Haddington v Kelso (L)
The final league match of the season saw Haddington welcome Kelso to Neilson Park for a fixture that was fairly meaningless to both teams in terms of the league, but Haddington were looking to sign off from Prem 2 with a good showing. However Kelso with some great form in recent weeks had other ideas.

The game stared with Kelso playing down the slope with a strong wind at their backs and for the Reds the half would be about keeping the visitors at bay. Kelso equally realised the importance of getting as many points on the board as possible with the first half advantage.

The game plan worked for Kelso who after an early penalty scored 4 tries in the first half hour to establish a commanding lead at 29 points to Nil.

Haddington managed to rally and should have scored themselves but good defence from the visitors kept the line intact. The hammer blow was dealt by Kelso on the stroke of half time with a further try to extend the lead as the half ended.

Half Time: Haddington 0 Kelso 34

Into the second half and with the slope and wind the Reds were looking for early score to close the gap and get back into the game. It was however 20 mins before the Reds got their first score with centre Mark crossing the line. King converted to add the 2 points

Haddington 7 Kelso 34

This lifted the home side and with Kelso unable to get out of their half as had been the case for the Haddington in the first half, further pressure on 64 mins resulted in hooker Cunningham crossing for the score. The conversion attempt bounced back off the upright after a good kick from out wide.

Haddington 12 Kelso 34

Any thoughts of a comeback were quickly ended as Haddington picked up from the base of a scrum on their on 22 to get turned over and gift the visitors a simple score when the ball should have been booted down the park, with the strong wind making it the obvious option. The try converted ended the scoring for the day and another league campaign drew to a conclusion - a disappointing one for the the whole club.

Haddington v Jedforest (L)

Haddington 23 v Jedforest 37

Haddington travelled to Jedforest for their final 'away' league match of the season with both teams desperate for the points in the relegation battle.

The Reds started brightly and after early pressure forced a penalty in the Jed 22 after 7 mins which Bell converted for an early lead.

Haddington 3 Jedforest 0

Haddington maintained the pressure and only some good home defence prevented winger Cockburn from adding to the tally.

At this stage the Reds were containing the home side, but on 17 mins, several missed tackles sees Jed score under the posts and with the conversion added the home side take the lead

Haddington 3 Jedforest 7

This try lifts the Jed team who start to look sharper in attack and further pressure is rewarded on 26 mins with a penalty which is converted to extend the home advantage.

Haddington 3 Jedforest 10

The Reds are starting to make numerous handling errors as Jed turn the screw and it is no surprise when a further penalty is awarded on 30 mins for holding back the chasing player. Again the kick is good and the gap is extended to 10 points.

Haddington 10 Jedforest 13

Haddington step up the pace again and for the next 10 mins apply pressure but spilled ball and wrong options see the pressure unrewarded until on 38 mins a penalty is awarded. Bell is on target to reduce the gap

Hadddington 6 Jedforest 13

On the stroke of half time Haddington are reduced to 14 men with the game's first yellow card, but Jed miss the resultant penalty to bring the half to a close.

Half Time: Haddington 6 Jedforest 13

Into the second half and the Scarlets again start well and apply pressure which is rewarded on 47 mins with a penalty which drifts just wide. The Reds keep up the pressure and win a scrum 5 and following a couple of phases barge over for the try by Caulfield. Bell converts the tricky conversion and the ties are now scored and Haddington looking the stronger side.

Haddington 13 Jedforest 13

Jed try to up their game and make ground into the Reds 22 and sustained pressure brings penalty which is kicked to edge Jed back in front on 56 mins.

Haddington 13 Jedforest 16

The Reds are still looking good but the game is turned on it head in the space of 6 mins as the Reds gift the home side 2 interception tries both converted to put the game all but out of the Reds reach.

Haddington 13 Jedforest 30

Haddington are left reeling and jed gain confidence and score a well worked try in the corner which is converted to seal the game and Haddington's fate.

The Scarlets battle right to the end and rewarded with a consolation try converted for a final score of

Haddington 23 Jedforest 30

March 16, 2010
Haddington V Biggar (L)

Haddington 0 v Biggar 21

After several attempts to play this fixture, the teams were rewarded by one of the best days of the year so far, and a much improved pitch surface offered the opportunity to both teams to play some expansive rugby.

Similar to previous weeks, Haddington, playing down the slope in the first half started with more purpose and asked early questions of the visitors defence. Several soft penalties however meant that Biggar were able to clear their lines. The reds continued to press and were rewarded with a couple of tricky but kickable penalties. Bell was unlucky with both attempts as they shaved the uprights.

Biggar started to gain a foothold in the game and while not looking keen to spread the ball wide were able to make ground due to missed tackles by Haddington rather than anything creative. They were eventually rewarded for their persistence with a try up the middle under the posts. In remarkable similar style to the Haddington try away to Biggar this was largely against the run of play, and the conversion like Haddington's in the first game was missed straight in front of goal.

The remainder of the half was a scrappy affair continually interrupted be the Refs whistle which was largely to penalise the home side.

The half petered out with no further scoring and a slender advantage to the visitors at the break.

Half Time; Haddington 0 Biggar 5

Haddington again started the second half with purpose but were penalised almost straight from the kick off, and penalty after penalty seemed to follow for the visitors much to the bemusement of the home support and players. Two of these penalties were converted early in the half to extend the Biggar advantage to a comfortable 11 points.

Biggar continued to press and benefited from several missed tackles and penalties to keep Haddington pinned back. This pressure was rewarded on 52 mins as Biggar break from a scrum for their second try of the day. The conversion was missed, but at this stage it was looking difficult for the home side to claw the 16 point lead back.

To their credit Haddington redoubled their efforts and enjoyed their best spell of the game despite the penalty count at this stage being 16 to 3 in Biggar's favour. The Haddington pressure was rewarded with several quick fire penalties and the Reds just failed to cross the line on several occasions as the visitors defence held firm.

The final points of the match went to Biggar on the stroke of full time as their patience was rewarded with an unconverted score.

Full Time: Haddington 0 Biggar 21

This was a disappointing result for Haddington as things just did not seem to click on the day and the team was unable to build on the good performances of the previous weeks. The huge penalty count in the visitors favour made the task no easier, but in the end Biggar simply made less errors and played the more patient rugby, retaining the ball when they needed to. The coaches will only have a short time to put matters right before a crunch match with Jedforest at the Riverside on Wednesday. Kick off 7.30pm.

March 11, 2010
Haddington v Hawick (L)

Haddington 18 v Hawick 26

The 'Green Machine' that is Hawick were the visitors to Neilson park on Saturday for what was the last scheduled league match of the season, prior to the weather having its say on other games. Both teams were looking for the points for very different reasons on Saturday.

The game started in bright clear conditions, probably the best of the year so far and thus affording both teams the opportunity to play some expansive rugby.

It was Haddington who started the match at a storming pace, making their early intent clear as they set up camp in the Hawick 22' for the best part of the opening 10 minutes. Solid defence from the visitors prevented any scores and this included a quick tap penalty in front of the posts that perhaps should have been kicked to get some reward for the visit to the opposition red zone.

Hawick regained their composure and worked their way out of trouble and into the Reds 22 for the first time on 11 mins and pressure brought the reward of a penalty which was kicked, which was the right option and gives Hawick an early lead against the run of play.

11 mins: Haddington 0 Hawick 3

The next 10 mins sees some end to end stuff, with Haddington looking the stronger up front and not much to choose between both back lines which looked equally dangerous.

On 22 mins, Haddington steal Hawick ball on the half way andbreak through. After some excellent inter-passing and offloading Quinton Caulfield claims the try to put the Reds back in front, though the conversion was missed.

22 mins: Haddington 5 Hawick 3

Its now Hawick's turn to up the tempo, and only good defence from Haddington and some excellent clearance kicks from No. 10 King keep the visitors at bay. On 34 mins Hawick win a scrum and win a subsequent line-out in the Haddington 22 to set up a good drive for the line to score. Another missed conversion, but Hawick have edged ahead.

36 mins: Haddington 5 Hawick 8

The remaining minutes of the half see Haddington pile on the pressure in the Hawick half and eventually the penalty comes. Ross King makes good with the kick to tie the scores right on half time.

Half Time: Haddington 8 Hawick 8

Haddington are now playing up the hill, but start the second half as they finished the first by taking the game to Hawick at pace and at this stage the visitors are looking visibly rattled. Haddington set up a ruck on the Hawick 22 and after several yards are gained the ball is offloaded to the supporting Neil Watt to score under the posts. The conversion is good and Haddington are deservedly back in front.

42 mins: Haddington 15 Hawick 8

Hawick respond by again raising their game and putting pressure on the reds, but good defence see the line kept intact until eventually the Hawick winger is able to squeeze in at the corner for a deserved try. The conversion is missed.

50 mins Haddington 15 Hawick 13

on 52 mins Hawick receive the first of two yellow cards in quick succession reducing them to 13 men. The penalty from the first offence is kicked by N Bell from a good way out to extend the reds lead.

52 mins Haddington 18 Hawick 13

There is a real sense that if Haddington can score again while they have numerical advantage that they can go on and win the match. However Hawick to their credit are able to to hold out for 10 mins and on return to full strength are able to secure a penaltyly which is converted to reduce the gap.

64 mins Haddington 18 Hawick 16

On 68 mins further Hawick pressure is rewarded with another penalty, but the kick drifts wide to leave the Reds in front going into the last 10 mins. By this stage Hawick are dominating possession and patient play is the order of the day. Strong Haddington defence continues to repel the Hawick attack as the clock ticks towards full time.

On 78 mins, with the Reds defence again holding firm Hawick take the opportunity of a drop goal to sneak ahead to the the dismay of the large Haddington support.

