Rugby: Dalziel’s disappointing season ends with home win

May 13 2009 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

DALZIEL Rugby Club have vowed to gain promotion out of National League Division One next season after narrowly missing out this time around to Dumfries.

The Motherwell club completed their league campaign on a high note with a convincing 36-7 victory over Berwick on Friday.

The result means they finished in third position, eight points behind Dumfries.

Howe of Fife were runaway leaders, winning all 22 of their matches.

“If Dalziel had been able to cut out some of the basic errors in their play this season then they surely would have been promoted,” the club’s honorary vice-president, Willie Talbot, said.

He also pointed out that Dalziel managed to beat Dumfries home and away, adding to their frustration at failing to make it into Premiership Division Three.

Nevertheless Talbot feels a crop of talented youngsters coming through the ranks at Dalziel gives them encouragement for the future.

He added: “Over the season, Dalziel used five boys still at school and it is hoped that next season these players - John Harris, Ross Donnachie, Kris Waters, Gavin Smith and Anton Mitchell - will make Dalziel a force to be reckoned with in National League One. Promotion will be the ultimate goal.”

Dalziel scored five tries in the re-arranged match against Berwick despite the wet conditions that made handling difficult.

Berwick started the stronger side and Dalziel were fortunate to lead in the first quarter through an Andy Hill penalty, despite having had little possession during this period.

Shortly afterwards, the home side extended their lead.

A line-out on the left was won by the Dalziel forwards who set up a driving maul. The ball was fed wide to winger Fraser Duguid, who sprinted past his opposite number.

His pace then saw him ghost past the full-back to score under the posts. Andy Hill slotted the extra points.

Their second score was also from a line-out.

From the quickly taken setpiece on the 22-metre line, slick passing between Craig Simmonds, Andy McLaren and then Fraser Duguid saw centre Barry Turnbull scamper down the left wing.

Berwick gave up the chase and Turnbull had the easy task of scoring behind the posts. Again Andy Hill kicked the conversion to give Dalziel a 17-0 half-time lead.

Dalziel scored their third try after the break. From a scrum 30 metres out, the Dalziel backs attacked the visitors’ goal-line.

Full-back Robert Simpson came into the line between the outside centre and his left winger.

Despite being close to the touchline, he managed to dive early and his momentum in the wet conditions allowed him to score in the corner.

Anton Mitchell, making his debut for the 1st XV, scored Dalziel's fourth try, which secured a bonus point.

After good work from the forwards, stand-off Ross McAuley fed an inside pass to winger Mitchell who ran in from 10 metres for the try, with Hill kicking the conversion.

Barry Turnbull finished off an excellent all-round team effort to score the home side’s fifth try of the evening before Berwick manufactured a well-executed consolation try in the dying minutes.