ANNAN/MOFFAT U16 BOYS v BISHOPTON U16 BOYS
INSPIRESPORTS WEST CLUB LEAGUE
27TH OCTOBER 2024
Match Report from: James Morrison
Annan U16s welcomed Bishopton to Violetbank, eager to continue their rich vein of form, having scored 50+ points in each of their previous two games. Thanks to substantial reinforcement from Moffat and several surprise, late arrivals (get yourselves on Spond, boys), Annan were able to put together a squad of 19 to take on the 16 travelling Bishoptonians.
Both sides spent much of the opening ten minutes pushing and prodding, feeling for weaknesses and looking to manipulate each other’s defences. With the score 7-5 in Annan’s favour (captain Aaron’s try converted by Dan), the game looked to be well in the balance. However, continuous Annan pressure and strong carries resulted in too many penalties creeping into Bishopton’s game and Annan were steadily able to pull away on the scoreboard.
Half-back partners Dan and Ben R dictated the play beautifully, guiding the forwards through their phase-play and striking decisively out wide when the opportunities arose. Thanks to their control of the tempo, the Annan/Moffat backs scored four unanswered tries in the first half, with a try each for Ben R and Moffat-man Andrew followed by a brace for fellow Moffatter, Harry. As the Bishopton heads started to drop and they longed for the half-time whistle, hooker Dyllan managed one final try for the half, bringing the score to 32-5.
At half-time, Annan sought to take advantage of Bishopton’s tiring squad, sending on four pairs of fresh legs to see the game out. Most notably, Duncan came in at hooker and put in a strong performance with two frankly astonishing charges directly through the heart of the Bishopton defence.
Bishopton rallied somewhat at the start of the second half, keeping Annan at bay for a while before the floodgates opened once more and the second half played out much the same as the first with tries from Andrew, Ben R, Fin, and a brace for Moffatarian Archie.
The game ended with a resounding Annan/Moffat victory: 63-10.
Bishopton’s biggest threat came from their hard-carrying outside-centre who was able to beat several defenders each time he had the ball. Annan eventually learned to put him under pressure and target him with double-tackles. Despite this, he still managed to score two impressive tries in a solid individual performance. One to watch for the future.
Bishopton were probably their own worst enemies for much of the match, with poor discipline preventing them from gaining territory and putting unnecessary pressure on their own defence.
Said coach Gavin Graham after the match,
“Annan built on their solid defence and brought some potent attack to give a dominant performance.”
Despite the one-sided scoreline, there will be plenty for Annan to work on at training, with the support players sometimes a step or two behind the game and several missed opportunities by both teams to exploit unprotected wings.
Moffat are aiming to come down and train with Annan on a Wednesday at Galabank which will undoubtedly boost their performance in the remaining matches this season.
For now, time to celebrate a terrific result. Thanks as always to Moffat for coming over, Bishopton for coming down, and the referee for coming from wherever he came from.
Final score: Annan 63 – 10 Bishopton
Try scorers: Aaron, Dyllan, Fin, Andrew (2), Ben R (2), Harry (2), Archie (2)
Conversions: Dan (4)
Man of the match: Ben R
Annan/Moffat squad: Jack, Dyllan*, Callum*, Joe*, Fin, Finley*, Aaron (c), Archie*, Ben R, Dan, Kyle, Andrew*, Vincent*, Harry*, Lewis, Ben Q, Duncan, Bradley, Ben M.
(* – Moffat)
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