78 mins Haddington 18 Hawick 19

Into injury time and Haddington have several more chances, but are held out. Hawick win the ball and work their way into the Haddington 22. From there a missed tackle allow their centre in for the score to seal the win. To rub salt into the wounds the conversion is good to deny Haddington a bonus point that at the very least they deserved.

85 mins Haddington 18 Hawick 26

Full Time: Haddington 18 Hawick 26

Haddington can count themselves very unlucky that one of the best performances of the season yielded no points against one of the divisions top sides. However the performance and the performance against Stirling County clearly show that the Reds have the ability to compete at this level. With 3 must win games coming up, there is cause for a great deal of optimism if the level of play can be maintained for these games. Next up is Biggar at home on Saturday. Please note that the kick off is 1.00pm. A large support would be greatly welcomed.

February 22, 2010
Haddington v Stirling County (L)

Haddington 13 v Stirling County 36

Haddington traveled to Stirling County on Saturday, looking to put the poor performance last week behind them. The match was able to go ahead thanks to pitch covers which ensured that the frost had not been able to take a hold.

In bright clear conditions, ut was the scarlets who got off to a bright start and after some early pressure were awarded a penaly on 5 mins. A quick tap and go was rewarded with Stirling not retreating and the extra 10 meters allowed Ross King to go for goal. A great strike and an early lead for the fired up Reds.

Haddington 3 Stirling County 0

On 10 mins, some solid pressure from County forces the penalty and centre Archibald makes no mistake to tie the scores.

Haddington 3 Stirling County 3

From the restart the Scarlets secure the ball and move forward setting up a ruck in the County half. County are penalised for coming over the top and from a similar distance, stand off King makes no mistake to restore the Reds lead.

Haddington 6 Stirling County 3

The next 20 mins see some end to end stuff with both sides looking to play rugby, but the Reds maintain good shape to limit County's attacking opportunities. On 29 mins, with little on County stick a speculative kick cross field. A wicked bounce followed by a hack of a County shin, suddenly sees a race to the line, which County win for a score from nowhere. Archibald is on target with the conversion and County move in front for the first time

Haddington 6 Stirling County 10

The remaining 10 mins till half time again sees some end to end stuff with the Reds getting the better of the forward exchanges. However with 3 mins till half time, No. 8 Paris is yellow carded. The Scarlets are able to see out the remaining minutes of the half with no further scoring.

Half Time: Haddington 6 Stirling County 10

The second half gets underway with all to play for and after a very good first half performance only spoiled by a very fortunate score for County, Haddington are looking to build and take something from the game. County are first to show in the second half and a good break on 41 mins see the Reds defence scrambling to just force the Stirling winger to touch short of the line. Haddington are able to see out the remaining sin bin time with no further loss of points and on 47 mins Paris returns to the fray to even up the numbers.

On 51 mins, Stirling break and move upfield, but solid Reds defence and good work from the forwards wins the ball and gives the Reds see the opportunity to break, moving the ball swiftly through the hands as prop Glass bursts over the halfway line and timing his pass to perfection to the supporting Leggat who sprints for the line for the score. King again slots the kick and the Scarlets are back in front with just under 30 mins to play.

Haddington 13 Stirling County 10

County are stung by the score and up the play dominating the next 5 mins of play and this is rewarded by another fortunate score as a pass goes astray as County attack, but land on the feet of the winger who hacks ahead and beats the retreating defence to score. On another dayhad the bounce been kinder to Haddington the match could have looked very different. Archibald was off target with the tricky conversion, but County had edged back in front.

Haddington 13 Stirling County 15

The next 13 mins sees no further scoring though the Reds continue to have the upper hand in the forwards, Stirling look dangerous with ball in hand. On 70 mins, County get the break of the ball again and sneak in at the corner. Archibald converts the difficult kick to extend the lead.

Haddington 13 Stirling County 22

The Reds are now forced to chase the game and put County under pressure, but a couple of errors in line-out and wrong options just at crucial times, see County score two tries from deep in the last couple of minutes, to put a gloss on the scoreline that did not do the Reds justice.

Full Time: Haddington 13 Stirling County 36

It would not be unfair to say that the scoreline did not reflect how close the match was for a full 70 mins and that the late tries were as much about Haddington pushing to get something out of the game in the closing stages. Clearly the performance was very encouraging and if that level of play can be carried into the remaining league games then there is plenty still to play for. With Dunfermline and Jed-forest both losing on Saturday, then the results also went our way and our fate still remains very much in our own hands.

This Saturday we welcome Biggar to Neilson Park for what will no doubt be a tough fixture, but one which the Reds will be looking forward to on the back of a very good performance for 70 mins.

Kick Off time for the Biggar match is 3.00pm

February 16, 2010
Haddington v GHA (L)

Haddington 12 v GHA 53

Haddington traveled to Glasgow on Saturday to take on GHA in a rearranged league fixture. The Scarlets had made every effort to reach a mutually satisfactory date for the fixtureto be played given the number of players unavailable including those on representative duty. Unfortunately however GHA's refusal, left the Reds with no option but to play the match under these less than ideal circumstances. The only alternative would have seen the club docked points which it can ill afford at this time.

The match started in bright clear conditions with Haddington playing up the the slope and the Reds stared well looking to test the GHA defence early on.

The first points of the day however were claimed by GHA on 8 mins. Pressure in the Haddington 22' saw the Reds forced to clear to touch on the 22' and despite the ball clearly hitting the chasing GHA player on the hand the throw in was awarded to the home side. To rub salt into the would the throw in was squint and from there GHA forwards rumbled over for the try, which the Reds should still have defended better. The kick was converted to give GHA an early lead.

Haddington 0 GHA 7

The next 10 mins sees some end to end stuff with the Scarlets making a number of breaks, but unable to make them count. Haddington get their first chance at points on 16 mins, but the penalty drifts wide.

on 27 mins the Reds win scrum ball which is moved wide and lost in midfield. GHA have a near 10 man overlap, but elect not to use it. However a resultant penalty is kicked to move the score on.

Haddington 0 GHA 10

On 31 mins GHA break from deep but knock on, the Scarlets however with the advantage elect to kick the ball away and pay the ultimate price as GHA return with interest, setting up a scrum on the reds line, from which the try is scored, and again converted.

Haddington 0 GHA 17

Haddington continue to win their share of possession, but the ball is repeatedly lost in the midfield and as half time approaches the Reds are made to pay for these errors. GHA recover ball and after numerous missed tackles score the softest of tries. This time the kick is missed.

With no further scoring in the half the whistle blows for the break

Half Time: Haddington 0 GHA 22

The second half starts with the coaches making 3 changes to the Reds team and we start brightly showing shome real determination. This pays of on 47 mins after Haddington's best passage of play in the game, with a try for Calum Cockburn. Ross King makes good with the conversion, to bring the Reds back into the game

Haddington 7 GHA 22

The joy is shortlived as almost straight from the kick off GHA secure the ball and a speculative crossfield kick is gathered and GHA score in the corner, with the conversion being missed.

Haddington 7 GHA 27

On 51 mins GHA win ruck ball and move wide. Again the Reds pay the price for numerous missed tackles, and conceed another very soft try. which is converted this time.

Haddington 7 GHA 32

On 55 mins another good passage of play see Haenga break and appear to score a good try under the posts, but the ref bring it back for a scrum to Haddington. From the scrum another good move looks to have resulted in a try in the corner but again the Ref disagrees. Haddington go again from the scrum and this time Calum Mark crosses the line and the Ref awards the try. The kick is narrowly missed.

Haddington 12 GHA 32

At this stage the Haddington still have a chance to get back and there is the real possibility of a bonus point for 4 trys with just over 20 mins still to be played. However almost straight from the kick off again GHA secure ball in midfield and as several of the Scarlets again miss tackles another very soft score is conceeded. The conversion is good, moving the score on for GHA.

Haddington 12 GHA 39

From here GHA control the remainder of the game and score 2 further tries, which while well worked are as much about the Reds defence. The game finishes with Haddington pressing for a final score but the ball is lost forward to end the contest.

Final Score: Haddington 12 GHA 53

In the final analysis, despite being forced to play the game in very difficult circumstances the Reds contributed to their own downfall, with as poor a defensive display as has been seen for many a day. GHA are a good side with some quality players, but did not have to work anywhere near hard enough for their points on the day. While we will never know if the result would have been any different had we been afforded the opportunity to play the game with all players at our disposal, we must move on from this and focus on the key games that lie ahead in the coming weeks.

Next week Haddington travel to face league leaders, Stirling County at Bridgehaugh.

Kick off: 3.00pm

February 09, 2010
Haddington v Falkirk (Cup)

Haddington 6 v Falkirk 9

Falkirk were the visitors to Neilson park on Saturday for the first round of the cup in its new format.

The match saw several enforced changes to the Scarlets personnel due to injury, unavailability and suspension.

Falkirk kicked off the match playing downhill on a heavy pitch and looked lively in the early exchanges. The match would go on to be dominated by a high number of penalties to both side and at times some of the decisions were at best strange and almost seemed the easy way out for the ref at times. Repeated interjections from the touchline also seemed excessive and it is fair to say that this affected both teams in equal measure.

The first of 24 penalties awarded in the match goes to Falkirk after 2 mins inside the Scarlets 22' for coming in at the side. The ball is kicked to touch and from there Falkirk secure line-out and move the ball with intent into the midfield, but the move is snuffed out by the Reds defence who win a penalty for holding and the ball is cleared to touch to relieve the early pressure.

The Scarlets are again penalised on 5 mins for coming in at the side again and this time Falkirk elect the kick at goal which is successful to put the first points on the board.

