SHE Semi Final Match Report

Melrose 27 v Haddington 20

On a glorious April afternoon in Melrose, Haddington supporters turned up in their droves to cheer on the rugby club in their quest to reach the main cup competition at Murrayfield for the first time in their history. Melrose at the Greenyards is a daunting prospect for most sides but Haddington were quietly confident after despatching West of Scotland and Dundee in previous rounds, however, this was a different proposition altogether with so much at stake for both clubs. Melrose are the current Cup holders and were on a rich vein of form having lost only once since the turn of the year, whilst Haddington had only recently started to display the kind of potential that has been missing for much of the season.

The local pipe band and a large vocal crowd greeted the players as they emerged through the tunnel and onto the pitch. Once the action got underway it was Melrose who showed their intent by taking the game to Haddington from the off and were rewarded within 2 minutes via a penalty from stand off Scott Wight after the Scarlets midfield had strayed offside. 3 – 0. Melrose had all the early running as Haddington looked as if the occasion had possibly affected a number of the players and although they defended well from wave after wave of attack, they couldn’t expect to get through the next eighty minutes with such a high tackle count.

A foot in touch and some great defensive work by prop, Gary Glass on the opposition winger kept the scoreline at 3 – 0 up until the 25 minute mark, however, the inevitable happened when a David Whiteford try gave the hosts a bit breathing space. From a 5m scrum, a breakdown in communication allowed the centre an easy stroll in under the posts. Wight’s conversion moved them 10 points clear, although Haddington could have been facing a far bigger margin by this stage if they hadn’t defended so well to keep Melrose at bay. The first sign of a belief from the Haddington players came at the next kick off when Callum Cockburn and Mark Morrison combined to isolate the Melrose player and force the penalty. The reliable Jamie Peters got Haddington’s first points with the boot. 10 – 3.

Winger, Neil Watt was another standout during the first half onslaught with some bone-crunching tackles on his opposite number, one such tackle causing a turnover and a second penalty attempt for Peters, unfortunately it dropped just under the crossbar on this occasion.

As half time approached Wight kicked two further penalties to stretch their lead to 16 – 3, although Haddington at last gave the crowd something to cheer about when Callum Mark broke free and raced clear into the Melrose 22 before being hauled down from behind allowing Melrose to recover the situation. On the stroke of half time Mark Morrison was yellow carded for entering the ruck from the side, giving the referee little option but to bin him and leave Haddington facing an uphill struggle at the start of the second half.

Half Time: Melrose 16 Haddington 3

Whatever coach Eddie Pollock said to the players at half time it seemed to have the desired effect because Haddington came out and started to show the large crowd why they had made it thus far in the competition. There was a renewed belief as they began running at Melrose and it was now the turn of the hosts to defend their line as the Scarlets went toe to toe with them. A kickable penalty in front of the Melrose posts could have reduced the deficit, however, Haddington took a quick tap and the ball was transferred to winger Callum Cockburn who just lost possession as he was tackled in the act of scoring. Although the try wasn’t scored, this had the Haddington crowd on their feet again and lifted the players into believing they could turn this match around. Melrose prop, Richard Higgins was sent to the bin for a late tackle on Peters as the hosts became rattled by a vibrant Haddington side that was now taking the game to them, although Melrose were clever enough to take any chances that came their way and on both visits into Haddington territory in the third quarter of the match came away with penalties through Wight to move them 22 –3 ahead and leave Haddington always playing catch up. On the flipside Peters was unfortunate to see one penalty attempt come back off the uprights as luck seemed to have deserted the Scarlets at times, although he did make amends with his next attempt after Melrose were penalised for not rolling away in the tackle. 22 - 6.

Haddington finally broached the hosts line when a scrum to Haddington was lifted by No.8 Derek O’Riordan and as the ball went loose Sam Johnson was first to pounce and race in between the sticks. Peters added the extras and it was game on at 22 – 13. The Scarlets plight was short lived though as they shot themselves in the foot by not retaining the next kick off allowing Melrose to punish them by moving the ball wide to the speedy Jordan Macey to touch down and quash any hopes Haddington had of a fightback. Wight missed the difficult conversion but at 27 – 13 it looked an unassailable lead as the match moved into the final quarter. Haddington began to run everything and showed sublime handling and running skills to continually breach the Melrose defence, Peters was at the heart of the move that eventually led to a second Haddington try when substitute prop Dougie Orr forced his way over after numerous breenges. Peters nailed an excellent conversion to move Haddington to within a converted try of taking the game into extra time. 27 – 20.

Melrose again tried to hit back immediately but were repelled this time by the Haddington rearguard as the hosts tried to give themselves a cushion to see out the match. As the game moved into stoppage time, Haddington ran the ball from their own try line and as they made huge inroads into the Melrose half and created an overlap, the crowd anticipated a dramatic end to the match but it was not to be as the ball slipped out of Haddington’s clutches and the resultant knock on brought an end to an excellent game of rugby, with the hosts no doubt happier to hear the final whistle than the visitors.

Haddington stayed out on the pitch long after the match had ended to savour the occasion that they had played a major part in. Melrose must have wondered what had hit them with the huge travelling support that had journeyed down from East Lothian and the Club know they had earned the respect of their more illustrious counterparts on a day that will live in the memories of the players and supporters for a long time to come.

As the curtain comes down on the 15 a-side season for Haddington, a disappointing league campaign has been quickly forgotten by the performances in the cup and with the realisation by the players of their undoubted potential after this performance, and should act as the catalyst for them to make a serious assault on Premier 2 next season.

April 23, 2009
HADDINGTON TEAM V MELROSE
15 JAMES WARREN

11 CALLUM COCKBURN 14 NEIL WATT

13 DONALD SNODGRASS (c)

12 CALLUM MARK

10 JAMIE PETERS

9 SAM JOHNSON

8 DEREK O'RIORDAN

7 MARK MORRISON 6 NEIL RODGER

5 QUINTON CAULFIELD 4 ROSS MARTIN

1 CRAIG ADAM 2 CRAIG HARRISON 3 GARY GLASS

16 CRAIG SAMUEL

17 DOUGIE ORR

18 BOB SNODGRASS

19 NICK BELL

April 19, 2009
SHE Quarter Final Match v Dundee HSFP

Haddington 39 v Dundee HSFP 16

Haddington turned in their best performance of the season to destroy Premier 2 champions Dundee in the quarter final of the Scottish Hydro Electric Cup on Saturday.

The Haddington coaches had reverted back to their seasoned campaigners for the crucial clash and made eight changes from the side beaten the previous week in the league match with Dundee. In perfect playing conditions the supporters were duly treated to an exhilarating game of rugby that produced seven tries in total, with six of them coming from the home side.

Haddington came out of the blocks the fastest and Dundee were struggling from the first minute to contain the Neilson Park men. There was a speed to everything Haddington did and quick ruck ball was creating space for the dangerous runners to exploit.

Neil Watt was first on the score sheet with only 5 minutes played, Captain Donald Snodgrass created the space before feeding the livewire winger who still had to beat two defenders on his way to the tryline. Jamie Peters missed with his first kick. 5 - 0.

Three minutes later the lead was increased to 12 – 0. A great take at the lineout by Quinton Caulfield was quickly spread wide with Snodgrass and James Warren both involved before the latter offloaded to the supporting Callum Cockburn to pounce for a second try right out of the top drawer. Peters added the extras on this occasion. Dundee responded with a penalty by Barry Jones to keep them in the hunt at 12 – 3, although Peters redressed the balance with a penalty for the home side soon after. 15 – 3. The supporters could hardly take their eyes off the action as Haddington continued to press the visitors. Cockburn came close again after charging down a kick and just lost possession in the tackle as he looked to touch down, however, the next try was not long in coming. The Haddington pack were totally dominant in the set pieces and from a solid scrum Peters made the initial break before prop Craig Adam carried on the move and once he had sucked in the defenders released the energetic Sam Johnston to race home for an excellent score to increase the lead to 20 – 3 with still only the first quarter of the match having been played. Craig Harrison was yellow carded for indiscipline on 35 minutes and Jones kicked the resultant penalty to reduce the deficit to 20 – 6, however, even with 14 players Haddington never sat back. They continued to take the game to Dundee with the forwards hugely prominent with their driving play and it was no surprise that another Haddington try was added before the break. After several darts at the visitors line it was Snodgrass who eventually took the direct route and stretched over for a fourth home try on the stroke of half time. Peters again kicked the conversion.

Half Time: Haddington 27 – Dundee 6

Dundee narrowed the gap within a few minutes of the restart with another Jones penalty as they battled to get back into the match, however, the game was beyond doubt after 50 minutes with a fifth try for the Scarlets. From scrum ball, Callum Mark, who was back to his best, cut a great line and fended off a couple of tacklers on his way to a terrific individual effort. The reliable boot of Peters added the conversion as Haddington were now coasting at 34 – 9.

On 55 minutes a charge down kick enabled Dundee good field position from which they got their consolation try, scored by the impressive Aubrey Horton who had looked dangerous throughout. Jones added the conversion to trail 34 – 16 going into the last quarter. Dundee had their best spell during the next 10-minute period but Haddington defended stoutly and once the ball was cleared down the park, with it went any hopes of a revival. The referee yellow carded Callum Mark for falling over on the wrong side of a ruck, however, with Haddington competing vigorously at the breakdown it again seemed harsh as the home side had looked to have turned over another ball. Haddington continued to play with the same intensity for the remainder of the match as they had started and after several surges towards the Dundee line over a sustained spell of pressure it was left to sub Bob Snodgrass to snatch his second try in as many weeks from half a yard out, which is about his distance nowadays. Peters missed the conversion as the referee brought an end to the highly entertaining encounter. The main difference for the Scarlets from today than throughout the season was that the possession and territory Haddington enjoyed was turned into points and the lack of finishing prowess had returned with a vengeance.

The squad deserves all the plaudits with this performance and now have the mouth-watering prospect of a trip to the Greenyards next Saturday to face Premier One side Melrose for a place in the final. Kick Off 3pm.

A supporters bus is being organised for the trip, therefore, keep a lookout on the website for further details.

April 13, 2009
PL Sevens - Sat 11th April
Haddington showed up fairly well considering the lack of playing resources available to the Club at the weekend. A squad made up mainly of Colts won two out of their four matches played at the Pennypit. They were unlucky to lose their final pool match to Rodent Barbarians by a single score but that ultimately knocked them out of the main competition. The Rodents, who are a guest side made up from several of the Edinburgh Clubs, were the eventual winners.

April 12, 2009
1st XV Match Report v Dundee HSFP

Dundee 34 v Haddington 17

Haddington travelled to Mayfield on Saturday to play their final league match of the campaign against the Premier 2 champions Dundee. With one eye on next weekend’s quarter-final match against the same opponents at Neilson Park, Haddington took the opportunity to blood some of the younger players that have been knocking on the door this season.

