The Young Reds concluded the first half of their season with a clean sweep of Lasswade across S1, S2, S3 and U16.
You can read about the Young Reds S3s in a separate news article, but here are reports of the Young Reds S2s and S1s:
High scoring on Upper Mains Park!
Linlithgow S2 (U14) 74 – 34 Lasswade S2 (U14)
Upper Mains Park pitch was the location for the 4th Linlithgow vs Lasswade fixture of the season!
The wind was blustery but there was plenty of energy on the pitch as over 100 points were scored on both teams’ final game of 2023.
It was clear from the start that the opposition had an exceptionally strong runner whom we would need to shut down quickly. We started well with plenty of pressure on Lasswade, with Finlay putting in a solid tackle on their big runner and following some good offloading between Callum, Blair and Finlay, James was on hand to score the first try of the day, converted by Fergus (7-0).
The opposition came back strongly with some direct running but a solid turnover at the ruck gave Linlithgow the ball, which was passed down the line. A great call from Rory led to a cut inside with the ball finding Charlie who hugged the touchline to cross the line for a great try, converted by Euan (14-0).
Heads were up, we were seeing plenty of the ball, and we had the opportunity to score a could more tries but lacked the final pass to free our teammates. As previous games have shown it was only a matter of time before Lasswade would see more of the ball, and they quickly scored with their ‘big guy’ running three quarters of the pitch to score (14-7).
A few ‘words of encouragement’ to improve or tackling were delivered by the coaches and this was soundly replied with 2 big hits from Jack (who did this all day) and Ethan, and following an excellent defensive tackle from Archie, James picked up the ball also showing he could run most of the pitch not being tackled and scored! Conversion Euan (21-7).
We had practiced scrummaging in the warmup and we were dominant in this aspect all morning. A turnover at a scrum lead to our backs having the ball, handling this well with Archie crossing over for the 4th try of the half (26-7).
Sadly the team hadn’t retained the coaches tackling memo and almost immediately the big guy ran half the pitch to cross of Lasswade’s second try (26-12).
Lasswade were temporarily reduced to 14 as tempers rose toward the end of the half. Lyle took full advantage of this with a try following a tremendous dummy from the penalty giving us a strong lead at the end of the half (31-12).
We started the second half well with strong defensive pressure. A ruck steal from Finlay popped up to Rory who is pretty much unstoppable from 5 yards. Conversion by Archie (38-12). This was quickly followed by another excellent combination of tackles from Marshall and Callum, good interplay from Rory, with Ethan crossing for the try. Conversion Fergus (45-12). This was quickly followed up by tries by Archie and Charlie – very similar in nature due to their strong direct running. Conversion by Fergus and Euan (59-12).
Credit must go to Lasswade who kept their heads up, were always prepared to try various moves and were rewarded with several second half scores. They scored try of the day with a fantastic crossfield kick to the wing. These were interlaced with Linlithgow tries for James, Fergus and Callum.
We finally put a try saving tackle on the big guy after Charlie chased him down!
Things were quite hectic towards the end with tries flowing in at either end as the teams tired but the best estimate of the score by the match reporter was a 74-34 victory to Linlithgow. Squad (all playing): Ali, Archie, Blair, Callum, Charlie, Eric, Ethan McN, Euan, Fergus, Finlay, Jack, James, Jamie, Jason, Louis, Lyle, Matthew, Marshall, Rory, Will.
Stuart Ritchie
S1 with dramatic turnaround victory to finish 2023 on a high
Linlithgow S1 29 – 22 Lasswade S1
Saturday saw Lasswade return to Lower Mains Park as the Young Reds S1s looked to complete their 2023 fixtures.
After a very close match earlier in the season and a great week of training the boys were fired up and ready for action. Unfortunately as traditional slow starters, the boys took that to a whole new level to celebrate the festive season!
A disjointed first 15 minute period saw Lasswade run in 3 unanswered tries taking a convincing lead into the second period. Some soul-searching and strong words from the coaches saw the Linlithgow boys spring into life early in the second period.
At that stage S1 were 22-0 down, with a mountain to climb but the boys heads didn’t go down, they stuck together and searched for a way back into the game.
Their first try came through a clearance kick that was chased down and converted by Finlay following a scramble on the line. With points on the board their tails were up and the rugby started to flow. Calum P was a standout player combining strong tackling with powerful running. He was supported well by Gregor W who had taken to the field in the second period after struggling with illness during the week. The boys scored 3 tries in the second period to only be trailing by 3 points with 15 minutes remaining.
At that point the coaches pulled out all the stops deploying oranges and jelly babies to fuel the final 15 minutes of competitive rugby in 2023. The final period started with another try from Linlithgow and with a few minutes remaining Euan D executed a crunching challenge and the dislodged ball was picked up by Callum P who ran over to see Linlithgow win 29-22.
The scale of the comeback showcased the skills, resilience and heart that have been on display all year. It has been a big step up for the boys but the foundations are all now in place to allow them to kick on in 2024.
Try scorers were Callum P, Gregor W, Adam and Finlay with conversions slotted over by Jack S.
Paul Diamond
Linlithgow Rugby Club 