Haddington 0 Falkirk 3

Haddington start to come into the game more and are looking to move ball and vary the point of attack. On 12 mins the pressure pays of as Falkirk are penalised for playing the ball on the deck. Scrum Half Nick Bell slots the penalty to restore parity

Haddington 3 Falkirk 3

Falkirk then proceed to turn up the heat with a sustained spell of pressure in the Reds 22', but while solid defence keeps the line intact a further penalty in front of the posts on 16 mins allows Falkirk to restore their advantage.

Haddington 3 Falkirk 6

Falkirk follow up from the restart to apply further pressure and again only solid defence from the Reds prevents the try and with Falkirk penalised for holding on Haddington are able to clear to touch.

The next 10 mins sees a concerted spell of pressure from Haddington, making good ground through the forwards and pressing the Falkirk line, but in what was to become a feature of the match for both teams, strong defence again kept the visitors line intact.

Haddington continue to press and on 35 mins the effort is rewarded with a further kickable penalty. Bell duly obliges to again bring the scores level.

Haddington 6 Falkirk 6

The first half draws to a close with the Falkirk prop sin binned for dangerous play and the reds clearing the resultant penalty to touch to bring the first half to an end.

Half Time: Haddington 6 Falkirk 6

The Scarlets get the second half underway with a man advantage and playing down the slope are looking to capitalise early on. It is however Falkirk who win a penalty on 45 mins, with the Reds again penalised for coming in from the side. In what was to prove to be the final points of the match, Falkirk kick the penalty and restore the 3 point gap

Haddington 6 Falkirk 9

Haddington continue to press and dominate both territory and advantage, but basic errors creep in at crucial times and prevent the Reds adding to their tally. Further penalties follow for the Scarlets on 58 mins and 62 mins allowing us to keep Falkirk pinned back. A further penalty follows on 67 mins, but the kick at goal is narrowly wide and Falkirk hang on as the game moves into the final 10 mins.

Falkirk pressure in the Reds 22 see the Reds clear, but stand off Brownlee is sin binned for impeding the Falkirk player chasing down the ball. Falkirk opt for kick at goal which would effectively end the contest, but the kick drifts wide to give Haddington hope. The players sense that despite being down to 14 men that the game is still there to be won and a real effort from all the players pushes play right to the Falkirk goal line. Despite several big drives from lineout ball the Scarlets just fail to breach the visitiors defence for the win and the final minute is played out in midfield.

Full Time: Haddington 6 Falkirk 9

While unfortunate to be out of the cup at an earlier stage that we have been used to in recent seasons, it does allow full concentration for the remaining vital league fixtures and in terms of priorities for the remainder of the season this is no bad thing. It was very positive to see several new faces come into the side and play well and this will gives the coaches options in the remaining league matches.

This Saturday Haddington travel to face GHA in a rearranged league fixture. Kick Off 3.00pm

January 25, 2010
Haddington v Peebles (L)

Haddington 0 Peebles 22

Haddington welcomed Peebles to Neilson park on Saturday for a first league fixture for both sides since mid December. Both side having managed to play one Border league matching in the intervening period.

It was Peebles who looked the livelier in the early exchanges and they were rewarded after just 5 mins with a fine try. Having secured a line-out on the Scarlets 22' the ball was moved wide and with quick second phase ball the overlap was created for Dale Clancey to score the opening try for the visitors. The conversion was missed, but Peebles had established an early lead. Haddington 0 Peebles 5.

The early warning seems to bring some urgency to the Haddington play and we start to secure more ball and some telling kicking putting pressure on Peebles. On 12 mins Haddington lose Calum Cockburn to injury and he is replaced by Rhod Thomas on the wing.

A penalty to the Scarlets on 15 mins pushes play into the Peebles 22'. Peebles defend well and despite several surges nothing comes of it and Peebles clear their lines.

The game at this point is fairly even, being played in midfield with neither side able to take clear control.

On 30 mins Peebles secure good line-out ball and press for the line, but after several waves of attack the Reds keep the line intact with solid defending and eventually turn the ball over and clear the lines.

On 35 mins prop Laidlaw suffers a shoulder injury forcing the Reds into another early substitution with Gary Cockburn taking to the field.

With 5 mins remaining till half time the Scarlets are looking good at 0 - 5 with the second half looming down the slope, but the remaining minutes before half time would see the game turned on its head.

Firstly Peebles win line-out ball on the Scarlets 22' after a clearance kick to touch was deemed to have been passed back into the 22'. Peebles secure good ball and move along the back line and weak midfield tackling sees Peebles centre Hogarth cross the line under the sticks for a soft score from the Haddington perspective. The conversion is good and the lead is extended to Haddington 0 Peebles 12.

On 40 mins the Reds are harshly penalised at the scrum and after some back chat the Reds are marched back twice and the fracas see hooker Harrison firstly yellow carded and then red carded to leave Haddington stunned.

Shortly after the ref blows for half time.

Half Time: Haddington 0 Peebles 12

Haddington are forced to withdrawn no. 8 Paris who had been having a good game to allow Elliot on as replacement hooker.

First blood of the second half goes to Peebles, with penalty following a Haddington infringement in midfield. Haddington 0 Peebles 15.

Haddington despite being a man down stick to their task and ask questions of the visitors defence which stands firm.

On 62 mins Peebles secure line-out ball in the Haddington 22' and make the numbers count driving over for the score by McConnell. The conversion is again successful taking the score on to Haddington 0 Peebles 22.

Peebles receive their first of 2 yellow cards on 66 mins for persistent killing of the ball and evening up the number the Scarlets go on to dominate the possession and territory for the remainder of the game and despite coming close several times are unable to break a well organised Peebles defence.

Final Score: Haddington 0 Peebles 22

While Peebles merited their victory taking their chances when they came along, the game was perhaps closer then the scoreline suggests. Surely on another days the Scarlets would have got a couple of scores, but for excellent defending and a bit of luck deserting Haddington at crucial times.

There was still many positive aspects to the Haddington play and the effort could not be faulted. While still deep in the relegation battle there is still everything to play for and our fait remains in our own hands.

Next week Kelso come visiting for what will be a vital match to both teams

Kick Off 2.00pm

Haddington V Melrose (BL)

Haddington 3 v Melrose 38

With both sides unable to play Premier League matches on Saturday due to unplayable pitches, this presented an opportunity to replay the Border League match cancelled in early January again due to the pitch being unplayable.

Despite the thawing snow, the Neilson Park pitch was once again unplayable and thanks to the generosity of Dunbar RFC the match was switched to Hawhill. This did mean that the Scarlets gave up home advantage but this was considered worthwhile to ensure both teams could get a meaningful fixture ahead of the anticipated return to league duty next week.

The game started in bright clear conditions, though a steady biting wind did no favours to the hardy supporters of both teams who turned up in decent numbers despite the short notice.

Melrose started strongly showing their early intent with some strong forward play and looking to move ball quickly whenever the opportunity arose. The first penalty of the match went to the Scarlets after 4 mins and this allowed the lines to be cleared after the early Melrose pressure. Haddington started to get on terms up front and the forwards went on to at least match the Melrose forwards for much of rest of the game.

After 8 mins Melrose won good line-out ball in the Haddington 22 and strong driving by the forwards took them over for the first score which was duly converted for an early lead. Haddington 0 Melrose 7

A second try followed in quick fashion as the Reds lost ball in midfield and Melrose move it wide for second try on 12 mins- again converted. Haddington 0 Melrose 14.

The Scarlets continued to battle and some good play took them into Melrose 22 and rewarded with a penalty in front of the postsfor offside. Bell duly converted on 16 mins to reduce the gap. Haddington 3 Melrose 14.

The next 15 mins sees an even exchange with both sides looking to move ball and the Scarlets enjoying more possession. However on 31 mins Melrose score their third try in a similar catch and drive move from a line-out and again convert. Haddington 3 Melrose 21.

The Scarlets lost Brownlee to a head knock forcing a shuffle with Bell moving to 10 and Haenga coming on at scrum half.

The final score of the half goes to Melrose on 38 mins after weak defence and missed tackles lead to a soft score for the visitors.

Half Time: Haddington 3 Melrose 26

The second half gets under way with the Scarlets now enjoying the wind at their back and some some good field kicking from both Mark and Watt help to keep Melrose pinned back in their own half. Haddington enjoy their best spell of the game in the first 20 mins of the second half easily securing the bulk of possession and territory but crucially are unable to convert the pressure into points.

The next score goes to Melrose on 63 mins as a Scarlets attack in the opposition 22 breaks down and Melrose hack the ball upfield, winning the chase to the line for the touch down, against the run of play at that stage. The conversion is again successful. Haddington 3 Melrose 33.

This score seems to spur Melrose on who proceed to dominate the next 10 to 15 mins of the game securing their final try on 70 mins. This time the conversion is missed. Haddington 3 Melrose 38.

The final few minutes sees the Scarlets pressing the Melrose line but the defence holds firm and an error from the Scarlets sees the opportunity lost as the Ref blows for full time.

Full Time: Haddington 3 Melrose 38

There is no doubt that this was a very good workout for both teams after lengthy lay offs and hopefully from the Scarlets point of view this will stand us in good stead ahead of the visit of Peebles to Neilson Park this Saturday. No doubt the coaches will be working hard on certain aspects of the play ahead of this important league match.

The Peebles match kicks off at 2.00pm and as always the players would welcome a large and vociferous support to cheer them on.

December 14, 2009
Haddington V Dunfermline (L)

Haddington 10 v Dunfermline 30

Haddington welcomed Dunfermline to a foggy Neilson Park on Saturday with both sides looking for a win to ease relegation worries. Thankfully the fog started to lift as the game kicked off and continued to clear as the match progressed.

The Scarlets kicked off playing down the hill and started brightly. A penalty was awarded after 3 minutes and back-chat from a Dunfermline player brought a further 10 yards and made the penalty kickable. Nick Bell duly obliged and gave Haddington an early 3 - 0 lead. This settled early nerves but was ultimately not capitalised on by the Scarlets as Dunfermline looked lively and made some good inroads into the Scarlet's half.