In near perfect conditions the Scarlets started the match well and hemmed Dundee back in their own half for the first ten minutes but disappointingly came away with nothing to show for their early efforts. Dundee then showed why they top the league and began applying their own pressure on Haddington and with their first real spell of pressure came away with a try by winger, Dougie Gray to take a 5 – 0 lead. The Taysiders doubled their tally soon after with a try by flanker, Robin Cessford who was at the end of some strong forward play. 10 – 0.

Colt, Alex Spence was introduced to the fray after 25 minutes and showed his potential by having a major impact on the rest of the game. Barry Jones kicked a penalty for Dundee to increase their lead to 13 – 0, however, Spence soon started to have an influence as he won a penalty for Haddington from the kick off with a thumping tackle on his opponent. Jamie Peters kicking the 3 points. On 35 minutes another Colt with a big future, Sam Atkin was given his chance after winger Neil Watt limped off with an ankle injury. Haddington then had a strong finish to the half with Euan Herkes and Graham Dykes combining for the latter to bulldoze his way over for a deserved try. Peters added the conversion to move them within 3 points of Dundee at 13 –10.

Half Time: Dundee 13 Haddington 10

Ben Inglis came on at half time for the hard working Callum Elliot at hooker and both players fared well in the forward exchanges during their forty-minute appearances. Haddington had a good spell of territory after half time, although again, came away with nothing whilst Dundee were clinical whenever they got any half-chances. The next 10 minutes cost Haddington any chance of winning the match with some slack defending. Firstly, the Dundee stand off Cammy Ferguson ghosted through a gap and outpaced the Haddington cover to score a great individual try, which was soon followed by a loose Scarlets scrum being disrupted and No.8 Danny Levison pouncing to add a quick second try and to make matters even worse a third came moments later through flanker, Chris Cumming who picked up a loose Haddington pass to run in unopposed from 30 metres. Barry Jones kicked all three conversions to put the Taysiders well in the clear at 34 – 10.

Haddington were stunned but soon got their act together and with young Spence stealing some great ball in the tight, it was soon the turn of Atkin to get in on the act as he showed his pace by twice leaving his opponent for dead with some deft footwork. A foot in touch was all that kept him from scoring a deserved try on his debut. With Haddington finishing the stronger it came as no surprise that they added another score. Captain for the day, Bob Snodgrass came up from a pile of bodies with the ball after several breenges by the forwards. Peters kicked the conversion as the game moved into the closing stages. Haddington could have finished with another try as Ben Inglis was inches from barging over but it wasn’t to be as the referee blew for time.

Haddington were pleased with the players that came into the side and showed that they can help spearhead another challenge for Premier One next season, although the loss of a fourth league match is a disappointing way for the Club to finish the league campaign having been in the frame for promotion for so long.

The Dundee committee voted Alex Spence as Haddington’s man of the match, which went down well with the rest of his teammates and was a fitting and deserved accolade for a player who has a bright future ahead of him.

Another pleasing aspect to take from the game was to ensure Jamie Peters and Euan Herkes were given the full 80 minutes to hone their skills for the Sevens season that is almost upon us, their handling skills and pace are crucial components in the abbreviated game that they seem best suited.

It's difficult to see what impact, if any, this result will have on the quarter-final coming up this weekend but I’m sure both teams wont read too much into this match, although Dundee will start as favourites. Kick Off is 3pm.

April 06, 2009
Haddington 7s Tournament

Haddington came within a whisker of completing a remarkable day for the East Lothian club by losing the final of their own sevens with the last play of the match to Gala YM. Having won convincingly in the Cup encounter earlier in the day, Neil Watt and Sam Johnston were happy enough to warm the bench in the 7s squad whilst Craig Samuel and Nick Bell changed roles and started the first match versus Murrayfield Wanderers. With the wind causing problems with the 15s match earlier in the day it was now the turn for torrential rain to join the party as the 7s were about to kick off.

Gala, under the guise of the YM, kicked off and soon showed they meant business as they seen off Edinburgh Accies, Dunbar and Watsonians in the top half of the draw. In the bottom half it was Haddington who were looking strong as they stormed past Murrayfield Wanderers, North Berwick and Biggar in their semi-final to set up the final versus Gala YM. The Haddington squad had a youthful exuberance about it with Colts players, Alec Spence and Sam Atkin enjoying the experience of displaying their skills at a higher level, aided by teenagers, Ben Ingles, Dale Gordon and Nick Bell. Add to this Neil Watt, Sam Johnston, Euan Herkes and captain for the day Graham Dykes, and the squad had a great blend with a hard edge to it as well.

The final was fitting of any sevens tournament with the lead changing hands on several occasions, however, just as Haddington had looked to have clinched the final score, Gala managed to retain possession from the kick off and squeezed over to touch down, with the conversion giving them a 2 point win with the last play of the game. It was heartbreaking stuff for the young squad and having finished runners up for the third time in four seasons, it can only be a matter of time before the hosts surely pick up the Murray Cup once more. It was difficult to pick out any individuals from the Haddington squad because they all played their part magnificently and the crowd were treated to arguably one of the best Haddington 7s teams seen for many a year. Well done to Gala YM who were worthy winners.

Final score: Haddington 24 v Gala YM 26

Squad: Nick Bell, Sam Atkin, Sam Johnston, Neil Watt, Graham Dykes(C), Ben Ingles, Craig Samuel, Dale Gordon, Euan Herkes, Alec Spence.

ps: if anyone has seen Herkes since Saturday please let us know because we cant get in touch with him to tell him about the rest of the Sevens tournaments!

Action from the Presidents 7 v PL:

April 05, 2009
1st Match Report v West of Scotland - 6th Round SHE Cup

Haddington 43 v West of Scotland 18

Haddington ended their recent run of poor league results in emphatic style with a convincing win over Premier One side West of Scotland in the SHE Cup match on Saturday.

The Glasgow side were strong favourites going into the match based on their current league form in Premier One, however, Haddington had home advantage and were always capable of causing an upset if they fronted up.

Haddington won the toss and elected to play with the wind at their backs in the first half to try and build up a healthy lead before the interval. West started the game at a high tempo and showed their intentions by moving the ball wide to try and stretch the home side. This seemed to have the desired affect as West retained possession in the opening exchanges but were soon rocked as Haddington struck with the first try that was started and finished by Callum Mark. A great line got the centre in behind the West defence before he was brought down and once support arrived Mark was back on his feet to accept the final pass to go over. Jamie Peters nailed an excellent conversion for a 7 – 0 lead.

Haddington then took control of the match and were unlucky not to increase their lead by missing a penalty and a drop goal in the opening quarter whilst Sam Johnston was also caught just metres from the West tryline as he raced clear. West, through Connor Davis did manage a penalty on 20 minutes to narrow the gap to 7 – 3 but Haddington were still dominant, especially in the scrum where they had their opponents back-pedalling on several occasions. The Scarlets soon got their just-rewards through another Peters penalty that was soon followed by a try through captain Donald Snodgrass, who cut through the West midfield to touch down. Peters added the extras for a 17 – 3 lead after 30 minutes. Johnston was again just a support-runner short of adding a third try but Haddington had to settle for a second Peters penalty to finish the half 20 – 3 ahead.

The wind was now going to benefit the Glasgow side in the second half and even a 17 point lead wasn’t insurmountable in the conditions and Haddington knew the match was a long way from being over. West again looked for the early score and although Snodgrass made a try-saving tackle, the inevitable was only delayed as Richard Dalgleish found space out wide to barge over for his side’s second try and with still 35 minutes to play it was certainly game on. Haddington though were not to be underestimated and whilst the big West pack were playing second fiddle to the home eight, the Haddington backs were immense in defence and knocked their opponents back at every opportunity.

Haddington increased their lead further when the forwards drove from the lineout and after a couple of breenges it was winger Callum Cockburn that came up from a ruck of bodies with the ball. The conversion was missed but Haddington were in the driving seat at 25 – 8. Davis and Peters exchanged penalties to move the score on to 28 – 11 going into the final quarter.

West threw everything at Haddington in a last ditch attempt to get into the match and after some outstanding defending by Neil Watt and Peters in particular, West eventually got their third try through ex- Scotland player Gordon Bulloch. Davis added the conversion to set up a nail biting finish at 28 – 18.

No one could have predicted the climax to the match as Haddington scored three quick-fire tries to complete a resounding and well-deserved victory. Firstly Snodgrass picked up his second try after West had fumbled a penalty attempt over their own tryline and straight from the kick off Cockburn was given space out wide and he was keen to showcase his strength by bumping aside a few would-be tacklers as he romped over for his second try as West crumbled. There was still time for another score and similar to the previous try Cockburn was again bouncing his opponents off as he charged down the touchline, however, on this occasion he unselfishly offloaded to the supporting Derek O’Riordan to wrap up a memorable win with a sixth try.

This was a thoroughly deserved victory for the home side who now have a home tie versus Dundee in the quarter-finals where a large crowd is anticipated after Saturdays performance.

March 29, 2009
1st XV Match Report v Kelso (L)

Kelso 28 v Haddington 7

Haddington slumped to another defeat on Saturday against a hungrier Kelso side that were still needing points to be safe from relegation. Kelso played with a strong wind at the backs in the first half and quickly used it to their advantage with two long-range penalties that gave them a 6-point cushion after only 15 minutes.

The home side increased their lead further with an opportunist try following a Haddington error. After an overthrow from a Haddington lineout, Kelso quickly seized upon the loose ball in the midfield and some weak defending allowed their full back to canter over unopposed. The conversion was added to put the Borderers 13 – 0 ahead at the end of the first quarter.

Haddington did have some good moments in the first half, especially through the sniping threat of fit-again Sam Johnston, closely matched by Neil Rodger who was having arguably his best match in a Scarlet jersey thus far with some solid tackling and astute support play. Matters weren’t helped for the Scarlets with the sin binning of No.8 Derek O’Riordan on 25 minutes, the referee reversing a penalty for the No.8’s misdemeanour in the process. Kelso stretching their advantage to 16 - 0 with a third penalty.

The Scarlets shocked the Borderers on the half hour mark though with a well-worked try through Neil Rodger. Donald Snodgrass made the initial break in midfield before releasing the supporting flanker for a well-deserved score. Jamie Peters adding the extras to claw back Kelso to 16 – 7 as half time approached.

Half Time: Kelso 16 – Haddington 7

Any hopes of mounting a serious challenge in the second half were soon dashed after a second yellow card against Haddington was meted out by the referee early in the second half. Stand off Peters was harshly sent to the bin by the referee who seemed too easily influenced by the home support and lacked consistency with his decisions. Kelso used their extra man to full advantage yet again and soon notched their second try from a driven lineout. The conversion was added to put the home side on easy street at 23 – 7. Haddington had a couple of opportunities to add to the their points tally in the second period but a lack of composure at key times proved costly. Kelso had the final say with another simple score through the midfield area to complete Haddington’s misery. 28 – 7.

The much anticipated SHE Cup match against West of Scotland is next on the agenda for an out-of-sorts Haddington side that will quickly need to regain their competitive edge if they are to have any hopes of causing an upset against their Premier One opponents this weekend.

Kick Off for the match is at 1pm with the Sevens tournament following on afterwards. Please ensure you come along and offer your support at the end-of-season double-header.

