Linlithgow Reds 26 -28 Ardrossan Accies
Saturday 17 October 2026
Report by David Mitchell with photos courtesy of Graham Black
Bright sunshine, windless conditions and a good pitch greeted the teams in the latest Arnold Clark National League Division 4 fixture at Mains Park. With conditions ideal for open rugby, the large crowd was anticipating another close encounter between these 2 teams after two very close games last season. Ardrossan arrived with a 100% win record this season, but the Reds always put in strong performances against them and the home support were buoyed by the return to action of captain Fraser Mochrie and the leading player of the season Ruaridh Stewart.
After 10 minutes of early Ardrossan pressure, the home side moved up field with some great driving runs allied to good ball retention and slicker passing than seen in recent weeks. One of the Ardrossan centres was yellow carded for a deliberate knock on and this proved key in relation to the opening score of the game. Luke O’Hara took a brilliant catch close to the touchline in his own 22 metre area and set sail towards the Ardrossan half of the field before he was stopped. However, the ball was quickly recycled and moved along the back line where Aidan Rennison showed great awareness to identify the lack of numbers in the visitors’ defence and delivered a beautifully weighted long pass to Ross Tulloch who outpaced the remaining defenders to run in unopposed from halfway. Murray Johnstone added the extra points.
On the half hour mark, the visitors opened their account with the referee awarding a penalty try after a deliberate knock on by a home side player who was yellow carded for the offence. With the score at 7-7 after 30 minutes both sides were hoping to take the lead going into half time but neither side could create a scoring chance although the visitors were foiled by some excellent defence from the Reds, including a steal at a scrum when Euan Mochrie somehow emerged with the ball and Aidan Rennison added the relieving kick.
Half time 7-7
A hard fought first half with the Reds fronting up with a series of excellent drives by the forwards, good ball retention and improvements in offloading and passing accuracy when compared to recent games.
The first 20 minutes of the 2nd half were dominated by the very competent Ardrossan lineout with 3 almost identical converted tries. All 3 tries started with penalties being awarded as the home side penalty count increased, allowing kicks to the corner and enabling their excellent main lineout catcher to set up a trio of effective catch and drive moves which all resulted in converted tries. With the score at 7-28, the challenge for the Reds was to shore up their defensive efforts to avoid what could have been turned into a heavy defeat.
However not only did the visitors fail to add to their score, but the Reds also rallied and produced a grandstand finish to the game. With all 4 replacements being thrust into action a freshened-up home side began to eat into the Ardrossan lead. Aidan Mochrie completed the family hat trick by joining Fraser and Euan in the team and he produced an energetic performance. Kai Hunter continues to grow in stature with every appearance and Kieran Cochrane had some barnstorming runs as well as taking over the lineout throwing duties. Euan McCartney took over from versatile Archie Rusack and kept the ball moving smoothly along the line as well as doing some useful tidying up.
The final 10 minutes of the game produced 3 tries for the home side as they chased an unlikely win but did manage to gain a Try Bonus point and another point for finishing within 7 points of Ardrossan. Ross Tulloch scored another long-distance try when, after charging down a kick, he gathered the ball and sprinted through from just inside the Ardrossan half to score a fine individual try to which Murray Johnstone added the conversion.
The next try emanated from a great break by Ruaridh Stewart followed by some excellent linking play by many players and culminating in a most unlikely try scorer wide out on the right wing. Mobile prop forward Andrew Graham read the situation very well and realised that space existed near the touchline. He tracked the ball along the back line and glided over in the corner with a spectacular flourish. A 2nd try for Andrew after his “long-distance” effort away at Moray last season. Murray Johnstone’s touchline conversion was bang online but just failed to clear the bar.
The final home try was scored by Archie Rusack who was playing on the left wing by this stage of the game. Euan McCartney, Murray Johnstone and Ruaridh Stewart were involved in the move and when the ball was loose on the ground, Archie neatly dribbled it forward and dived over the line after securing the ball. Murray Johnstone kicked the conversion before the referee brought the game to an end with Ardrossan emerging as narrow winners of what was a very closely fought contest.
Final score :- Reds 26 Ardrossan Accies 28
Reds Team
Front row: Calum McKeown, Stuart Cunningham, Andrew Graham Second row: Lewis McGill, Fraser Mochrie Back row: Euan Mochrie, Jamie Tulloch, Mark Caddle Half-backs: Archie Rusack, Murray Johnstone Centres: Aidan Rennison, Ruairidh Stewart Back three: Luke O’Hara, Cammy Murrie, Ross Tulloch
Subs: Aiden Mochrie, Kyle Ormond, Kieran Cochrane, Euan McCartney
Comment
Overall, a much-improved performance over. The Reds showed more aggression and more accuracy than in recent weeks and, but for a slack period at the start of the second half, came close to an unlikely victory.
The scrums were evenly contested but the lineouts were strong for Ardrossan. The home defensive effort was commendable for most of the game and the attack also performed better with good flowing passages of play and improved precision and finishing.
Fraser Mochrie’s return was marked by strong leadership as well as setting an example of positive play. Player of the Match Lewis McGill covered huge amounts of ground and put in some mighty tackles as well as carrying the ball with real purpose. In the back division both centres were effective, and Ross Tulloch had a great game as he displayed power and pace in scoring his 2 tries.
Next week the Reds are away at Whitecraigs with a 3pm start.
