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Home win for Saints
Dumfries 39 Dunfermline 21
This was must win home game for the Dumfries team and the players started at a terrific pace and intensity. After 2 minutes referee Alasdair Marr awarded Saints a penalty for offside inside the Dunfermline 22, Jordan Kerr’s kick rebounded off the crossbar but the Saints pack were following up well and Stewart Kennedy bulldozed over for a try which Jordan Kerr converted.
Saints were dominating every area of the game and from Ali Mather stealing a lineout they set up a series of rucks before Kenny Henderson got round his man and put Vili Satalla into space to score in the corner. Jordan’s kick hit the post and went through for the conversion. 14 : 0
From a turnover by Jamie Graham on the half way line Vili Satalla broke through the defence and fed the ball to a sprinting Jordan Kerr for try at the posts, the conversion was missed. From the restart the Dunfermline tight head prop was sin binned for handling on the ground.
Kenny Henderson picked up a clearance just outside his 22 and weaved his way through the chasing Dunfermline back line to get in front of his team mates before putting it through several hands for Sam Hiddleston to finish off the try, the conversion was missed. 24 : 0
Dunfermline woke up after this and dominated the rest of the half, Gareth McCall was sin binned for offside and their loose head prop Warneford drove over for the try from a short penalty. Stand off McNeish converted to go into half time 24 : 7.
Dunfermline started the second half the way Dumfries started the first, wing Harris was coming infield looking for work and finding gaps in Saints defence. Dunfermline dominated large periods of possession and attacked with composure. Adam Prentice was next to be shown a yellow card for diving over in a ruck. Soon to be followed by Chris Wicks for offside.
Despite being down to 13 the Saints kept up the workrate and when Sam Hiddleston charged down a clearance, retrieved the ball while still in the air and touched down in the corner referee Marr called play back and awarded a penalty to Dunfermline much to dismay of the Saints and supporters. Restored to 15 men the Saints enjoyed a good period of possession. Quick thinking scrum half Jonny Campion intercepted a scrambled pass from a retreating Dunfermline scrum inside their own 22 and ran over to score a try. The conversion was missed.
Next it was Sam Hiddleston’s turn to intercept from which Chris Wicks dove for the line, the conversion was missed, 34 : 7. From a lineout inside the Saints 22 Dunfermline winger Harris took a direct route through the Saints defence to score at the posts which stand off McNeish converted.
Within minutes he did the same again this time shaking off half a dozen attempts to stop him, Mc Neish converted. Dumfermline were not going down without a flourish and within minutes stand-off McNeish waltzed through the Saints defence for a try he converted himself.
With no time left Saints mounted another attacked and from a scrum 10 metres out number 8 Mark McClatchie picked up and drove over for a final try. The conversion was missed and the game ended 39 to 21.
This was all round performance from the whole Saints squad with Man of the Match Fraser Paul putting in a particularly hard shift. Fraser is sponsored by R J McLeod.
Team: Sean Graham, Fraser Paul, Adam Prentice, Stewart Kennedy, Ali Mather, Jamie Graham, Chris Wicks, Mark McClatchie, Jonny Campion, Jordan Kerr, Vili Satala, Sam Hiddleston, Kenny Henderson, Ben Johnstone and Graeme Gemmell. Subs Michael Yates, Grant Duffy, Gareth McCall and Martin Smith.