March 22, 2009
1st XV Match Report v Aberdeen GSFP (L)

Aberdeen 21 v Haddington 7

Haddington lost for the third week in a row in a scrappy match at Rubislaw. In a mixed start Haddington had the first scoring opportunity but were penalised for holding on just five metres from the try line. After 25 mins the score was still nil - nil, although Haddington were putting together some good phases with winger Calum Cockburn carrying the ball well and making a lot of ground when in possession. Aberdeen's first score came against the run of play after Haddington were building some good phases. As the ball was turned over on the home twenty-two, a long kick upfield found the Aberdeen winger in acres of space to gather and run in under the posts. 7-0

Haddington were soon dealt another blow just before half time when the Aberdeen scrum half picked from the base of the scrum and sped in unopposed. The simple conversion was added.

Half Time, Aberdeen 14, Haddington 0

The second half continued in the same way with Haddington making far too many unforced errors. Aberdeen scored one further try when their winger Colin Philips scored in the corner. The conversion made it 21-0.

Towards the end of the game Haddington showed what they are capable off with some excellent interplay and deservedly scored a good team try that was rounded off by Neil Watt. Jamie Peters converted to complete the scoring.

Another disappointing result for Haddington to ponder. There are still two league fixtures left this season and a big cup tie against West of Scotland on April 4th. Next up is Kelso away at Poynder Park this weekend, 3pm KO.

March 15, 2009
1st XV Match Report

Peebles 17 v Haddington 3

Haddington travelled to the Borders to play their rearranged league fixture against Peebles on Saturday. The blustery conditions didn’t help the players cause, however, with the home team still in contention for promotion, it was clear from the start that they had more desire to win the match.

Peebles chose to play with the wind at their backs in the first half and it seemed to be the right decision as they took the lead after only 4 minutes. The Haddington pack was driven off the ball on their own scrum allowing the Peebles No.8 to pick up and stroll over the back-pedalling visitors tryline from 5 metres out. The conversion was successful for a 7 – 0 lead. There were a lot of errors throughout the first half, due mainly to the wind, although neither side were really taking the right options when the opportunity arose. The main talking point of the half was the dismissal of a Peebles player midway through the first half. Following an altercation between a couple of players, several other players soon became involved, although it came as a complete surprise to everyone that the Peebles lad was singled out and sent off, the stand side touch-judge seeing something that nobody else seemed to. This only angered the home side further and gave them further incentive to prove that, even with a man down, they weren’t going to lose to a match due to what they saw as a miscarriage of justice.

Peebles upped the pace and threw everything at Haddington over the next 20 minutes of the half. Again, they seemed to take several wrong options as they ran kickable penalties in the hope of scoring the try, however, after 35 minutes it eventually paid off when they did manage to notch a second try following a long spell of pressure. The conversion was also added but as the half time whistle sounded Haddington looked to have done the hard work by restricting Peebles to only 14 points and with the strong wind at their backs second half, Haddington looked to be in the driving seat.

Half Time: Peebles 14 – Haddington 0

Haddington started the second half well and had a couple of penalty attempts at goal that just missing the uprights by Jamie Peters, however, having tried to claw back the deficit, it was the Borders team who increased the lead with a penalty from the first visit upfield. 17 – 0.

Midway through the second half, Peters got Haddington’s first points from a penalty after a shoulder charge on Haddington captain, Donald Snodgrass. This seemed to galvanise the Scarlets with their best spell of the match to follow, however, two scoring opportunities went a-begging and with it any hopes of a victory.

Peebles continued to play with more enterprise and conviction as the match drew to a conclusion, although the Scarlets contributed to their own downfall, as they were guilty of falling off tackles and taking the wrong options throughout. Peebles deserve all the plaudits and let’s hope their player who was sent-off has his conviction overturned to allow him to play his part in his clubs’ crucial run-in. For Haddington, they’ll need to re-focus their minds fully on the remaining league matches and not allow their standards to drop before their cup date with West of Scotland.

Next Week: Aberdeen GSFP v Haddington (L) - 2pm KO (Confirmed)

March 08, 2009
1st XV Match Report

Haddington 13 v GHA 17

Haddington’s fifth defeat at home this season ended any slim hopes the Club had of snatching one of the promotion spots this season. A minute’s silence before kick-off was observed by the players and supporters in memory of Haddington RFC stalwarts, Jack Peat and David Birrell, who both passed away recently.

Haddington had the wind at their backs in the first half and quickly used it to their advantage by putting GHA under early pressure. A loose kick was fielded by Graham Dykes and his strong run created problems before the ball was shipped wide to flanker, Paddy Brown to touch down for a well-deserved lead after only 3 minutes. Jamie Peters missed the difficult conversion but the Scarlets were 5 – 0 to the good and looking dangerous with ball-in-hand and running at GHA. Sadly, for all the territory and possession Haddington enjoyed in the opening period, they failed to add the all-important points to the scoreboard and having soaked up all the pressure, GHA began to grow in confidence and had Haddington scrambling to cover the first real threat to the home line after 20 minutes.

Haddington continued to look dangerous with early ball to wingers, Dykes and Watt, who threatened to cut open the visitors at times, however, as the half developed, poor decision making and wayward passes crept in to Haddington’s game and proved to be the home side’s undoing in a frustrating first half. Peters added a penalty on the stroke of half time to increase Haddington’s lead to 8 –0 but with a strengthening wind in GHA’s favour second half, an 8 point lead looked precarious.

Half Time: Haddington 8 – GHA 0

With only 10 minutes of the second half played the Glasgow side were right back in it with an opportunist try from half way. GHA went blind from a scrum and whilst Haddington had numbers to defend it they either fell off the tackle or took the wrong man, allowing GHA the momentum to offload to support runners and snatch a vital early try. The conversion was missed. 8 – 5.

Haddington kept the ball well for periods into the wind but crucial errors were still proving costly as players tried to force things under pressure. GHA benefited from Haddington’s misdemeanours and added a second score midway through the half from a turnover ball. This time the conversion was added to put GHA ahead for the first time at 12 –8.

As the clock ticked down, Haddington showed what they can produce when they play at pace and some great interplay between forwards and backs took play from the Haddington 22 to within 5 metres of the GHA goal-line only for a visiting player to cynically boot the ball away to stop a certain score. He was rightly shown a yellow card but more importantly stopped Haddington from scoring at a key moment. Thankfully his actions didn’t go unpunished as the Scarlets scored soon after through Neil Watt who managed to find space outside his marker to touch down. The conversion was missed but Haddington looked to have got out of jail at 13 –12 with only minutes remaining. Surprisingly, it seemed that it was going to be the home side who were going to add to their tally further when winger Callum Cockburn brushed aside several tacklers to only just be kept out by the last GHA defender as the try-line loomed.

The home side were stunned moments later though with the last play of the game. The GHA scrum-half was allowed acres of space to run into as Haddington’s defence was posted missing and although he was tackled near to the Haddington line he managed to slip a clever ball inside for the supporting player to score a dramatic try at the death. The referee blew for time after the conversion went wide and Haddington knew they’d let yet another win slip from their grasp in disappointing fashion.

The frustration was felt by everyone knowing that any faint hopes of promotion had now gone but with a quarter-final place up for grabs against West of Scotland in the Cup in a few weeks, the players will know they have a chance to redeem themselves against Premier One opponents.

March 02, 2009
1st XV Match Report - 5th Rd Scottish Cup

Hamilton 11 v Haddington 13

Similar to the league match a few weeks previous, Hamilton came out of the blocks quicker than Haddington and were intent on taking the game to the visitors. Much of the early play took place in the Haddington half and after a period of pressure, Haddington’s forwards conceded a penalty at a ruck, which was duly converted by stand off Ingles, which put Hamilton into a 3-0 lead after 14 minutes. A few minutes later, Ingles doubled the lead after converting a similiar award, after the forwards again fell foul of the referee at the breakdown. 6 – 0.

Half way through the first period, Haddington started to come more into the game and a good break by Donald Snodgrass led to the home side conceding a penalty. Unfortunately, Jamie Peters could not convert. Peters soon atoned for his earlier miss though, when another break by Donald Snodgrass led to a penalty in front of the posts allowing the stand-off to narrow the gap to 6 - 3.

As the first half drew to a close, Hamilton almost extended their lead, when a break down the touchline by one of their centres looked to be leading to a certain score, until a great covering tackle by Craig Harrison, who showed a good turn of pace to get over and make the tackle, stopped him in his tracks. The first half ended with score still at Hamilton 6 - Haddington 3.

The second half started in much the same fashion as the first, with Hamilton again taking the game to the Scarlets and only some stout defence kept the Haddington line intact. However, that changed after 15 minutes of the second half, when from a Haddington lineout, possession was turned over and led to a touchdown for the Hamilton left winger, McFie. The conversion took the home side to a healthy 11 – 3 in front.

Again at about the mid point of the second half, Haddington came more and more into the game. After 25 minutes, a fine break from Neil Rodger took play deep into the Hamilton 22 and as he was tackled he managed to offload to the supporting Neil Watt, who went over for the score in the right corner. Peters nailed a good conversion from wide out, to make the score a slender 11 – 10 in Hamilton’s favour.

Two minutes later, Haddington took the lead for the first time. A good break from James Warren, taken on further by the supporting Donald Snodgrass, led to a penalty in front of the Hamilton posts. Peters duly converted to move the visitors ahead at 13 – 11.

Hamilton responded again, though, and applied a period of sustained pressure on the Haddington line, but some good defence, from Morrison and Watt in particular, keeping them at bay. The final 10 minutes were played out with no further scoring, leaving Haddington to progress to the last 16. As expected, this was a very tight game, but on balance Haddington probably just deserved to go through.

February 22, 2009
1st XV Match Report

Strathmore 3 v Haddington 50

After several weeks without a game both sides were pleased that this re arranged cup tie could be played. The lack of match practise was evident from the kick off when Haddington failed to secure the ball and only a decision from the touch judge prevented a certain try for the home side. Strathmore applied a bit of pressure early on and were rewarded with a penalty from their stand off. Strathmore 3 - Haddington 0. As the half continued Haddington began to put phases together and after an excellent move James Warren was on hand to score. Haddington began to build up a head of steam and after a missed penalty by Strathmore they scored their second try of the game. A quick tap by Sam Johnston took the home defence by surprise and Neil Watt received a scoring pass to go in under the posts. Haddington continued to apply pressure with Craig Harrison carrying the ball well. After several phases of play captain Donald Snodgrass made a clean break through the middle and offloaded to Neil Rodgers who scored his first try of the season. With the conversion made the half time score was Strathmore 3 - Haddington 19.

The second half began with Haddington very much in control. It was not long before the first score came and it went to Dale Gordon who finished off a fine handling move to score in the corner. Haddington continued to dominate territory and possession and further tries came for Bob Snodgrass, Derek ‘Le Package’ O Riordan and Paddy McQuiston. All three tries were the first of the season for the players, Derek’s being a lunge from a metre out. On scoring Derek dropped his shorts in celebration only to be told by the female ref to pull them back up as you’d need a microscope to see anything anyway!