On 15 minutes this was rewarded with a penalty for offside against Haddington allowing Dunfermline stand off Kitching the opportunity to tie the scores at 3 - 3 which he gratefully accepted.

The next 10 minutes saw some good play from the Scarlets though a couple of decent phases ultimately came to nothing. On 22 Minutes the Scarlets won good line-out ball in the Dunfermline 22 and after a couple of good drives, Quinton Caulfield forced his way over for the try. Bell was again on target with the conversion and the Scarlets extended their lead to 10 - 3.

This should have been the spur for Haddington to press on and add to the tally before half time but crucially Dunfermline were next on the scoreboard in 30 minutes when following a penalty that was kicked to touch Dunfermline went through several phases and this led to flanker Lawrie scoring in the corner. The kick was missed but the gap was now closed to 10 - 8 in Haddington's favour.

The next 10 minutes saw both sides conceding penalties and some fairly aimless play from both sides resulted in no further scoring. On the stoke of half time Dunfermline put the Scarlets under pressure in their 22' and a poor clearance kick from the Reds failed to find touch or any great distance and Dunfermline returned the ball and after several missed tackles Meyer scored in the corner for Dunfermline. The kick was converted by Kitching to give Dunfermline the lead at 15 - 10 as the Ref blew for half time.

There was all still to play for in the second half and despite playing up the hill Haddington were confident of turning the deficit round, but with only 2 minutes of the half played another poor kick from the Reds and several missed tackles allowed Dunfermline a soft score and try number 2 for Lawrie. Kitching again made good with the conversion and extended Dunfermline's lead to 22 - 10 and a real uphill task for the out off sorts Scarlets to try and claw back.

The cushion allowed Dunfermline to dictate the play and they regularly pushed the Scarlets back into their own 22' as more aimless kicking was returned each time with interest. The next 10 minutes saw another bought of penalties to each side, though neither team was able to capitalise.

On 56 minutes a penalty to Dunfermline in range of the posts was conceded for handling on the deck and the ever reliable Kitching again slotted the kick to take Dunfermline into a very commanding lead at 25 - 10.

The game then became a very scrappy affair with numerous errors creeping into the game, but Dunfermline continued to played the tactics right and kept Haddington pinned down in their own half.

As the game drifted into injury time and with Dunfermline seeking the 4th try for the all important bonus point the Scarlets again cleared aimlessly from their 22' into the midfield and the gift was gratefully accepted by Dunfermline and 2 passes later winger Mormon crossed the line for the simplest of trys. The kick was missed, but the game was now well and truly over with Dunfermline leading 30 - 10.

2 minutes later the Ref blew for full time for a fully merited victory for Dunfermline.

Final score Haddington 10 - 30 Dunfermline

This was a very disappointing results for the Reds who had hoped to pull away from the relegation battle, but with Kelso also winning on Saturday it is now a 4 way fight, which Haddington finds itself in. There is still time to turn it around and everyone, players, committee and supporters must pull together and ensure that the club secures its Division 2 status for next season.

This Saturday the team travel to Glasgow to take on GHA and would welcome as much support from the Haddington faithful as possible in their efforts to produce a result.

December 07, 2009

1st XV Match report v Kirkcaldy (L)
After a couple of days of heavy rain, Haddington took to a very wet and slippy Neilson Park pitch, having made one change from last week’s fine win over Aberdeen – Rhodri Thomas replacing Mike Leggett on the wing.

With Haddington playing up the hill, straight from the kick-off, Kirkcaldy almost took the lead. O’Riordan fielded the kick-off and drove straight into the Kirkcaldy pack. With his own forwards driving him on, O’Riordan was harshly judged to have been down on one knee and holding onto the ball. From the resultant penalty, Sanft unluckily struck one of the uprights and Haddington cleared to safety.

The first score was not long in coming though. With five minutes on the clock, from a ruck just inside the Kirkcaldy half, Haddington looked to move the ball left. However, a long pass was intercepted by the Kirkcaldy centre, Wallace, who made the Haddington line despite being chased all the way by full back Watt. Sanft missed a relatively straight forward conversion, to leave the score at 0 – 5.

With two fairly evenly matched teams, much of the play took place in the middle of the park, with neither team really able to produce too much of a cutting edge, although maybe that was partly down to the defensive qualities of both teams. It wasn’t until the 27th minute, that the scoreboard moved over again. This time it was a penalty from Sanft, after the Haddington backs had been caught offside, right in front of the posts.

Haddington were trying everything to get on the scoreboard, alas, it was to be Kirkcaldy who scored next again. From a ruck in midfield, Haddington scrum half, Bell, stuck up a good ‘box’ kick. However, he seemed to be the only person who knew he was going to do it. The chase was poor, allowing the Kirkcaldy full back, Harvey, to collect the ball and set off on a good run. The ball was shipped through a couple of pairs of hands before winger, Gillies, scored out wide on the right, despite good efforts from Spence and Watt to stop the score. This time Sanft nailed the conversion from the touchline, to push the score onto 0 – 15 at half time.

Having come back from 14 points down the previous week, Haddington were almost going to have to do the same again. However, again Sanft punished an indiscretion from the Haddington forwards. Caulfield was adjudged to have been offside at a ruck and when he protested to the referee, he was marched back another 10 metres, making Sanft’s kick all the easier and increasing Kirkcaldy’s lead to 0 – 18.

For the next 15 minutes, Haddington applied lots of pressure on the Kirkcaldy line. During this time came the decisive point in the game for Haddington. Despite numerous penalties being conceded by the Kirkcaldy forwards between 5 and 10 metres from their own line, the referee seemed reluctant to brandish any yellow cards. However, after incessant pressure, he was eventually forced to do just that. From the resultant penalty, Haddington went for the line out option in the corner and, now having a man advantage, eventually drove the Kirkcaldy forwards over their own line. However, the referee deemed that he could not see the ball being grounded, despite there being no Kirkcaldy forwards any where near the ball.

The Haddington forwards continued the pressure on the Kirkcaldy line and time and again Kirkcaldy continued to give away penalties. At one ruck and with frustration setting in, O’Riordan took the law into his own hands. Unfortunately for him, the referee saw that quickly enough and promptly dispatched him to the bin for 10 minutes. During this period, Kirkcaldy managed to clear their lines and took play back up to the Haddington ‘22’ and almost scored, had it not been for a try saving tackle from Herkes. However, this only delayed the next score, as from the next ruck, the ball was spun wide and Gillies scored his second try. Sanft missed the conversion to leave the score at 0 – 23.

Again, the Haddington pack tried to assert more pressure on the Kirkcaldy line. Once more Kirkcaldy gave away penalty after penalty. Eventually, the referee decided that he had had enough and awarded a penalty try to Haddington in the 23rd minute. Bell knocked over the straight forward conversion to take the score to 7 – 23.

Right at the end of the game, Haddington scored again. With more pressure on the Kirkcaldy line and more penalties being conceded, the referee again brandished his yellow card, to reduce Kirkcaldy to 14 men. Haddington again kicked to the corner, won the line out and the forwards drove over the line, with prop Gary Glass coming up with the ball. The conversion was missed to make the final score Haddington 12 Kirkcaldy 23.

Haddington will be desperately disappointed to have taken nothing from this game after the previous week’s win. This week’s game, at home to Dunfermline, is now a massive game, especially after their win over Biggar last Saturday. The game kicks –off at 2pm and the players would welcome as much backing as possible from a good home support.

November 30, 2009
1ST XV MATCH REPORT V ABERDEEN GSFP (L)

Haddington 26 v Aberdeen 17

Haddington welcomed Aberdeen to Neilson Park looking to avenge the earlier season league defeat in the Granite City where a depleted Haddington side were well beaten.

The match coincided with the Past Players Lunch at the club which kicked off at 12.00 with around 50 former players attending.

The match itself kicked off at 1.00pm, the early kick off to accommodate the Scotland Argentina match at Murrayfield. The Neilson park pitch was in good condition despite the amount of rain that had fallen in previous weeks and while a cold day, little wind meant that the prospects of a good open game were enhanced.

The match started with Aberdeen the livelier of the two sides and much early pressure was applied by the visitors, but indiscipline allowed the Scarlets the chance to clear their lines with the resultant penalties. At this stage Haddington were struggling to get a foothold against the steady pressure from the visitors and it was no surprise that on 18 mins they made the breakthrough with winger Phillips scoring out wide, though weak Scarlet tackling made the wingers task all the easier. Scrum Half Lawson added the conversion for a 7 - 0 lead.

Aberdeen continued to pile on the pressure with good ball retention and territorial advantage and again only failed to convert the pressure into points through errors and solid defence from the Reds. However on 28 mins weak tackling again in the Scarlet midfield allowed Aberdeen centre Bennedick to cross for a soft score close to the posts. Lawson again made good with the conversion to stretch the visitors lead to 14 - 0 with half an hour gone.

At this stage it was clear that the next score would be important and it was at this point that Haddinton started to assert themselves more on the game, with better ball retention and good drives taking them into Aberdeen territory. Several penalties then followed with 2 going to each team for good measure. The last of these however went to the Scarlets and the ball was kicked to touch. From there the line out was secured and the Scarlets pressed for the score. Eventually Aberdeen were penalised for repeating infringements and the first yellow card of the game was flashed as half time beckoned. The Scarlets opted for the scrum given the numerical advantage and this paid off as Alan Laidlaw peeled round to score close to the posts. Nick Bell confidently slotted the conversion as the half time whistle blew with the score at 14 - 7 in the visitors favour, but with Haddington playing down the slope in the second half it was all to play for.

