Match Report from: ANDREW “AJ” JANCEY

Annan travelled to Cumnock on Saturday for what proved to be a physical and, at times, tense encounter, particularly during a nervy opening half in which both sides battled for control.

Cumnock were first to settle and opened the scoring on the 10-minute mark. A period of sustained pressure inside the Annan 22 eventually told, with the hosts crashing over for a converted try to take an early 7–0 lead.

The response from Annan, however, was immediate. Barely two minutes later, the ball was worked wide after strong carrying from the forwards, allowing Ryan Armstrong to power through a gap and dive over for his first try of the season. Josh Whiteside added the extras to level the scores.

The next 20 minutes saw both teams create opportunities, but with defences firmly on top. Annan’s pack began to gain parity at the breakdown, and the visitors slowly shifted the momentum as the half progressed.

Their persistence paid off when a clever kick in behind from Whiteside caused chaos in the Cumnock backfield. The inside centre showed terrific pace to chase his own kick, beating the last defender by inches to ground the ball. Although the conversion drifted wide, Annan had their first lead of the afternoon at 7–12.

With the clock ticking down towards halftime, Annan struck again. Slick hands in the backline released fullback Aaron Carmichael, who hit the line at speed and finished superbly in the corner. Whiteside nailed the touchline conversion, giving Annan a healthy 7–19 advantage at the break.

The second half began with Cumnock throwing everything at the visitors. The home side enjoyed their best spell of possession, but Annan’s defensive structure held strong, dominant tackles and solid organisation keeping Cumnock at bay.

With the pressure absorbed, Annan struck once more. Impact substitute Ben Conroy made an immediate impression, racing onto another well-weighted kick through and taking the final pass to score Annan’s fourth try of the day. Whiteside converted again, stretching the lead to 7–26 with around 15 minutes remaining.

Cumnock continued to compete and were rewarded for their efforts with a converted try five minutes from time, reducing the deficit to 14–26. However, Annan closed out the final stages professionally, denying the hosts any further scoring opportunities.

That proved to be the final act of the match, sealing a deserved 26–14 victory for Annan after a composed and clinical performance.

The squad now turn their attention to next Saturday, when they host high-flying Strathendrick at Violetbank, a stern test and another important outing in Annan’s season.

Annan Starting XV: Ryan Glass (C), Murray Forbes, Kieran Warrick, Frazer Hope, Rohan Cother, Mason Watret, Ryan Hetherington, Ryan Armstrong, Zac Stevenson, Fraser McMillan, Aitken Render, Josh Whiteside, James Kirby, Ewan Campbell, Aaron Carmichael,

Annan Subs (all used): Sean Armstrong, John James MacKay, Callum Smith, Stewart Livingston, John Glendinning, Ben Latimer, Ben Conroy