The final try of the game fell to James Warren, which was converted by Jamie Peters to make the final scoreline Strathmore 3 - Haddington 50.

This was a good result for Haddington and exactly what was needed after the recent postponed games. The trip was made all the more pleasing by the hospitality from Strathmore on what was the first visit to Forfar for the Neilson Park men. Next up is another cup-tie away at Hamilton next weekend.

February 01, 2009
1st XV Match Report v Hamilton

Haddington 22 v Hamilton 15

Hamilton were the visitors to Neilson Park on Saturday and were quietly confident going into the match having won convincingly against Haddington on their own patch back in October, however, in a close league, they have lost some tight matches, which has put them in a precarious position since their opening encounter with Haddington.

A bitterly cold day, not helped by a swirling wind, greeted the players as the match kicked off. Hamilton, with the wind advantage in the first half, came out of the blocks fastest and looked like a team hell-bent on winning. Their big pack paved the way for their experienced backs to try and stretch the home side at every opportunity. Haddington almost managed to score first though, when a break by James Warren almost sent winger Graham Dykes in at the corner. The chance was missed however and the Scarlets were soon back down at the other end defending their own goal line. The home side should have dealt with a charge-down kick but as they dallied, Hamilton were first to react and touched down for a simple score to take an early lead. The visitors continued to play the game in the right areas of the field and used the wind cleverly to relieve any pressure and pin Haddington back in their own half.

The Scarlets did however, look dangerous when they upped the pace and when a great offload by Jamie Peters sent Derek O’Riordan clear they should have levelled matters but a knock-on halted progress as the tryline beckoned. Haddington did get their reward soon after with a great try created and finished by the forwards. The Haddington scrum was to the fore again in this match and the solid platform allowed No.8 O’Riordan the time and space to run at the visitors. After a pick-and-go from the base of the scrum by O’Riordan, the rest of the pack carried the ball on through several phases before second row, Quinton Caulfield, used his big frame to stretch over the line and score under the posts. Jamie Peters added the simple conversion to put the home side in front at 7 – 5.

As the Scarlets looked to get a foothold in the match, Hamilton struck again for their second score of the afternoon. A quick tap penalty caught the Scarlets napping and as they tried to regroup, Hamilton moved the ball wide for their winger to squeeze in at the corner.

The conversion was missed but Hamilton were back in front again as half time approached. Haddington’s response was instant, great link-up play by Craig Samuel and Craig Adam sent Dale Gordon in the clear but solid cover defence cleared the initial danger, however, a penalty awarded to the home side was converted by Peters on the stroke of half time to tie the scores at 10 – 10.

Hamilton had a player in the bin early in the second half as the Scarlets began to take control. The forwards were beginning to dictate the set pieces and after several 5 metre scrums that Hamilton somehow managed to repel, Jamie Peters eventually lunged over to score. His conversion stretched the Scarlets lead to 17 – 10. O’Riordan continued to pose a threat with ball-in-hand and a great run started in the home ’22 was taken on by Dale Gordon who had a foot race to the tryline with the Hamilton winger who just managed to haul him down a metre from the whitewash, much to the grievance of the youngster and the home support. Haddington didn’t have to wait long though for their third try, following a steal at the lineout from Bob Snodgrass, the Scarlets hit up in the midfield before the ball came back out to Graham Dykes, who was given the opportunity to bulldoze through several would-be tacklers and mark a fine return to the top team with a typical Dykes try.

Although the conversion was missed, Haddington were in a commanding position and with still 15 minutes remaining it seemed inevitable that the four-try bonus point would soon be in the bag. Hamilton had other ideas and full credit to them as they never lay down and having been under the cosh for most of the second half came back at Haddington and snatched a third try of their own out wide. Again the conversion was too far out to convert, however, the home side were now unsure whether to risk going for the bonus point or seeing the game out at 22 – 15. The latter occurred due to Hamilton’s commitment to contain Haddington in their own half for the final few minutes.

Final Score: Haddington 22 – Hamilton 15

The feature of the match was some terrific pick and drives from No.8, O’Riordan, ably supported in the pack by the ball-carrying of Adam and Caulfield, whilst the teenager, Gordon, continues to be a very able deputy when called upon for the unavailable Sam Johnston at scrum half. The second promotion spot is by no means settled, despite Haddington missing out on a valuable bonus point, however, today proved again, that any team in this league is quite capable of beating the other on any given day and with still 5 matches remaining, Haddington have to just keep winning to ensure their promotion hopes remain alive.

January 19, 2009
Match Report v Stewarts Melville

Stewarts Melville 10 v Haddington 13

Haddington kept their promotion hopes alive with a hard-fought victory over Edinburgh side, Stewarts Melville, at Inverleith on Saturday. Both teams were along familiar lines and confident going into the match although the Edinburgh club would start as slight favourites given their home advantage.

The match kicked off in blustery conditions with Stewarts taking the early initiative and trying to play a fast open game and although clearly having the bulk of possession, found the Haddington team difficult to break down and find any real clear-cut chances in which to capitalise. The Scarlets soaked up the early pressure and could have taken the lead after Jamie Peters had put Callum Mark through a gap but unfortunately the movement went the wrong way from the ensuing ruck allowing Stewarts to regroup. The Scarlets did take the lead at the end of the first quarter after the forwards had sucked in the Stewarts pack from a lineout. Rhodri Thomas took play deep into the home ranks and as the ball came back across field, Callum Mark was tackled just short allowing the supporting Neil Watt to pick up and dive over for the opening score. Jamie Peters made no mistake with the conversion for a 7 – 0 lead. Stew Mel hit back immediately with some slick play that created an overlap and with everyone expecting a score out wide for the home side, scrum-half, Sam Johnston, had other ideas with an outstanding try-saving tackle to snuff out the threat. The home side didn’t have long to wait though as they drove toward the Scarlets line and when the ball was moved into the midfield, the Scarlets got suckered with dummy runners and home captain, Borthwick managed to touch down. Stand off, Wood added the extras to level the scores at 7 – 7. Leading up to the end of the first half, things never looked bright for Haddington with injuries to Rhodri Thomas, Bob Snodgrass and Paddy Brown meaning enforced changes whilst second row, Quinton Caulfield, was also given 10 minutes to cool off by the Italian referee. With 14 men Haddington did well to restrict the home side to adding only 3 points with a second penalty from Wood on the stroke of half time.

Half Time: Stewarts Melville 10 – Haddington 7

The second half started similarly to the first with Stewarts retaining a lot of possession but unable to create much in attack and home No.8, Clark did little to help their cause by spending 10 minutes in the bin. Haddington continued to soak up the Stewarts pressure and again seemed to have the better of the clear-cut chances to add to their tally during the second half. Haddington had also done their homework on the Stewarts scrum and lineout and continued to cause the Edinburgh side problems in those departments throughout.

Midway through the second period, the Scarlets came within a whisker of a try when centres, Mark and Snodgrass combined to take play right up to the Stewarts line. From the resultant scrum and with the Stewarts pack showing signs of creaking, it came as no surprise when a penalty was awarded for collapsing against the home side. Props, Craig Adam and Gary Glass taking a lot of the plaudits for the pressure they were exerting in the front row. The reliable Peters stroked the ball between the uprights to tie the scores at 10 – 10 going into the final quarter. Haddington seemed to have more belief that the match was there for the taking and defended their line doggedly and with 5 minutes remaining got themselves into a great position with some great interplay. This caused Stewarts to infringe at the ruck leaving the referee no option but to award another penalty to Haddington. Peters again showed his kicking prowess by putting the Scarlets ahead at 13 – 10 with only a few minutes remaining. The final whistle sounded to the delight of the Haddington players and supporters alike, who all knew the importance of this result.

The players are showing a great desire and level of fitness, mainly through the hard work they’ve put in at the gym over the last two months. This has given everyone an air of confidence going into the remaining 6 matches and a belief that promotion is still within their grasp, although difficult matches still lie ahead.

Unfortunately, on the injury front, it looks like Rhodri Thomas’s season will be over with a shoulder injury, however, Bob Snodgrass and Paddy Brown will hopefully be back sooner rather than later.

December 21, 2008
1st XV Match Report

Haddington 18 v Jedforest 10

Haddington eased any fears of getting dragged into a relegation dogfight with this comprehensive win over Borders side, Jedforest. The win keeps them within touching distance of second placed Stewarts Melville, whom they meet in their next league match on the 17th January.

Jed kicked off away from the Clubhouse and showed their intent early on by moving the ball wide and trying to build phases, however, it wasn’t long before Haddington took control of territory and possession. A missed penalty by Jamie Peters let the visitors off the hook early on, but the Scarlets lineout and scrum was functioning well and Jed were finding it difficult to win their own ball. On 16 minutes Haddington deservedly got the first score through Quinton Caulfield, who had a storming first forty. As the Scarlets moved the ball wide from the lineout, Donald Snodgrass held the Jed backs, before releasing the big second row to power over near the uprights. Peters added the extras for a 7 – 0 lead. From the kick off, the home side almost scored again, showing glimpses of last season, they moved the ball between forwards and backs and with the visitors try-line at their mercy, the final pass went to the Jed defender who saved a certain score. It took 25 minutes before Jed had their first real opportunity, a bit more composure out wide could have given them their first points, however, good cover defence from the home side relieved the danger.

Jed had their best spell as half time approached and narrowed the gap with a penalty from stand off, Seb Trotter, although Haddington almost snatched a second try just before the break, the referees whistle coming just in time to save Jed.

The worry for Haddington after the first forty minutes was that they should have built up a bigger lead and with only four points separating the sides, it was still all to play for.

Half Time: Haddington 7 – Jedforest 3

A second Peters penalty stretched the lead to 10 – 3 early in the second half and seemed to settle the home sides nerves, although Jed had upped their game and looked more threatening after the restart. As the game opened up Callum Mark intercepted a Jed attack and great interplay by the Scarlets had Jed back-pedalling deep in their own 22 area. A quick tap penalty tied in Jed’s forwards before the ball was moved wide to full back, James Warren, who showed great strength to barge through two defenders to touch down. The conversion was missed but the home side were in the driving seat at 15 – 3 with only 25 minutes remaining. Jed lost a couple of key players to injury in the second half but, to their credit, kept battling away and got their reward with 15 minutes remaining. A quick tap penalty in the Haddington 22, caught the home side napping and sub, Michael Weekly, crashed through to give Jed hope. Trotter kicked the goal to narrow the gap to 15 – 10.

The Scarlets seemed to up the tempo again and Jed never helped their cause when their flanker, Garry Elder got himself yellow carded for some illegal play with 10 minutes to go. Another penalty miss by Peters could have given the home side breathing space as the clock ticked down and minutes later a great break by Donald Snodgrass had Jed scrambling back, sub Graeme Waugh coming within a whisker of touching down from the ensuing ruck. Neil Watt was next to go close as he tried a delicate kick with just the full back to beat, unfortunately the ball rolled into touch a metre from the Jed try line. Snodgrass was instrumental again as Haddington threw everything at Jed, this time a penalty ensued from the captain’s break, which was well within kicking distance for Peters. This time he made no mistake to put the Scarlets two scores ahead at 18 – 10 with barely a minute remaining. The home side finished on the attack as darkness descended over Neilson Park, although the refs whistle soon lit up the faces of the local support with another solid performance.