The second half started as the first had ended with the Scarlets keeping up the pressure and this led to an early penalty that was kicked to touch deep in the visitors 22'. Despite some good driving from the Reds the Aberdeen defence stood firm and a penalty conceded by the Reds allowed the line to be cleared. Haddington continued to press and from a ruck on the Aberdeen 22 the ball was moved wide to Herkes, who beat his man before offloading to the supporting Neil Watt to race in under the sticks making a simple conversion for Bell who duly obliged to tie the scores at 14 - 14 after 50 mins. There was a real sense now that Haddington could press on and add to the tally. However on 60 mins a needless penalty was conceded but Lawson was off target with the goal attempt, but minutes later a further penalty to Aberdeen for playing the ball on the deck allowed Lawson to atone for his earlier miss to push Aberdeen in front at 17 14 going into final quarter of the game.

Haddington continued to press and from a scrum on the visitors 10 metre line the ball was moved wide at pace catching the Aberdeen defence out and captain Watt showed a great turn of pace to scamper in at the corner for his second try of the day. The conversion was narrowly missed from a tight angle, but the Scarlets had their noses back in front at 19 - 17 as we headed into the final 10 minutes of the game. The game flowed from end to end with both teams trying to get the all important score. With 5 minutes of injury time played Haddington were awarded a penalty which was kicked to the corner. The line-out was secured and after a couple of good drives Quinton Caulfield barged over for the 4th try and the all important bonus point. Bell added a good conversion to take the final score to Haddington 26 Aberdeen 17.

A great effort and performance from the Scarlets and chance to build on this over the next 2 weeks with home games against Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline. Haddington man of the match went to captain Neil Watt for his 2 trys and good all round play, though scrum half Nick Bell is also well worthy of a mention for a very accomplished performance including solid goal kicking which had been a problem in recent weeks.

November 23, 2009
1st XV Match Report v Berwick

Due to unavailability and some players nursing minor knocks, it was a much changed Haddington team that took the field against Berwick at a cold, wet and wind swept Scremerston, in their first Border League fixture of the season. Haddington won the toss and elected to play uphill and into the elements in the first half.

There was not much to choose between the teams in the early exchanges, however, Berwick did appear to be able to play the conditions better than Haddington. With the difficult conditions, it was always going to be a case of who made the least handling errors, would have the edge. Whenever Haddington did manage to get out of our own half, with local knowledge of the pitch and with the wind behind them, Berwick managed to pin them back in their ‘22’ time and time again.

After about 15 minutes, from a Haddington scrum, fairly close to their own line, they tried to run the ball out of defence. However, the ball was spilled in the centre, won by Berwick and after it had been recycled, was moved left for a simple score, just to the left of the posts. McCreath kicked the conversion, to give Berwick a 7 – 0 lead.

The remainder of the first half was a rather dour struggle, with neither side really creating many scoring chances and with many handling errors, the game never really flowed at all. Berwick had a couple of kickable penalty opportunities towards half time, however, thankfully from Haddington’s perspective, the usually reliable McCreath, missed both. Half time score was 7 – 0 to Berwick.

At the start of the second half, Haddington made a change at scrum half, with the injured Haenga going off and Nick Bell moving to scrum half. With the elements behind them in the second half, the small band of Haddington supporters could, optimistically, have hoped to have seen most of the rugby down at the Berwick end of the park. However, credit to Berwick, they managed to take the ball on through the forwards and with their burly centre bringing the ball back towards the forwards time and time again, they managed to make good headway and kept the ball in the Haddington half for long periods.

On a couple of occasions when Berwick did manage to spread the ball wide, only some good defensive tackling and some sloppy handling, stopped them from increasing their lead.

Up until about the half hour mark of the second half, the only real talking point had been the sin-binning of Haddington second row, Graham Paris. A bout of fisticuffs broke out in midfield, which lead to almost half of the players being involved. From the resultant debate between the referee and touch judges, only the Haddington man was sin-binned ! The officials, obviously, not seeing the head butt which prompted the melee !

However, in the last ten minutes, Haddington eventually put together two or three positive bits of play and scored two tries. The first came from turnover ball, which was whipped wide to Ferguson on the wing. As the full back came across to cover, he kicked ahead towards the Berwick line. A Berwick player tried to slide down on the ball, but it squirmed from under his arms, allowing Euan Herkes to fall on the ball for an easy score. Bell missed the conversion, to leave the score at 7 – 5.

The second score came after a Berwick knock on, in their own 22. From the resultant scrum, O’Riordan picked up and ran at the opposition midfield and with the ball being recycled quickly, Bell was able to pick up at the base of the ruck and nip in for a well taken try. He converted his own try to take the score to 7 – 12.

Right on the final whistle, Haddington almost extended their lead, after a great break from Dan Barber, took him from his own 22 right up to the Berwick 22. However, the offload as he was tackled did not go to hand and was knocked on. The referee blew for full time and a relieved Haddington team, headed for the sanctuary of the changing rooms, with their first ever Border League victory under their belt.

Haddington will be looking to be back to a more familiar line up next Saturday, as they return to SHE Premier 2 duty with a hugely important fixture at Neilson Park against Aberdeen GSFP. The match kicks – off at 1pm – to allow for the Scotland v Argentina game afterwards !

November 15, 2009
1ST XV MATCH REPORT V GALA (L)

Gala 22 v Haddington 5

The Scarlets made the relatively short trip to Gala on Friday night for this match and welcomed Quinton Caulfield back from injury. The match also saw Campbell Te Rito start his first game back at the club since his arrival from New Zealand last week.

The opening exchanges were encouraging for the Scarlets, but against the run of play a 4th minute penalty was conceded in front of the posts and the Gala full back slotted the kick for an early 3 - 0 lead.

On 7 mins the Reds got their first penalty and put a useful kick into touch deep in Gala territory. The line-out was secured but after a decent couple of surges the ball was lost along with the chance of some early points.

On 10 mins, Te Rito sent a huge kick deep into the Gala 22 causing the Maroons winger to knock on, handing Haddington a scrum in a good attacking position. Gala are then penalised for not binding and the resultant penalty is missed, along with another chance of tying the scores.

A further needless penalty is conceded for offside and the Gala full back steps up to slot the kick and extend the home lead to 6 - 0. Almost from the kick off the Scarlets concede a further penalty and this time Gala kick to touch inside the Haddington 22. Gala try to rumble over but solid defence keeps the Scarlets line intact.

On 22 mins another penalty conceded for handling on the deck, despite repeated warnings from the ref, meant 10 mins in the sin bin for prop Dougie Orr. Gala opt to kick the penalty but it drifts just wide. Down to 14 men the Scarlets are forced onto the defensive for the next 10 mins and Gala set up camp in the Haddington half but despite all the territory and possession are unable to take advantage and prop Orr returns to the fray with no further points conceded.

Haddington's first substitution of the evening comes on 37 mins as Rhodri Thomas takes to the field to replace the injured Te Rito.

Into the final minute of the first half and good work from the forwards see Gala concede a penalty. Again the kick misses and the score remains at 6 - 0. The final play of the half sees Gala pressing the Haddington line but again solid defence ensures there is no further scoring in the half.

HALF TIME: Gala 6 - Haddington 0

The Reds give away a further penalty 2 mins into the half and the Gala full back makes no mistake this time to stretch the lead to 9 - 0.

A Gala backs move sees centre Euan Herkes intercept near the halfway line and make good ground, before the ball is lost and the opportunity is also lost.

At this stage the Scarlets are starting to look more dangerous and getting more and more possession. However, on 51 mins centre Callum Mark is yellow carded for a dangerous tackle, according to the referee. A very poor call by the ref for what was probably one of the best tackles that you will see all season, a view shared by a number of the Gala supporters and confirmed by the referees assessor after the game. Critically in the 10 min spell that the team is reduced to 14 men, Gala take full advantage to score out wide twice and while both conversions are missed the score reaches 19 - 0 with just over 20 mins remaining, effectively ending the match as a contest.

On 67 mins the Reds are penalised for offside and again Gala make good with the kick to take the score to 22 - 0. At this stage it looks like Gala are now hunting for the bonus point and may run away with it. All credit to the Scarlets however, as they dig in and enjoy their best spell of the game. Gala concede a penalty after good pressure from the Scarlets, the ball is kicked to touch and from the line-out the Scarlets drive over for the score, with Ross Martin coming up with the ball for his second try of the season. The conversion is missed and the score moves to Gala 22 - Haddington 5.

The final 10 mins are played in monsoon conditions as the rain lashes down. Several good breaks by Haddington come to nothing as the ball is lost in the difficult conditions. The game finishes with the Reds on the attack before the ball is spilled and the ref blows for full time.

There is no doubt that playing 20 mins of the game with only 14 players did the Scarlets cause no good and the number of penalties conceded also contributed to the downfall with a try count of only 2 to 1 in Gala's favour. From Haddington's point of view, a spell with a settled side where we are not hampered by injury and unavailability of players, will surely see the results start to come. With 4 kicks out of 4 missed at goal, this is also an area that also gives cause for concern.

A break from league duty next week as the team head to Berwick for the first 'Radio Borders' Border league fixture of the season. Kick off 2pm.

November 08, 2009
1ST XV Match Report v Hawick (L)

Hawick 50 v Haddington 10

Haddington don’t have their troubles to seek this season with injuries and Saturday proved no exception with several enforced changes making their trip to Hawick all the more daunting.

From the previous week’s strong showing against Stirling County, Quinton Caulfield, Mark Morrison, Stephen Donaldson and Andy Scott all pulled out with injuries while Mike Legget, Graeme Dykes, Graham Waugh and Alan Laidlaw were all unavailable. The changes meant Callum Cockburn, Bob Hamilton, Campbell Te Rito and Stefan Szymoszowskyj were all called up to make their first league appearances of the season, which also meant that 43 players have now played for the 1st XV this season already.

