Lenzie 24 – 17 Linlithgow
Saturday 19 September 2026
Report by David Mitchell with photos courtesy of Graham Black
The Reds travelled to Lenzie for this Arnold Clark National League Division 4 fixture looking to build on their 2 recent wins. Conditions were difficult for both teams with a very strong wind blowing down the length of the pitch and intermittent rain falling. A sizeable crowd was in attendance with the usual healthy number supporting the visitors.
The Reds welcomed back Ross Tulloch and Ewan Curran after injuries and Kieran Cochrane made his first start of the season.
Lenzie had the benefit of the strong wind behind them in the 1st half and most of the play was in the Reds half of the field for long spells. However, the visitors defended stoutly and carried the ball well when in possession, led by the example shown by captain Fraser Mochrie ably supported by his fellow pack members. The backs tried to play with their usual style but found it difficult to create any clear opportunities against a stuffy Lenzie defence.
Ruaridh Stewart was hit by a high tackle that led to his eventual replacement and Cammy Murrie came on to the wing with Ewan Curran moving to centre. Lenzie opened the scoring with a converted try after 30 minutes of play when their scrum half crossed the line. The Reds made another change towards half time with Calum McKeown replacing Andrew Graham.
There was no more scoring in the 1st half and with a 7-0 scoreline there was an expectation that the Reds were well positioned to overcome the deficit. Lewis McGill was on the field for the start of the 2nd half as the Reds kicked off with the elements very much in their favour.
However, the home side took charge of the game in the 1st 15minutes of the half and proceeded to score 2 tries in quick succession, both scored by their full back, to stretch their lead to 19-0. At this stage, the final replacement for the Reds was made when Stuart Cunningham joined the forward pack.
The Reds were stung into action and responded with a close range try from Euan Mochrie after sustained pressure on the Lenzie goal line. Murray Johnstone added the conversion.
It took the Reds a long time to get on the scoreboard through this Euan Mochrie try
Within 2 minutes the Reds conceded another score when a Lenzie player intercepted a pass and sprinted over for the try to make the score 24-7 with only about 10 minutes left to play. The Reds then laid siege to the Lenzie goal line and needed several attempts to score before Murray Johnstone spotted a gap and scored a try to which he added the extra points.
Murray Johnstone spots a gap in the home defence to claim a try
With only a few minutes remaining, the Reds again battered away at the home defence but could not cross their line and the game concluded with a Murray Johnstone penalty kick that took the score to 24-17 and gained a Losing Bonus Point for being within 7 points of the victors.
Murray Johnstone slots the penalty to claim a losing bonus point late in the match
Final score: Lenzie 24 – 17 Linlithgow Reds
Reds Team
Front row: Andrew Graham, Kyle Ormond, Colin Devlin
Second row: Fraser Mochrie (capt), Kai Hunter
Back row: Kieran Cochrane, Jamie Tulloch, Euan Mochrie
Half-backs: Archie Rusack, Murray Johnstone
Centres: Alfie Muir, Ruaridh Stewart
Back three: Alex Hall, Ewan Curran, Ross Tulloch
Subs (all played):
Calum McKeown, Stuart Cunningham, Lewis McGill, Cammy Murrie
Comment
A disappointing result and a below par performance from the Reds. There was a distinct lack of sharpness in some of their play and, although conditions were difficult, perhaps it needed a more tactical kicking game to be deployed i.e. getting the ball downfield quickly instead of trying to run out of defence.
The game also suffered from the seemingly huge number of penalties and other stoppages which interrupted any rhythm in the match. Lenzie received 3 yellow cards and 1 red card, but the Reds could not find a way to exploit that situation.
There was still much to like about the effort and commitment of the Reds especially in the final quarter of the game. Many of the team looked exhausted by their efforts but as a team their strong finish could not compensate for a poor 3rd quarter which saw Lenzie build an unassailable lead.
Next week the Reds host Garnock with a 3pm start where an improved performance will be required to get back to winning ways.
Man-of-the-Match Euan Mochrie in action
Linlithgow Rugby Club 