On this showing the players seemed to have upped their game and are growing in confidence with each match, hard work throughout the festive break and a Cup match versus Strathmore on the 10th January should set things up nicely for the vital trip to Inverleith the following week.

Final Score: Haddington 18 v Jedforest 10

December 14, 2008
1st XV Match Report

Gala 6 v Haddington 12

Haddington finally broke their duck in the Borders with a hard fought victory over Gala under the floodlights at a wet Netherdale on Saturday afternoon. There was a buzz prior to kick off that filtered through the squad, determined to appease the coaches and supporters for some inconsistent performances throughout the current campaign.

Captain, Donald Snodgrass came back into the side for the first time in five weeks, whilst Mark Morrison returned after missing last weeks loss to Biggar with flu, both players were to go on and play a major part in the victory over Gala.

The Scarlets started well with Jamie Peters varying his game with probing kicks and switching play from left to right, which meant Haddington had Gala on the back foot for much of the opening 10 minutes. Unfortunately, they couldn’t turn this spell into points with two penalties attempts going just wide of the uprights. In typical fashion of late, a missed tackle on the Gala centre allowed the Maroons into the Haddington half for the first time and with a penalty conceded at the ruck, the Gala kicker, Bruce Dick, knocked the long range attempt through the sticks for a 3 – 0 lead.

The Scarlets stormed back again, and Sam Johnston came within a metre of scoring after a great run from the lineout. A penalty against the Scarlets scuppering the inevitable score on this occasion. Gala came more into the match during the second period of the half and stretched the Scarlets at times, but Mark Morrison stood out with some trademark ‘hits’ and exceptional cover tackling to keep Gala at bay.

A bizarre decision by the touch judge led to Gala increasing their lead, a straightforward ‘mark’ called by winger Rhodri Thomas was heard by everyone in the Main Stand except the near side touch-judge standing a metre away. This led to a Gala put-in at a lineout instead of Haddington clearing any danger with a kick down field. Gala moved the ball into midfield and after a drop goal attempt came back of the post, the Scarlets conceded a penalty, which Dick duly converted giving Gala a flattering 6 – 0 lead after 25 minutes. The game got a bit scrappy leading up to half time, although, significantly on the stroke of half time, Donald Snodgrass was yellow carded for slowing the ball down at a ruck meaning he spent the next 10 minutes after the break in the dugout.

Half Time: Gala 6 - Haddington 0

In the second half all the Haddington subs were used wisely and their fresh legs and commitment helped the Scarlets speed up their game after the break, and they were rewarded with another penalty in front of the Gala posts, although Jamie Peters surprisingly missed again, however, Peters has won matches for Haddington in the past with his kicking and no-one begrudged him an off-day, especially when the rest of his game was faultless. Neil Watt was next to threaten with a run that took play deep into the Gala ’22, yet Gala defended stoically yet again. Full back, James Warren fared no better than Peters with a long-range penalty attempt on 50 minutes. The game opened up going into the final quarter of the match with Gala trying desperately to find that elusive score to give them a cushion, however, Haddington’s discipline was unyielding and almost snatched a score from their own ’22 when Neil Watt found himself in space, however, with three Gala players bearing down on him as he sprinted for the line, couldn’t quite find that extra yard that was needed to beat the covering Maroon players.

With 20 minutes remaining Donald Snodgrass made up for his earlier misdemeanour as he charged down a Gala kick to coolly pick-up on the hoof and dive over in the corner. The tricky conversion was missed by Warren but Haddington had, at last, breeched the home line. Gala 6 - Haddington 5

Craig Samuel was next to go close after a footrace to the Gala try line, although it was a pity it was with their winger, who obviously had the legs on the hooker to relieve the pressure. This injection of urgency and pressing was causing all sorts of problems in the home ranks, with subs, Bob Snodgrass and Samuel to the fore, yet ably supported by the rest of the Scarlet’s pack. The pressure led to an attacking lineout in the Gala ’22, as the ball was quickly transferred into the centre, Callum Mark put a soft pass to his midfield partner, Donald Snodgrass, who cantered in under the posts for his second score of the match and more importantly, put the Scarlets into the lead for the first time with only 10 minutes remaining. Warren added the extras for a 12 – 6 lead. The nerves were clear to see in that final 10 minutes as the clock ticked down, yet the Scarlets kept Gala at bay with some intelligent play and watertight defending to register the all-important win.

Final Score: Gala 6 v Haddington 12

Gala proved to be a hard nut to crack and will no-doubt win more games between now and the end of the season, in what is proving to be the tightest league in all the divisions throughout Scotland, yet no-one could take the win away from Haddington today as they more than matched the physicality of their Border opponents at the ruck and tackle siuations, whilst also scoring two tries in the process.

Lets hope the confidence gained here will stand the players in good stead for the remaining league games, where amazingly, there is still an outside chance of promotion with still eight games remaining!

After enjoying the win the player's really savoured the Gala hospitality with a hearty meal after the match. Gary Glass seemingly threatening to move to Gala with the temptation of a 3 course meal at every home match, although was quickly swayed back with the offer of a free pint in the Haddington committee room after every home game! Easily pleased!

December 09, 2008
1st XV Match Report

Haddington 10 Biggar 15

Another bad day at the office for the Neilson Park men and yet another match they could so easily have won.

Kicking off down the slope Haddington started brightly enough and laid early siege to the Biggar line for a sustained 15 minutes of pressure, unfortunately it remained pointless, although Jamie Peters went close with a 6th minute penalty attempt. To compound the home sides agony, on Biggars’ first visit to the home 22, a series of missed Haddington tackles led to prop Ted Tauaroa scoring a try in the top left hand corner. Haddington roared back onto the offensive with centres Mark and Herkes to the fore well supported by young Andy Scott but they were unable to finish off any line breaks and had only 3 points from the boot of Peters to show for their efforts at half time.

Half time 3-5

Biggar took the early initiative 2nd half and after 10mins left wing Chris Mackeand slotted a straightforward penalty to stretch Biggars’ lead before the same player added a conversion to Centre Simeon James’s try ten minutes later. Haddington were now chasing the game and as often happens a degree of panic set in. Promising attacks broke down as a result of speculative / forced passes and poor offloads. To their credit Biggar defended exceptionally well and varied play by Lavery, their stand off, to get them on the front foot territorially. Haddington finished with a flurry and Craig Adam who performed well throughout bagged a well-deserved try with 5 mins left on the clock Peters adding the extras. Haddington were immediately back on the offensive from the restart and a tremendous run by Neil Watt had the Biggar support on tenterhooks but it was all too little too late for the home side who were left to settle for a solitary losing bonus point.

A poor result for the Scarlets but there were glimmers of promise yet again. If the Haddington pack turn in a similar scrummaging performance at Gala on Saturday and Jamie Peters and his back division rediscover some of their early season confidence, they are capable of recording a try bonus win, although at the moment any kind of win will do. Netherdale should hold no fears for the Scarlets if the squad apply themselves properly to the task in hand.

November 23, 2008
1st XV Match Report

Haddington 18 v Musselburgh 16

Haddington got the win they desperately wanted to relieve some of the pressure they‘ve put themselves under by winning only one of their previous five matches, whilst Saturday’s opponents, Musselburgh, were arguably more in need of the win than their neighbours and now have a major battle on their hands to avoid the dreaded drop from Premier Two.

Second row, Ross Martin, was in the home line-up for his first start of the season after a hand operation, whilst17 year old, Dale Gordon, made his league debut for the Club at scrum half and certainly has a bright future ahead of him on this showing.

The match kicked off on a bitterly cold November day, although for various reasons, seemed to lack the usual trepidation that this local derby has captivated over the past few seasons. As the low winter sun shone brightly into the Haddington player’s faces in the first half, you could possibly use this as an excuse for their poor start, because within two minutes Musselburgh went ahead when their scrum half caught the home side napping as he waltzed through unopposed following a lineout, giving his side an early 5 – 0 lead.

Haddington quickly got to grips with the match and began to exert their own pressure with some strong driving play through the forwards with Craig Adam leading the charge. The Scarlets deservedly reduced the deficit on 22 minutes with a penalty by Jamie Peters, although Musselburgh struck back almost immediately through Clark as the Haddington backs gave away a needless offside penalty. The Haddington pack were influential in narrowing the gap yet again as they drove through the heart of the visitors before their efforts were rewarded with Burgh conceding another penalty as they tried in vain to stop the Haddington momentum. Jamie Peters knocking over the simple penalty as half time approached.

Half Time: Haddington 6 – Musselburgh 8
Musselburgh started the second half with more urgency and Clark increased the lead early on with another penalty to take the Burgh to 11 – 6 ahead, however, Haddington began to take control again with Callum Mark threatening with a quick tap penalty, which took play deep into the Burgh 22. From the lineout, the Scarlets drove towards the visitors try line only to be pulled up for a penalty infringement that the referee had spotted allowing the Burgh to clear their lines on this occasion.

There were some very good spells for the Scarlets during the second half where they began to dominate and go through a number of phases. The home side eventually managed to get themselves level on 60 minutes after a 5metre scrum was lifted by No.8, Derek O’Riordan, who drew the Burgh defenders onto him before releasing centre, Mark to barge his way over. This lifted the Scarlets confidence and they took the lead soon after with a neatly worked try, Martin winning the initial lineout and as the ball went into midfield, Mark cut a nice angle to get in behind the Burgh defence before offloading to centre partner, Euan Herkes to dive over. Peters added the extras with the conversion to open up an 18 – 11 lead. Worse was to follow for Burgh as they tried to contain Haddington with Centre, Fish getting himself yellow carded and this misdemeanour should have allowed the home side to see out the last 15 minutes, however, the Scarlets have made hard work of games this season and contrived to almost shoot themselves in the foot yet again. After the Scarlets lost their own lineout on the 22, Musselburgh drove into the middle of the park before managing to find a gap in the home defence to cross the line for a second time and get to within two points. Luckily for the Scarlets, Clark missed the conversion but with the minutes ticking away it was a nervous last few minutes for the home support to endure.

There were a lot of positives to take out of the performance on Saturday, especially, the debut of young Gordon at scrum half, who, alongside several forwards, stood out in a vital win for Haddington as their near neighbours made a hasty retreat back along the A1 with only a bonus point to show for their efforts.

Next week Haddington travel to league leaders Dundee, who will still be smarting from their defeat to the East Lothian men in the first half of the season.

November 09, 2008
1st XV Match Report

Haddington 11 v Kelso 22

Haddington stuttered to another defeat on Saturday with a familiar ring to the post-match analysis. Plenty of territory and possession to win the game, but turnover ball or poor decision making in the opposition danger zone, proving costly yet again. There are no easy games in this league and there’s not much between any of the teams, therefore, the team that rides their luck and takes the opportunities that come their way will most likely come out on top. Unfortunately for Haddington at the moment they’re suffering badly on both these counts.