Haddington never really got going in the match and started poorly. With only 5 minutes played they were a score down after a Hawick lineout was moved out quickly to the impressive John Coutts in midfield, he managed to slip the tackle and go in near the posts. Full Back, Ali Weir kicked the conversion for a 7 – 0 lead. As the end of the first quarter neared, Haddington were penalised for not releasing in the tackle. Weir stroked over the penalty to increase Hawick’s lead to 10 – 0.

Haddington struggled to gain any foothold in the match at this point and ‘Greens’ stand off, Dean McCracken was able to measure his kicks into the corners and keep the pressure on the Scarlets. The sustained pressure eventually told when No.8 Bruce McNeil, barged over from close range. This time the conversion was missed but the lead was stretched to 15 – 0 with barely 30 minutes played. Moments later, the Greens went further ahead with another converted try. From a lineout close to the Scarlets line, hooker Hue Scammell came up with the ball from a ruck of bodies. Weir made no mistake with the conversion for a healthy 22 – 0 lead. With half time approaching, Haddington finally managed to get field position with a penalty kick to the corner. As the forwards sucked in the Hawick pack from the driven lineout, the ball was shipped out to centre Euan Herkes who cut a great angle to score under the posts. Scott Brownlee’s conversion gave Haddington a lifeline at 22 – 7.

At last Haddington had something to cheer about and they were slowly beginning to show signs that they could cause the home side problems. Burly wingers, Graeme Crawford and Callum Cockburn were making inroads into the Hawick midfield every time they came off their wings and on half time, Brownlee kicked a long-range penalty to keep the Scarlets within touching distance going into the break.

Half Time: Hawick 22 – Haddington 10

The Scarlets introduced Campbell Te Rito into the fray at half time and the returning Kiwi looked to have an immediate impact on the game as he tried to get his team on the front foot. The opening 15 minutes of the second period proved to be Haddington’s best spell of the match and the next score could prove vital as Hawick, for once, looked slightly vulnerable, however, the Scarlets shot themselves in the foot soon after when No.8 Derek O’Riordan had a rush of blood to the head and got himself sin binned for taking out the scrum half without the ball.

During that time Hawick scored a converted try through second row, Craig Charters, and the simple conversion by Weir opened up a lead that Haddington had no chance of recovering from. With the game now out of sight at 29 – 10, Hawick relaxed and threw the ball around at will, culminating in 3 further tries for McNeil, Coutts and Rory McPherson with Weir converting them all to rub salt into the wounds of the beaten Scarlets as the 50 point mark was reached for the home side.

There were no excuses from the Haddington team who were eventually well beaten by Hawick but with the hopeful return of key players over the next fortnight the team should prove to be more of a handful for the remainder of the league fixtures.

The second half off the league campaign gets underway next Friday night with a match under the Netherdale lights as Haddington travel down to Gala for a 7.30pm Kick Off.

November 01, 2009
1st XV Match Report v Stirling County (L)

Haddington 10 v Stirling County 27

Haddington came up against a confident Stirling County side on Saturday that are sitting top of Premier Two and although disappointed with the final result, the home side came away with most of the plaudits after a pulsating match that was only decided in the final five minutes.

The Scarlets were dealt a double blow prior to kick off with the late withdrawals of Graham Crawford and Euan Herkes, meaning a first outing on the bench for Scott Brownlee with Coach, Rory Couper, having to join him as a late replacement. Back into the side came Willy Haenga, Callum Mark, Derek O’Riordan and Mike Legget after injury and unavailability.

Ex-Haddington coach, Eddie Pollock, was welcomed back to Neilson Park for the first time in his new role as coach of Stirling, although all the customaries were left till after the final whistle.

Stirling kicked off towards the clubhouse in the hope of using the slope and the sun to their advantage in the first half. The opening 10 minutes were played out mainly in the Haddington half as the visitors dominated territory and deservedly went in front through a penalty by centre, Brian Archibald. 0 – 3. Haddington came more into the match after the penalty and started to gain the upper hand up in the forward exchanges, which allowed Callum Mark the opportunity to test the Stirling defence from stand off. The ball retention and support play by the home side started to pay dividends as they took the match to Stirling. On 20 minutes the Scarlets got the reward their overall play deserved, a great take at the lineout from Quinton Caulfield allowed winger, Mike Legget, to burst through in midfield before handing on to his captain, Neil Watt to finish off a great move. The conversion was missed but Haddington were in front at 5 – 3.

Stirling have a strong back division and looked dangerous whenever they were given space and sadly for the home side, one missed tackle allowed their speedy winger, Glenn Bryce to squeeze in at the corner after 35 minutes, although Andy Scott made a great last ditch tackle causing the player to lose control off the ball as he dove over. Everyone except the touch judge and the referee noticed the error and the ‘try’ was allowed to stand. The conversion was missed. 5 – 8.

Haddington’s bad run of injuries continued with centre, Stephen Donaldson, having to leave the field of play. Brownlee took his customary place at stand off with Mark moving out to his more favoured position of centre.

The Scarlets continued to press and a searing break by Mark should have led to a second try for the home side but Stirling managed to scramble back just in time to save the score. As the half time whistle blew, Haddington were slightly disappointed not to be leading, although with the elements in their favour in the second half a 3 point deficit was easily achievable to overtrun.

Half Time: Haddington 5 – Stirling County 8

Eddie Pollock had stern words for his side at half time and it seemed to have the desired affect as they came out fired up. Full back, Ben Addison, was a constant threat with ball-in-hand all day and was proving elusive as he ran at the Scarlets. Within 5 minutes Stirling had increased their lead. Centre, Brian Archibald made a strong run before feeding his winger, Ross Aitken to score out wide. The conversion was again missed. 5 – 13.

The Scarlets came back strongly with Brownlee varying play with the boot, some towering kicks combined with long touch finders keeping Stirling on their toes throughout. Alex Spence and Mark Morrison were at the heart of all the moves and the front row of Glass, Harrison and Orr continued to make life difficult for their Stirling counterparts as the second half was played out.

The Scarlets pressed the visitors line with several breenges looking for the vital score, Caulfield was unfortunate as he lost possession going over the line, although the try was not long in coming. A solid scrum allowed No.8, Derek O’Riordan, the opportunity to barge over from 5 metres. Brownlee was unlucky with the conversion but the Scarlets were right back in the match at 10 – 13. Haddington continued to go all out for the win and a long miss-pass by Brownlee sent Mark clear but a combination of good defending and slight hesitation cost the Scarlets a third try that nobody could have denied them.

As the clock ticked down, Stirling struck a hammer blow. A loose kick downfield was seized upon by Stirling and as Haddington stood off, flanker, Jonny Clarke was on hand to touch down. Archibald struck a great conversion from wide out and the match was all but over for the home side at 10 – 20. There was further misery for the Scarlets with the last play of the game. Stirling moved the ball wide and man-of-the-match, Addison, was strong enough to hold off a couple of challenges to barge over for a four-try bonus point they scarcely deserved. Archibald again struck the conversion from wide out to put a flattering 10 – 27 score line in Stirling’s favour as the referee blew for full time.

Stirling are a competent outfit and barring some real misfortune will no-doubt return to Premier One where they should be plying their trade. If Haddington are to use them as a gauge to where they are at this moment, then on Saturday’s showing, Haddington are certainly not far away. The spirit and enthusiasm seems to have returned after an indifferent start and the new coaching team of Stewart Bennet and Rory Couper are beginning to leave their mark with the player’s.

Next Saturday sees the Scarlets travelling down to Mansfield Park for the first time in a league match since 1984 when they played in the old First Division. The match against Hawick will kick off at the usual time of 3pm with the use of floodlights coming in to play for the match.

October 26, 2009
Match report vs Kelso 26/10/2009

Kelso 11 Haddington 17

The Scarlets secured a much-needed 3rd win of the season at Poynder Park on Saturday with a spirited performance.

Early on the win didn’t look likely as Kelso dominated early play, their lineout was close to flawless all day as Haddington failed to apply any pressure in this area and often they used this platform to launch attacks. Their winger, Wilkinson, missed a penalty before Ross King got the visitors on the board with a similar effort against the run of play after 14 minutes.

Kelso hit back very quickly with Gregg Minto racing over a couple of minutes later to take the lead. At this point the home side were dominating territory and possession but remained unable to break through the Scarlet defensive line. Despite their dominance there were few clear cut chances as the visitor's defensive line retained its shape very well and the players kept their discipline. Stephen Donaldson was prominent in this area as he regularly covered well from the centre to shut down outside breaks from the home team.

This defensive quality paid off when the entire shape of the match, and the end result, drastically changed on the half-hour mark. James Jamison was the catalyst as the young scrum half intercepted a Kelso backs move in his own half and raced 60 metres to touch down beneath the posts for King to convert.

Straight from the kick-off Haddington launched the only real quality attacking play from either side on the day. Craig Harrison tapped back the restart and Spence and Morrison took the ball on before feeding Stephen Donaldson. He raced into the opposition half on a carving run before sending Graeme Crawford under the sticks. All of a sudden it was 5-17.

The shell-shocked home side did continue to apply pressure before the break though and Wilkinson kicked two penalties to take the half-time score to 11-17.

Wilkinson missed a chance to reduce the defecit shortly after the break and Haddington were then reduced to 14 men when Spence was binned for a late tackle with 20 minutes to go. However, playing with a man short seemed to galvanise the Haddington team and the last quarter actually saw some of their best rugby on the day. They dominated territory and Kelso regularly kicked aimless ball to the dangerous Scarlet back 3 of Watt, Crawford and Scott.

