Another try soon followed from Sam Cook again following some excellent forward work.

The usual Birkmyre lull then took place and this was not helped by a bad ankle injury to Gareth Henry, again we wish him a speedy recovery. However a good backs try finished off from the Try King David Carruth on his wrong wing gave us a good comfort score at half time of 21 to nil. Not only is it great to see David scoring tries, but this came from a 2 handed pass from Ruaridh Pinkerton, progress indeed!

With several substitutions in the second half, and fatigue settling in, it was inevitable that the flow of our performance would be effected, however the players who came on all accounted well for themselves. Lanark scored 2 tries of their own in this period, but Birkmyre still responded with 3 more from Sam and Alex x 2. Kevin Stevenson added a conversion.

A sound win which now places us at the top of the league. How do we stay there???? Well I think we all know the answer, keep Tuesdays and Saturdays free. The lights are not yet connected so this weeks training will again be at the Astro on Gryffe Road.

Saturday, 05 September 2009: Birkmyre vs. Bishopton - P. Haveron

The usual Birkmyre start of season availability problems were there for all to see on Saturday. Several players were genuinely unavailable for the game, in addition to 5 legitimate cry offs on Friday and Saturday. It was enough to make several old men cry as they stood by the pitch on Saturday, phones in hand calling up every hospice, nursing home and mortuary in the area for some help.

Credit to all those who made themselves available, and also to those who answered the rallying call. JP McCarroll turned up as did Mark Gillies and Niall Campbell, broken hand and all. Martin Whyte changed his plans and managed to get down and Big Matt came to the rescue when Alex's car broke down. And yet again we had great support from young boys Ruaridh and Michael, who we hope to see registered to play soon. Even the president stripped out on the day just in case. Finally we had a team with some cover.

As to the game itself, this is where comment becomes a little more difficult. A lack lustre Birkmyre performance and one where there was not as much enthusiam and noise as we can usually muster. Bishopton could only field 14 men and it was unanimous that from the sidelines that they seemed to want the win more than us. They scored two very well taken drop goals on the day, and our only early reply was from an excellent penalty from Derek McCombe.

However that usual first match defeat was not to happen this year and with minutes to go, and 6 points to 3 down it was left to the new try machine David Carruth to slip in with the winning score. A win is a win as they say but this was not one to crow about. That said it is scraping games like this which can build foundations for the season. Next week we will be looking for a better performance against Lanark which is again at our park.