Kelso kicked off away from the clubhouse and retained possession for a minute before a long hoof downfield by Sam Hughes soon put the pressure onto the visitors with a 5m scrum being conceded. Kelso managed to work themselves back into the Scarlets half where stand off, Utterson claimed their first points with a penalty that came about after Haddington were deemed to have dropped their own scrum. 3-0 Kelso.

Haddington controlled the first quarter with some clever kicking into space that had the visitors scrambling to retrieve, whilst Kelso seemed to kick a lot of ball down the throat of young Haddington full back, Hughes, who, yet again, belied his tender years with another mature and solid performance from 15. A couple of good scoring opportunities went a-begging for the home side during this period, with possession again being lost at crucial times. Kelso stretched their lead on 20 minutes after a mix up at the back of the Haddington scrum led to penalty from the ensuing ruck. Utterson stroked the ball between the uprights to put the Borderers further ahead at 6 - 0.

Haddington reduced the deficit to three after Euan Herkes had managed to get over the gain-line causing Kelso to offend at the breakdown. Jamie Peters knocked over the resultant penalty. 3 – 6. The Scarlets however, found themselves further behind on 30 minutes when an interception by Kelso centre, Hartley was gratefully accepted as he strolled home unopposed. Utterson added the extras for a 13 – 3 lead going into the last 10 minutes of the half.

The Scarlets finally showed what they could achieve when they retain possession. From a lineout, the ball went wide and after several rucks sucking in the Kelso defenders, Sam Hughes coasted through the smallest of gaps for a well-deserved try for the former North Berwick and Merchiston player. Peters missed the conversion, however, made amends by kicking a penalty on the stroke of half time as Haddington had a good spell in the visitors 22.

Half Time: Haddington 11 – Kelso 13

The Scarlets started the second half well with Peters unlucky with another penalty attempt and with Hughes positioning and kicking from hand working efficiently, the Scarlets looked fairly comfortable. The one area that was still a cause for concern was for Haddington to needlessly concede any penalties in their own half because Utterson was capable of taking any chances that came his way. Sadly, this is what turned out to be the difference between the sides as Utterson nailed three second half penalties as Haddington nerves began to show. All three were fairly harsh on the home side but the Borderers were nevertheless happy to accept the opportunities that came their way. Kelso threatened more in the backs during the second period and were unlucky not to add a second try near the end as Haddington chased the game.

This was Haddingtons’ first Border League match as well as a Premier 2 league match and it certainly felt like a double whammy for the home side with the outcome. They must now pick themselves up for a crucial home match in a fortnight against local rivals, Musselburgh.

November 03, 2008
1st XV Match ReportGHA 19 v Haddington 10

Haddington travelled west on Saturday to tackle last seasons Premier One side, Glasgow Hutchesons Aloysians.

The match kicked off in near perfect conditions for November with GHA keen to make home advantage count against a Haddington side buoyed by last weeks win against Peebles.

Neil Watt got an early opportunity to stretch his legs whilst Quinton Caulfield was doing well to steal a few lineouts on the opposition throw early on, however, GHA seemed to have the upper hand in the scrums and offered more going forward with ball in hand. As the match settled, GHA began to press the Scarlets back into their own half and had the majority of ball in which to threaten. Stand Off, Jim Noonan was unlucky with a couple of missed penalty opportunities during this period. Haddington will have been pleased to keep the score level after the opening quarter but were rocked soon after when centre, Niall Cassie ghosted outside the Haddington defenders to cruise home from the half way line for a 5 – 0 lead. Jamie Peters soon had a chance to narrow the gap but his penalty attempt drifted just wide. As half time approached, GHA doubled their try tally with another lapse in concentration by Haddington allowing winger, Ross McClymont the simplest of scores as he waltzed through the Scarlets rearguard. This time Noonan added the extras to stretch the lead to a deserved 12 – 0. With barely a minute remaining Sam Johnston cleverly took a quick free kick and caught the home side napping as they scrambled back, however, GHA were penalised in the process and Jamie Peters reduced the deficit as the first half was brought to a close.

Half Time: GHA 12 – Haddington 3

Haddington started the second half with more urgency and took the game to GHA with some direct and purposeful running into the heart of their opponents. Callum Cockburn was first to show with a fine run deep into the GHA 22 and after the ball was taken on by the forwards with several pick and drives, it was Sam Johnston who eventually found the yard of space to dive over. Peters kicked the conversion and the Scarlets now only trailed by 2 points at 12 – 10. Haddington were worrying the Glasgow side at this point and had them back pedalling with several telling breaks throughout the second period. Callum Mark made a great run over 40 metres, beating a number of GHA players on the way, but in the act of scoring, a last-gasp lunge by a GHA defender knocked the ball from his clutches as he was about to celebrate. The Scarlets also missed another penalty soon after as the pressure was telling on GHA. The Glasgow side weathered the storm though and managed to keep their line intact during this spell and it turned out to be the Scarlets that were left to rue their luck when GHA scored next on a rare visit into the Scarlets 22. Again it seemed all too easy when GHA Sub, Geoff Warnock, found himself in the right place at the right time to cross the whitewash after the Scarlets had been sucked out of position. Noonan stroked over the easy conversion for a nine-point lead that now had the Scarlets chasing the game, when it could so easily have been the other way around. Going into the last quarter, Haddington continued to throw everything at GHA with again Mark and fellow centre, Euan Herkes, who had replaced Donald Snodgrass early in the match, making clean breaks towards the GHA goal-line, however, lack of support or a small infringement would prove the Achilles heel yet again to the Scarlets hopes of adding to their score.

A home match against Kelso awaits this weekend.

October 26, 2008
1st XV Match Report

Haddington 19 v Peebles 0

Today’s match was always going to be a highly emotional affair after the trauma of last week’s sudden death of Haddington player, Niall Fairgrieve. His older brother, Colin attended the match to pay his respects and along with the player’s and supporters from Peebles and Haddington, stood proudly to observe the minute’s silence in memory of Niall.

The blustery conditions meant the game could have turned into a lottery for both sides, however, as it turned out this was arguably Haddington’s most controlled and disciplined performance for many a season.

Haddington won the toss and elected to play with the wind in the first half in the hope of building a good enough lead to defend in the second. As expected, the two different game plans were noticeable from the off with Peebles looking to keep it tight amongst their forwards, whilst Haddington wanted to play their rugby in the Peebles ‘22 area and take every opportunity to get points on the board in the opening forty minutes.

It was the home side that managed to exact their game plan on their opponents however during these early exchanges. After a missed penalty with only two minutes on the clock, Jamie Peters made no mistake with his second attempt four minutes later for a 3 – 0 lead. Peebles continued to rumble up through their forwards but were constantly knocked back by the Scarlets pack, Neil Rodger, Mark Morrison and Derek O’Riordan led the tackle count, whilst the front five worked their socks off to get around the paddock. The hard work and endeavour paid off for the Scarlets with Peebles struggling at the breakdown, this in turn led to another penalty by Peters, who used the wind superbly to stroke the ball over from the 10-metre line. 6 – 0.

The home side mixed their game up with high balls and raking kicks to continually pin Peebles back, although the Borders team weren’t here just to make up the numbers and defended valiantly whilst threatening with several strong individual runs to keep Haddington on their toes. Centre, Callum Mark though was back to his best and continually posed problems in attack as well as putting in numerous bone-crunching tackles that shook the visitors. One such tackle led to another penalty attempt by Peters that came back of a post, with the resultant scrum almost leading to the first try through Sam Hughes, who was unlucky to be held up over the opposition line. Hughes was soon back in the thick of things and as he fielded a high ball and raced back into the Peebles ’22, the visitors panicked and conceded yet another penalty, which this time, Peters duly knocked between the uprights for a 9 – 0 lead after 25 minutes. Callum Cockburn was next to threaten as he took off inside his own half and after brushing aside several would-be tacklers and with the goal-line at his mercy, unfortunately spilled the ball as the last defender brought him down. This kept the pressure on Peebles though and from a scrum and several breenges towards the visitor’s line, Sam Johnston dived over for a deserved score for the home side. Peters made no mistake with the conversion for a 16 – 0 lead. Peters just had enough time to miss another penalty attempt on the stroke of half time.

Half Time: Haddington 16 – Peebles 0

Peebles knew an early score would have the Scarlets doubting they could hang on to their lead for the duration of the second half, yet the Scarlets had other ideas and in similar fashion to the first half controlled the breakdown area and looked comfortable throughout. Gary Glass led the pack well with Dougie Orr, Craig Adam and Bob Snodgrass excelling in the loose, as well as being ably supported by the rest of the home eight as they took the game to Peebles. Midway through the second half, Peters added his fourth penalty to all but seal the win for the Scarlets because at 19 – 0 with twenty minutes to go, Haddington seemed to have nullified any potential comeback that Peebles may have hoped for. The home side were looking confident and showing the level of performance that they know they are capable off and with some great handling and interplay, took the game deep into the Peebles ’22 with Orr inches from scoring a try that the lead-up play deserved. The discipline by Haddington meant the Peebles kicker, Boughtwood only had one pot at goal in the second period and his frustrations boiled over when upended by Mark, meaning he was given the final part of the game sitting on the touchline cooling off. The closing 10 minutes were dominated by Haddington with O’Riordan coming close after picking from the base of the scrum, and as the game neared its conclusion, it was that man Orr that again was inches from getting his name on the score sheet, however, it was not to be, as there was a slight knock on as he plunged over.

Full Time: Haddington 19 – Peebles 0

Thoughts quickly turned back to Niall Fairgrieve after the final whistle with the Haddington player’s paying as fitting a tribute as only rugby can, by putting in one of their best performances for a long time, which also keeps them in touching distance of league leaders, Dundee. At the end of a very tough week, the smiles were certainly back on the faces of player’s and supporters alike, with attention now turning to GHA next week and a level of consistency sought by the Coach’s for the remainder of the season to keep promotion hopes alive.

October 19, 2008
1st XV Match Report v Hamilton

Hamilton 27 v Haddington 14

This was a difficult day all round for the players after finding out about the death of Niall Fairgrieve 15 minutes before KO.

The Scarlets struggled to get going throughout the game and this was illustrated early on when a simple pass was dropped on their own line allowing the home side to flop on the ball for a converted try. Haddington did then play some great rugby, but in a similar fashion to last week, the odd error kept creeping into their game and spoiling much promising build up play.

Hamilton extended their lead when straight from a line out they moved the ball wide and their full back ran past 3 attempted tackles to score under the posts.

Greig Taylor got the visitors on the board with a penalty but this was matched then exceeded by two for the home team to give them a comfortable halftime lead.

Half Time: Hamilton 20 - Haddington 3

Haddington began the 2nd half with more purpose and had the wind behind them. They scored an early penalty and then soon afterwards scored a try to bring them right back into the game. A charged down kick bounced up nicely for Calum Cockburn who set off towards the line before sending Rhodri Thomas in at the corner.