Andy Scott made one superb 50 metre break which nearly resulted in a score but the scoreboard wasn't troubled as Haddington remained in control until the end of the match.

This was not a great encounter and there is much for Haddington to work on before this week's clash against table-topping Stirling County. However, a win at Poynder Park has proved elusive for previous teams from this club and should not be taken lightly. The biggest positive on the day was the defensive shape of the team and there were only a handful of missed tackles during the whole match.

The County match kicks off at the earlier time of 14.00.

October 19, 2009
1st XV Match Report v Peebles (L)

Peebles 39 v Haddington 7

Having taken points from their last four games, we‘d have thought that Haddington would have gone into this game with a bit more confidence. However, the unbeaten run came to an abrupt end at Peebles on Saturday.

On another cracking Saturday afternoon, Peebles took the game to Haddington right from the outset. Peebles took the lead inside the first ten minutes when, from turnover ball in midfield, the ball was spun wide to Peebles No 8 Oakes, who slipped a tackle and showed the Haddington defence a clean pair of heels from about 40 metres out. Anderson missed the conversion, leaving the score at 5 – 0.

Haddington came more into the game in the middle twenty minutes of the first half but, unfortunately, were not able to turn any pressure into points. Peebles seemed to up the pace the a little bit again and started to punch holes in the Haddington defence, with the ball carrier able to offload on several occasions to supporting players. On one such occasion, Haddington defended manfully, but eventually ran out of defenders allowing Anderson to crash over, out on the right. He missed the conversion of his own try, making the score 10 – 0. The score remained at this until half time.

The second half started pretty much the same way that the first ended, with Peebles taking the game to Haddington. Peebles extended their lead when, after Haddington were penalised at the break down, Anderson kicked the resulting penalty, taking the score to 13 – 0. From the restart, Peebles scored again. Scrum half, Strachan, put up a box kick from deep in his own 22 and, after some indecision in the Haddington ranks, the man following up took play well into the Haddington half. The ball was recycled from a ruck and shipped left, for right wing Hunter to score wide out on the opposite wing. Anderson struck a good conversion to take the score to 20 – 0.

Andy Scott looked as though he had finally got Haddington onto the scoreboard, when he slipped through the Peebles defence out wide, but as he tried to make the conversion attempt easier, was deemed to have stepped on the touchline in the in-goal area. Instead of a 22 being awarded, it was changed to a penalty after one of the Haddington players showed dissent to the touch judge.

Peebles did not take their foot off the gas and again showed some good continuity play in adding three more scores at regular intervals through out the rest of the second half. Right wing Hunter added two more, one of them from inside his own half after brushing aside several would be Haddington tacklers, to complete a hat-trick. The other score was added by tight head prop, Clark, who romped home from outside the Haddington 22. Anderson added two of the three conversions to take the score to 39 – 0.

Haddington finally managed to trouble the scoreboard when, from a lineout close to the Peebles line, the forwards drove to the line for No 8, O’Riordan to plunge over. King added a good conversion from the touchline, to make the final score, 39 – 7.

On a bad day at the office for Haddington, when their first up tackling let them down badly, the only player to emerge with any real credit, was young back row, Alex Spence.

Haddington will have to pick themselves up from this heavy defeat for next week’s trip to take on Kelso at Poynder Park, in what will surely be another testing encounter in the Borders.

October 11, 2009
1st XV Match Report v Jedforest (L)

Haddington 17 v Jedforest 15

Haddington went into this match quietly confident after their epic battle with league leaders Biggar the previous week, whilst Jed were still smarting from last weekends home league defeat to Peebles.

The conditions couldn’t have been more contrasting to last Saturday’s blustery weather, there seemed an almost calm spring-like afternoon had descended over Neilson Park as the teams ran out onto the pitch.

Haddington may have felt too calm as it was Jed who got into their stride quicker and played at a pace that had Haddington struggling to cope with early doors, although uncharacteristic errors didn’t help the Scarlets cause during the opening period. Within the first 5 minutes, two missed kicks to touch and a knock-on seemed to set the tone for a difficult afternoon that lay ahead for the Scarlets. Jed deservedly took the lead on 10 minutes through their impressive centre, Garry Hill, although Haddington were guilty of losing possession in the lead up to the try. The conversion was missed. 0 – 5.

Haddington’s main threat came through centres, Euan Herkes and Callum Mark but the match was becoming too loose for either sides liking, with neither team managing to retain possession for any periods. It was Jed however, that took their chances in open play as they breached the Scarlets line for a second time when stand-off, Gary Dawson went through a gap. On a day when the kicks would prove decisive, Ewan Scott was having an off-day with the boot and missed a second relatively straight-forward conversion. 0 – 10.

Herkes continued to make inroads with his strong running but a lack of support at times ensured Jed’s line was kept intact. As half time approached, a great run by Mark from his own 22 took play deep inside the Jed 22 before his supporting winger, Andy Scott, unfortunately put a foot in touch in the act of scoring. Haddington kept the pressure on however and after a great lineout take by Quinton Caulfield, Mark Morrison drove towards the Jed line before offloading to the ever-present support of flanker, Alex Spence, to dive over. Ross King converted as half time approached. After an unconvincing first half Haddington would no-doubt be the happier team going into the break trailing by only 3 points.

Half Time: Haddington 7 – Jedforest 10

Haddington started the second half with renewed vigour and could have tied the match if King’s snap drop goal hadn’t drifted just wide of the uprights. It was Jed that now seemed to struggle to keep pace and had their scrum half, Ewan Fowler, binned for slowing ball down at a ruck. Like Jed, Haddington were also having an off-day with the boot as King missed the resultant penalty. The Scarlets continued to take the game to Jed with the ‘Three Amigos’ of the team, Herkes, Glass and Harrison to the fore on several occasions. Eventually Haddington got the try their overall play deserved, a solid scrum allowed No.8, Derek O’Riordan, to barge his way over from 5 metres out. The conversion was missed but the Scarlets led 12 – 10 going into the final quarter of the match. Haddington were stung minutes later though, a speculative kick over the top bounced kindly for Jed and as the Scarlets back-tracked, a huge miss pass by the Jed prop outfoxed the Haddington defenders with Gregor Young having an easy stroll to the line. Again the conversion was missed but Jed had their noses back in front at 15 – 12. Jed kept looking to open up at every opportunity that came their way but ill-discipline was to prove costly once more as flanker, Scott Laidlaw was next to be yellow carded for his misdemeanours.

As the match entered the final 10 minutes, Haddington kicked to the corner from a penalty and the most unlikely of heroes was to clinch the match for the Scarlets. Having been ridiculed at every Captains Dinner for numerous years for never scoring a try throughout the season, second row, Ross Martin, was the recipient of Caulfield’s tap down as he drove over the line with several Jed players unable to stop ‘The Latch’ from enjoying his first try since his school days. The conversion was missed but the Scarlets were in pole position to close out the match. Haddington had a couple of final opportunities to get the bonus point but breaks by O’Riordan and Herkes came to nought as the referee brought the match to an end.

Haddington have now taken points from their last four matches and after a very difficult opening few weeks to the season, are beginning to show their true potential with a settled team. The squad travel in confident mood to Peebles on Saturday but fully aware that another difficult match lies ahead. Kick off 3pm.

October 04, 2009
Biggar v Haddington Match Report (L)

Biggar 5 v Haddington 5

Haddington gained points for a third successive league match, however, a second successive draw means only another two points were added to their league tally.

The Scarlets were forced into a late change with the loss of stand-off, Ross King, to flu. Centre, Callum Mark moving infield to replace him at 10 with Ian Watt, joining his brother and captain, Neil, for his first league start in a Haddington jersey.

A howling gale met the players at an exposed Hartreemill before kick off, with the league leaders deciding to go all-out for the win in the first half by electing to play with the strong wind. Haddington kicked off and quickly got into their stride by taking the game to Biggar through some strong driving play by the forwards. An elusive run by the impressive, Mike Legget, also caused problems in the early stages for the home side. Inevitably, Biggar soon regained territory with the wind at their backs and were rewarded with a couple of penalty attempts that fortunately for the Scarlets, went wide of the uprights on both occasions.

The Haddington pack thrived in open play with Alex Spence, Neil Rodger and Mark Morrison constantly disrupting Biggar possession. On the half hour mark, Biggar were stunned, young Spence made the hard yards before Legget took play up to the Biggar 22 and offloaded to his fellow winger, Andy ‘Scandy’ Scott, who beat the last defender with ease as he touched down under the posts. Surprisingly, Willy Haenga had his conversion charged down but the Scarlets tails were up.

Haddington upped their game even more and backs Mark, Legget and Scandy all had strong runs that had Biggar scrambling to defend. Just before the interval centre, Euan Herkes, made a great break from his own half into the Biggar 22 where he linked with Spence, who in turn fed Legget to barge over the Biggar line. Sadly for Haddington, Biggar managed to get a player under him and the Scarlets had to settle for a 5m scrum. The front row of Glass, Harrison and Orr are proving a handful for most sides this season when they’re playing together and Saturday was no exception as they gave the Biggar front row a testing afternoon. From the resultant scrum 5, the platform was laid for No.8, Derek O’Riordan to pick and go, but for a second time, Biggar were able to get bodies under the ball as O’Riordan drove over the line.

Surprisingly it was Biggar that seemed more relieved than Haddington to hear the half time whistle.

Half Time: Biggar 0 – Haddington 5

Haddington were under no illusions that the match was in the bag but they had given themselves a real chance going into the second half with the strong wind now in their favour.

Within 5 minutes though, Biggar were right back in the match. A kick downfield was gathered by the Biggar full back, McKeand, he linked with several colleagues before managing to get on the end of the final pass to touch down out wide. The conversion was missed but the match was right back in the balance at 5 – 5.