A penalty soon afterwards resulted in one of the home team being yellow carded and the Scarlets were only 6 points down with a man advantage and still 15 minutes to play. From this position they should have gone on and won the game but it was not to be. The home side actually finished stronger and scored a try with the last play of the game.

Full credit to Hamilton for a committed performance, Haddington must now prepare for a home match against Peebles this weekend.

October 13, 2008
1st XV Match Report

Haddington 5 v Aberdeen GSFP 13

Aberdeen Grammar travelled south to play Haddington on Saturday knowing a win was crucial to keep them in contention at the top end of the League. Haddington were bolstered by the return of Quinton Caulfield and Sam Johnston back into the team and were confident of building on their tight win of the previous week.

Aberdeen kicked off playing towards the Clubhouse with the stiff breeze at their backs in the first half, yet it was Haddington that looked to move the ball wide early on. Within two minutes however, the Grammar had gone ahead after a blatant knock down from a pass by Callum Mark was missed by only the referee and his assistant, and to the bewilderment of all watching, visiting centre, McCulloch, picked up the loose ball and strolled home unopposed. Full back, Aitken added the extras for an early 7 – 0 lead.

Haddington continued where they left off and dominated territory and possession, however, unforced errors and a well-organised Aberdeen defence nullified everything that Haddington could throw at them throughout the first twenty five minutes. A Jamie Peters penalty miss adding to the home sides’ woes of being unable to get any points on the board during this period of dominance.

Aberdeen took whatever opportunities came their way in the first half and when a penalty was awarded after a lineout infringement on the 10 metre line, Aiken sent the ball over the uprights, courtesy of the cross bar, to increase their advantage to 10 points. The Grammar were reduced to 14 men on the half hour mark after persistent infringing, which was caused mainly by Haddington continually running ball back at the visitors and producing quick ruck ball for the backs. As half time approached, Aberdeen gained another psychological boost with a long-range penalty through the boot of Aitken to once again add to their score against the run of play. This added to the visitors confidence and they finished the half with a couple of scrums near to the Scarlets line after the home side had tried running the ball from their own ’22, thankfully on this occasion Aberdeen failed to take advantage.

Half Time 0 – 14

Haddington had lost hooker, Craig Samuel just before the break and had to reshuffle the pack with Craig Adam moving to hooker and Dougie Orr coming into the front row. Bob Snodgrass and new boy, Derek O’Riordan also coming into the fray. The Aberdeen lead was certainly not insurmountable and with the wind at their backs second half, the Scarlets were still confident.

A kick into the ‘red zone’ by Mark had the visitors conceding a 5 metre scrum and with the Scarlets scrum looking solid it seemed inevitable that this would lead to the first try, however, after several breenges and close calls, Aberdeen’s defence stood firm and cleared the danger yet again. This seemed to suck the confidence out of the home side because they had tried everything up till this point and had still been unable to come away with any points against the disciplined Grammar team. There were still the handling errors of the first half that frustrated the Scarlets from gaining any real momentum of punishing Aberdeen, and although the visitors had a couple of attempts to break free from the shackles of the home side, by and large, Haddington dominated the second half as well. It wasn’t until the 30th minute that Haddington got their only try and it was Mark who made the initial break before releasing Sam Hughes on the overlap to score out wide. The conversion was missed but there was a glimmer of hope with still 10 minutes remaining and the score at 5 – 13.

Another opportunity came along soon after this and although the penalty that was awarded could have reduced the deficit, if the pass to Thomas had gone to hand, he would surely have been in for the second try. Aberdeen knew they had the match won at this point and had time to miss a penalty at goal as the minutes ticked down before the referee brought the match to a close.

Haddington must lift themselves and not dwell on this match for too long, there are no easy games in this league and sometimes a bit of luck is needed to get a result. Sadly for the Scarlets it was Aberdeen that got the ‘rub of the green’ today.

Final Score: Haddington 5 v Aberdeen GSFP 13

Next week the squad travel to Glasgow to play Hamilton. All travelling support welcome. 3pm Kick Off.

October 05, 2008
1st XV Match Report v Stewarts Melville

Haddington 22 v Stewarts Melville 18

After two successive defeats, Haddington were delighted to get back to winning ways with a slender victory against Edinburgh rivals, Stewarts Melville FP. Both teams needed a win to get their respective seasons’ back on track and to the delight of the home crowd it was to be Haddington who edged it.

Stewarts Melville kicked off up the slope and into a stiff breeze in the first half knowing that if they could keep the home side to within 10 to 15 points at the end of the half, they would have a real opportunity of overturning that advantage with the elements in their favour.

The home support didn’t have long to wait to have something to cheer about though when early pressure caused a hurried clearance kick that was fielded by Callum Cockburn who quickly transferred the ball to the other wing via Callum Mark, Sam Hughes and Donald Snodgrass to allow Rhodri Thomas a clear run to the line for the opening try. Greig Taylor added an excellent conversion from the touchline for a 7 – 0 lead. Stewart Melville looked strong up front and continually made inroads into the Scarlets half through their pack and from a lineout on the Haddington 22 they caught the home side napping with some quick offloads that allowed prop, Alex Edmundson to barge over. The conversion was missed to leave the Edinburgh side trailing by two at 7 – 5.

The Scarlets realised that they had to target Stew Mel in the wide channels and it paid off handsomely when they hit the visitors with a double whammy within three minutes of each other. Firstly, Hughes, who has looked impressive since joining the Club this season, ghosted through the outside centre channel to romp home before Thomas marked his return from injury with his second try that Snodgrass had created with the initial break. Taylor managed one conversion to put the home side 19 – 5 up against the stunned visitors. Stewarts Melville kicker, Jimmy Moran traded penalties with Taylor at the end of the first half to leave Haddington 22 points to 9 ahead at the break.

The strong wind and only a 13 point advantage left the game finely balanced and with only 7 minutes of the second half gone the Edinburgh side were right back in it with a great try from flanker, Stuart Clark. The forwards again created and finished the score from a lineout with some quick offloads and strong ball carrying to catch the Scarlets flatfooted. Moran added the extras to reduce the deficit to 22 – 15. Things seemed to get worse for Haddington as No.8, Paddy Brown was binned for entering the ruck from the side and with still 20 minutes to go, the Scarlets would have to dig deep to keep out a buoyant Stew Mel team. A penalty by Moran reduced the gap to just 4 points and as the visitors were now dominating possession it seemed only a matter of time before they got their all-important score. Last weeks defeat at Jed must have been on the minds of the players as they saw their lead being swallowed up, however, this time they were not going to take it lying down. Callum Mark stood out with a couple of huge hits on the Stew Mel attackers to stop them in their tracks whilst the forwards somehow kept the Stew Mel pack at bay for the final 10 minutes, which was played out largely in the Home 22 area. The final whistle sounded to the relief of both the home players and supporters.

The team deserved a bit of luck after a couple of tough weeks where they've lost narrowly and this result should act as a springboard to push on for the remainder of the season. Rhodri Thomas picked up the Man of the Match award for his two tries, courtesy of Edinburgh Rugby who have supplied tickets for the upcoming Ospreys match at Murrayfield.

September 28, 2008
1st XV Match Report v Jedforest

Jedforest 29 v Haddington 26

Haddington were forced into several changes in the pack before the match kicked off, yet were still confident of posting a win against their Border counterparts after some tight matches last season against the same opposition.

The hosts kicked off playing with the slight slope and breeze, and for the second time in as many weeks Haddington started with confidence and pace. Good kicks by captain, Donald Snodgrass and Neil Watt and subsequent chasing by the rest of the team saw Haddington secure good scrum position in the Jed 22. The forwards hit up with some dynamic charges, before Snodgrass took the ball over the gain line allowing the quick recycle for Jamie Peters to pirouette his way through the loose Jed defence and score between the posts. Peters also made the conversion for an early 7 – 0 lead to the visitors.

Some good play from Jed was then rewarded with a penalty kick, which was missed by the veteran stand-off Chris Richards. Reward was soon to come for Jed however, when a strong scrum resulted in No.8 Scott Laidlaw linking with his scrum half before scoring under Haddington's posts to tie the match at 7 – 7. Richards adding the conversion.

More Jed pressure led to a missed drop goal, before a successful penalty by Richards put them in front at 10-7. The game was mostly being played in the Haddington half with Jed enjoying most of the possession, however dogged defence and good discipline by the Scarlets ensured their hosts had limited opportunities. Finally, Haddington were able to relieve the pressure, and some good attacking play saw an attempted snap drop goal by Snodgrass agonisingly rebound off the bar and into Jed hands who were able to clear. Haddington then earned a penalty at goal after a fine run by Sam Hughes but Peters effort went wide on this occasion. Callum Cockburn had to replace Hughes who was injured in the process.

Half Time 10 –7.

After Jed missed an early penalty in the second half, Haddington took control with some direct and purposeful running that had the home side in disarray. Firstly Snodgrass and Watt sent Cockburn away on a long run upfield and as Jed were penalised at the ensuing ruck, Snodgrass took a quick tap and dived over. Peters made no mistake with the conversion for the Scarlets to regain the lead at 14 – 10.

Haddington were soon on the attack again with Watt making the initial breenge before the ball was moved wide to Hooker, Craig Samuel to touch down. Peters knocked over an excellent conversion to stretch the lead to 21 - 10. The Scarlets continued to make inroads and only a despairing hand prevented another certain score, although the try was only delyed momentarily when Callum Mark carved open the Jed defence again and allowed Cockburn the space out wide to claim the fourth Haddington try and all-important bonus point. 10 - 26.

Everything seemed to clicking into place for the confident Haddington team as Jed seemed unable to combat the pace that was facing them, yet nobody could have forecast the closing 15 minutes of the match as Haddington crumbled.

Neil Cook, the Borderers Captain, led the fightback as the home forwards driving play eventually paid off with his try. This spurred them into believing they could get something from the match and from the kick off they moved the ball wide and Haddington’s defence was posted missing as winger, Gobby cruised past would-be tacklers to score under the posts leaving an easy conversion for Richards. With about 5 minutes left and Haddington hanging on at 26 – 22, the Jed revival was complete after poor decision making and individual errors cost Haddington as Hogg strolled over unopposed. Richards conversion rubbed salt in the wounds for a depleted Scarlets team as the final whistle ended in defeat by 29 – 26.

The Haddington player’s body language told its own story at the end of the match as they trooped off, however, the cruellest of lessons has been learnt here in that the game is played over 80 minutes and Border clubs, especially, are never beaten until the final whistle.

Next week sees the team returning to Neilson park to face Edinburgh side, Stewarts Melville. The match will be sponsored by the Past Players who will no doubt add their vocal support to the must-win encounter. 3p.m. Kick Off

September 21, 2008
1st XV Match Report

Haddington 18 v Gala 23

Haddington lost their first league match of the season to a fired-up Gala side looking to get back to winning ways after a couple of close defeats. Haddington had captain, Donald Snodgrass, fellow centre Callum Mark and second-row, Bob Snodgrass all back for their first run-outs of the season in the 1st XV.

Things started brightly for the Scarlets and they should have opened the scoring after only three minutes. Donald Snodgrass had taken a quick tap penalty and got deep into the Gala ’22 and had his pass gone to hand, a try looked a certainty. The home side continued to dominate and the backs looked threatening as they attacked the ball at pace. With ten minutes on the clock, Haddington deservedly opened the scoring after Snodgrass had sucked in the Gala backline and fed Callum Cockburn who had the space to scamper over for the first try. The conversion was missed. 5 – 0.

Gala managed to sneak a penalty against the run of play when the Scarlets were penalised for holding on in the ruck, Bruce Dick making no mistake with the kick to leave Gala trailing by two points. Minutes later a poor kick downfield allowed Gala to attack and again the Scarlets were penalised as they tried to recover from their mistake. Dick again kicked the goal to put Gala ahead at 6 – 5. Haddington continued to press and had the Gala scrum under all sorts of pressure, which led to an infringement allowing Greig Taylor to kick his first penalty of the day. The Scarlets were back in front at 8 – 6 and looking solid going into the second quarter of the match. On twenty-five minutes a loose pass cost the Scarlets another scoring opportunity when they had created a huge overlap from some great invention from the backs. Another penalty soon followed by Taylor after the Gala scrum had again folded under the strain and the lead was stretched to 11 – 6.

The game turned on its head on the half hour mark for the home side with a bizarre series of calls by the referee. Firstly, Gala lost two players to the sin bin for repeated infringements before the Scarlets lost prop, Gary Glass to a similar offence, much to the dismay of both sets of supporters as the game had been allowed to flow up to that point. From then on, the players were wary of the referee’s keenness to use his cards and the match suffered because of it. This seemed to spur the Borderers into action as they had struggled to stay in the game up until this point, however, with a man down they manufactured a try through second-row Malcolm Horsburgh and a conversion and penalty from the reliable boot of Dick to go in at the break leading 16 – 11 against a stunned Haddington side.

The second half was largely forgettable for the Scarlets as the Gala forwards dominated proceedings. Midway through the half Gala stretched their lead further after their backs had sucked in the Scarlets midfield allowing No.8 David Marshall to rumble over. Dick again converted for a 23 – 11 lead going into the final quarter. Haddington were given a lifeline when an opportunist kick bounced into the hands of Graham Crawford to race home and with Taylor converting the Scarlets were only five points adrift at 23 – 18.

Haddington’s day was summed up when they laid siege to the Gala line for a fully seven minutes but eventually came away with nothing after numerous breenges by the forwards came to nought as gala repelled each surge that came their way. This ended the home sides challenge as Gala gained inspiration from their rock solid defence to see out the match and bag the all-important four points.

Based on their second half performance, Gala deserved the win, however, if Haddington had taken their earlier opportunities the game may have had a totally different outcome. Three wins is a decent return from the first four matches but the Scarlets will need to be more clinical if they have aspirations of gaining promotion.

A big improvement is needed before next week as Haddington travel down the Borders to face Jedforest.

September 15, 2008
1st XV Match Report

Biggar 23 v Haddington 26

Haddington’s winning run continued at the weekend with a hard fought victory away to Biggar. The game didn’t start well for the Scarlets with the home team applying a lot of early pressure and trying to move the ball wide at every opportunity. The pressure finally told after a good phase of play saw the Biggar winger, Douglas Notman, score out wide. The conversion was missed, but Biggar led 5-0. The lead did not last long as some good Haddington defence in centre field forced a turnover and the ball was moved wide. An excellent break by G. Crawford opened up the Biggar defence and two passes allowed N. Bell to round off the move. Jamie Peters added the extra points to lead by two at 7 - 5. The home side again began to apply pressure and were forcing Haddington to concede a lot of penalties that eventually allowed Biggar to regain the lead at 8-7 through another Notman penalty.

With the end of the half approaching Haddington upped the pace and forced Biggar to concede a penalty which J. Peters converted to once again go in front at 10 - 8. Haddington then had a player binned for repeated infringements, however, even with a man down Haddington finished the half stronger and a great break by J.Peters saw him clean through and he drew the cover defence before offloading to the supporting C.Samuel who finished off the move. Peters converted to stretch the Scarlets lead going into the break by 17 - 8.

Half Time: Biggar 8 - Haddington 17

The second half was a scrappy affair with very few clear cut scoring opportunities. Biggar began to claw back through their goal kicker, Notman, who also landed a huge drop goal to tie the scores at 17 a-piece. Biggar were then reduced to 14 men as their flanker was sin binned for repeated infringements, although this never stopped them taking the lead once more when Notman landed another drop goal to move 3 points ahead at 20-17. Haddington were next to be reduced to 14 men after another player was sin binned as the clock ticked down. Haddington did manage to create another try scoring opportunity during this period through a good run by E.Herkes, unfortunately the offload didn’t go to hand and the ball was cleared.

Haddington had to level the scores twice as Notman and Peters exchanged penalties and with 3 minutes remaining the scores were tied at 23-23. With the very last move of the game Haddington were awarded a penalty on the opposition 10m line, and it was left to Peters, who capped a fine goal kicking display by nailing the kick and giving Haddington the victory by the slenderest of margins.

FINAL SCORE: BIGGAR 23 - HADDINGTON 26

Haddington will be delighted to have come away with a hard-earned win and maintain their unbeaten run, they will however, be aware that there will much harder games ahead this season and will need to improve on their performances to keep them ahead of the pack. Next week the Scarlets are at home to Gala, please come down and lend your support to the team.

September 07, 2008
1st XV Match Report v Dundee

Haddington 9 v Dundee 7

Haddington maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a hard fought victory over Dundee on Saturday. Both sides were keen to build on their opening day wins and knew this was a crucial match to stay in contention with the early front-runners in the league.

The strong wind was also going to play a major factor on the outcome with the team making the fewest mistakes and using the elements to their advantage, probably going to come out on top. Dundee won the toss and elected to play towards the Clubhouse and into the wind first half against an unchanged Haddington team following last week’s victory.

The opening twenty minutes was a tense affair with neither team able to gain the upper hand, although Dundee certainly seemed to have the better opportunities to put points on the board against a lacklustre looking Haddington team. It came as a bit of a surprise that the Scarlets opened the scoring after their first real foray into the Dundee ‘red zone’. Neil Watt surprising everyone with a sweetly struck drop goal after slow ball left him with little option than to attempt the drop. 3 – 0.

On thirty minutes Dundee got their reward with a try from prop, Alan Brown, who brushed aside some weak defending to score out wide. Barry Jones kicked an excellent conversion to put the Taysiders 7 – 3 ahead. Haddington battled on but lacked any continuity throughout the first half with the new ELVs causing confusion for both teams at the ruck situation. Mark Morrison did his best in a forgettable first forty minutes to put in a few trademark ‘big hits’ to keep Dundee at bay, with one such tackle gaining the Scarlets a penalty which Greig Taylor kicked to peg Dundee back to 6 – 7.

As half-time approached Haddington eventually threatened the visitors line with a couple of 5metre scrums, however, poor distribution out wide let their opponents of the hook.

Half Time: Haddington 6 v Dundee 7

Within two minutes of the restart Haddington were on the back foot after Paddy Brown was harshly yellow-carded for handling in the ruck and with the Home pack facing a scrum 5 metres from their goal-line with seven forwards things were looking bleak. This though, seemed to galvanise the homesters as they not only held their own but disrupted the Dundee put-in and relieved pressure. Haddington began to play their best rugby at this stage with the forwards starting to get in behind the Dundee eight with some great driving play as they took the game to their opponents. Subs, Sam Johnston, Sam Hughes and Craig Samuel were now on the park and all three made telling contributions throughout the second half as they drove the team on to victory. With fifteen minutes to go Haddington got the 3 points that was to prove crucial with centre, Euan Herkes making a telling break from deep in his own half into Dundee territory where they conceded the penalty at a ruck. Jamie Peters stroked the ball between the uprights to put the Scarlets 9 – 7 ahead. Haddington’s defence was outstanding during the second period as Dundee pressed for the winning score but couldn’t find any gaps to breach the home ranks.

The game could have been finished off with eight minutes to go as Callum Cockburn made a great break with only the covering fullback to beat and as he was tackled managed to offload to the supporting prop, Gary Glass, who had covered fully 60 metres to get there and touch down, only for the ref to agonisingly chalk it off for a forward pass. It would have been a fitting score for Glass who had led the pack admirably throughout.

The final whistle ended with Dundee again pressing the home line, however, the solid Scarlets defence never looked like being breached in the second half. Special mention to ‘stats man’, Graeme Waugh who was playing his hundredth game for the Club and it would be hard to find a previous match that he has played better in than today’s.

Final Score: Haddington 9 v Dundee 7

Next week Haddington travel to Biggar with another tight match expected. All support will be welcome.

August 31, 2008
Musselburgh v Haddington Match Report (L)

Musselburgh 11 v Haddington 29

Haddington got the long anticipated league campaign off to a winning start with a bonus point victory on a welcome dry day at Stoneyhill. The Scarlet’s kicked off playing down the slight slope, and were put under early pressure by a fired up local team. Stout defence was a factor, along with both teams resorting to aerial ping pong in the early exchanges. Musselburgh were gaining the upper hand in terms of the kicking game and territory, however some good positioning and catching from Neil Watt at 15 helped Haddington relieve pressure.

A great scrum by Haddington on Musselburgh’s ball, confusingly resulted in a penalty for the home team. The quick tap was taken on by the home Captain G Leitch, who made a great run to beat the Haddington defender’s and score the opening try. Musselburgh 5 - Haddington 0.

Musselburgh then extended their lead with a penalty. 8 - 0. This was the wake up that Haddington needed and they began to up the pace of play, resulting in a penalty duly converted by Greig Taylor. 8 - 3.

The last 10 minutes of the half saw further improved play from Haddington, with some fine running by G Crawford and Neil Watt resulting in Haddington‘s first try for the latter. Watt celebrated before dotting down, drawing some disapproval from certain past players on the sidelines. Taylor converted to put the visitors ahead 8-10. Not long after the restart some great interplay between Crawford & Jamie Peters saw Peters stroll under the posts. At half time the score was 8-17, which was a good position to be in given that Haddington were not performing to their full capability during the early exchanges.

The second half started with Musselburgh again exerting early pressure, similar to the first half, however, Haddington defended well and continued to play with more ambition and enterprise. Similar to the 1st half the forwards were working well in the set-pieces, although now they were delivering some great go-forward phase ball for the backs. Quinton Caulfield in particular was prominent in this regard, with Captain Gary Glass and his front five colleagues also performing well in the scrum.

The backs took full advantage of the opportunities that came their way, resulting in scores for Graham Crawford and Sam Hughes, who played very well on his league debut for the Scarlets. The substitutes all played a key part in the final quarter of the game, capping off a satisfactory start to the 2008/2009 campaign.

Final score: Musselburgh 11 v Haddington 29.

Haddington will know they will need to build on this encouraging start with Dundee at home next Saturday. Please try and come down to support the team.