The Scarlets began to gain a foothold in opposition territory after this early setback with the pack again to the fore. Some big ball carriers were ably supported with intelligent turnovers to continually frustrate the home team from gaining any momemtum. The Scarlets pressure eventually told with a penalty conceded by the home side as they tried to run out of their 22. Unfortunately, Haddington again rued their luck with another kickable shot at goal failing to increase their lead, this time Neil Watt’s attempt going agonisingly wide.

The game was played at a fast pace and going into the last quarter it was no surprise that the game really opened up as weary legs began to have an affect. It seemed only a matter of time for Haddington to score with Scandy, Herkes and Mark all causing panic among the home ranks with their decisive running. A 5m scrum to the Scarlets also came to nothing as they tried in vain to get the vital score that would surely win the match. Ex Edinburgh University player, Stephen Donaldson, came on for his debut to replace the industrious Ian Watt at centre for the final 10 minutes. The closing stages saw Biggar try hard to break free from the clutches of the Scarlets, however, in a similar vein to throughout the match, any threat was quickly snuffed out by a determined Haddington team.

Haddington have to be delighted to be the first side to have taken points off Biggar this season, yet it could have been even better had one of their kicks gone over. It’s hard to single any player out for special mention because coaches, Bennet and Couper, have the players working extremely hard for each other and there wasn’t anyone in a Scarlet jersey that gave anything less than 100%.

It was nice to see Biggar respecting Haddington’s performance at the final whistle although the ‘whooping’ from one of their players throughout the match should be reserved for the playground instead of embarrassing the rest of his team-mates.

Next week Haddington are at home to Jedforest with a 3pm Kick Off.

September 28, 2009
Haddington v GHA Match Report

Haddington 29 v GHA 29

Playing away from the clubhouse and into a strong wind in the first half, Haddington found it difficult to gain any territory and retain possession during the early exchanges. G.H.A started quickly with their outside half pulling the strings and getting his back line running hard at the Haddington defence. This pressure soon told as captain Niall Cassie went over in the corner. The conversion was missed, 0-5.

From the restart Haddington recovered the ball and put together some excellent phases of play and started to make inroads into the G.H.A midfield, unfortunately a pass was ruled forward and from the scrum Noonan was able to take his side deep into Haddington territory. The visiting side continued to take full advantage of the elements and after more pressure, a crossfield kick by outside half Noonan was gathered by the number 8, Jamie Pinder, who went over for the score. The conversion was added by Noonan, 0-10.

After some good running from Watt, Crawford and Spence, Haddington were awarded a penalty which King converted to make the score 3-10. This was the best period of the first half for Haddington but any errors were being punished with long kicks downfield from Noonan. From one of these kicks G.H.A were able to recover the ball and after several phases of play, they crossed for their third try through centre R. McClymont. The conversion made it 3-17.

The final scoring play of the half was a penalty to G.H.A. which Noonan kicked from halfway.

Half Time 3 - 20

Haddington needed to start strongly in the second half and they quickly got into the opposition half where Calum Mark put in a deft kick into the corner. From the lineout the Haddington forwards took control and forced G.H.A to concede a penalty. Some quick thinking by vice captain O’Riordan saw him take a quick tap and crash over in the corner. Unfortunately the conversion was missed, 8-20.
From the kick off Haddington gave away a penalty, which after some backchat was moved forward 10m. Crucially this moved the penalty in range of Noonan and he made no mistake, 8-23.

From here on Haddington upped the tempo and put together a sustained period of pressure. The forwards were making big inroads and out wide Neil Watt and replacement Andy Scott were causing lots of problems for the defence. Although spending a lot of time in the opposing 22 the score did not come. Caulfield was tackled just short of the line and on two or three occasions players were held up over the line. Finally the pressure told as Neil Watt rounded off a great move by scoring under the posts. The conversion by King made it 15-23.

Haddington were quickly back on the attack and a great kick by Andy Scott caused big problems for G.H.A and forced them to concede a 5m scrum. After a couple of phases it was Quinton Caulfield who forced his way over for his second try in two games. Again King converted and Haddington were now within one point of the visitors. 22-23

From the kick off Haddington were unable to clear the ball and G.H.A were back on the attack, some indiscipline from Haddington gave another scoring opportunity to Noonan which he took to make the score 22-26.

With time running out Haddington got themselves deep into opposition territory where, after lots of pressure from the forwards, O’Riordan was able to force himself over for his second try of the day. An excellent conversion from King gave Haddington the lead for the first time and with just minutes to play the home support was confident that they could hold on. 29-26.

Unfortunately there was a twist right at the end of the game when after a sustained period of attacking play from the visitors they were awarded a dubious looking penalty. Noonan made no mistake again and with the final kick of the game he made the score 29-29.

Haddington will be disappointed not to have got the bonus point win but will take some comfort from the 3pts they earned from the fixture. Next week Haddington travel to Biggar to take on the side currently sitting top of Premier Two.

September 21, 2009
Dunfermline v Haddington Match Report (L)
Dunfermline 12 v Haddington 33 - Sat 19th Sept.

Haddington finally got their season underway at Mckane Park on Saturday with an excellent win over Dunfermline. While this wasn’t the type of performance that should lead to anyone getting carried away, there was a consistent determination and control that bodes well for the future.

The first quarter looked very different though as Dunfermline dominated most of the opening exchanges. They had some big ball carriers in the pack who regularly got over the gain line and they monopolised early territory and possession. It was their big centre Warren Daley (ex-Haddington from a decade ago) who did the real damage though, his forty yard break setting up the field position from where the home forwards rumbled over for the opening try after 15 minutes.

The home side continued to dominate and Haddington were lucky that their fullback missed a couple of penalties or the scoreline could have been looking pretty grim. However, in the second quarter the Scarlets gradually began to creep back into the game.

A sharp Willie Haenga break from a ruck set up a great platform 5 metres out and a couple of phases later Dougie Orr bashed his way over from short range. Ross King missed the conversion and a subsequent penalty to leave the score tied at 5-5 but just before the break the visitors made a significant breakthrough. Euan Herkes got well over the gainline from a scrum before quick ball was popped to Quinton Caulfield to crash over while carrying a couple of defenders with him.

King’s conversion extended the Scarlets’ lead to seven and this was increased shortly after the break with a penalty. Haddington continued to look the sharper team as the home pack looked short of fitness, long kicks from the returning Calum Mark and skipper Neil Watt ensured that the game was played in the home half. However, Derek O’Riordan was yellow-carded after 55minutes and Dunfy put the penalty into the home 22. From there, they again made it over from short range to narrow the gap to three points, 12-15.

With the home team tiring there were regular opportunities for the Scarlets to pull clear but with things going against them recently they were a bit tentative about ramming any advantage home. King slotted another penalty to calm the nerves as Haddington again dominated territory. Then on 75 minutes he calmly slotted a superb drop goal to take the lead to nine points and seal the match.

The icing on the cake was still to come though, first Graeme Crawford seized on turnover ball to race 60 metres for a converted score. From the kick-off it was last play and the visitors were hunting an unlikely bonus point. Several breaks from O’Riordan, Mark and Watt created the position and King calmly slipped an inside ball to Morrison who charged over to top-off a great result.

This was a good performance from Haddington and importantly they are improving week on week. They should be able to proceed with a lot more confidence now into next week’s home match to GHA, KO 3pm.

September 13, 2009
Haddington v Gala Match Report
Haddington 10 v Gala 34

Haddington’s first home game of the season ended in a disappointing defeat against Border side, Gala.

In glorious conditions and with a large crowd supporting the home side, expectations were high, especially with seven players back to bolster a Haddington team that had been depleted for the opening two fixtures.

The home side looked assured from the start and began at a good pace with the forwards winning good quality ball for the backs to stretch the Gala midfield. It came as no surprise when Haddington struck first on 10 minutes, stand off, Rhodri Thomas made the initial break before feeding Neil Watt who in turn released winger, Graham Crawford to finish strongly in the corner. 5 – 0. Haddington continued to look sharp with the forwards imposing themselves on the Gala pack and Thomas pulling the strings in the backs.

As the first half wore on though, Gala began to see more of the ball and were trying to spread play at every opportunity, however centres, Euan Herkes and Simon Spence stood strong in midfield with Neil Watt sweeping up behind them at full back. The Borderers did manage to snatch the lead via two penalties in the 25 and 34 minute through stand off, Gregor Hunter. 6 – 5.

Neil Watt, on the other hand, was unlucky with a couple of penalty shots at goal as the Scarlets continued to take the game to Gala. With half time approaching, Gala struck a hammer blow with a try by winger, Graeme Speirs. There didn’t seem too much danger as Speirs broke down the wing, however, he managed to break two tackles and evade the cover defence to score out wide. Hunter added the extras to put the Borderers into the break leading 13 – 5.

The injuries that have riddled the 1st XV squad continued on Saturday with Rhodri Thomas putting his shoulder out once again in an attempted tackle. The former captain was a despondent figure as he trudged off the park early in the second half, knowing he may have played his last game for the Scarlets. Gala’s, Ross Lindsay was the benefactor as he raced down the touchline at Thomas’s expense to score the try. Hunter again knocked over the conversion to extend Gala’s lead to 20 – 5. Haddington had to rearrange their ranks with Simon Spence also having to leave the field with a recurrence of a wrist injury, Ross King was already on at stand off, meaning flanker, Neil Rodger had to patrol the touchline for the Scarlets.

With confidence growing, Gala started to turn Haddington with crossfield kicks over the defenders. One such kick wasn’t gathered properly by the Scarlets and a fortuitous bounce allowed winger, Speirs to dive over for Gala’s third try. Hunter’s conversion put Gala into a flattering 27 – 5 lead with Haddington now 22 points adrift, even though it seemed pretty evenly matched throughout.

Haddington were caught ball-watching moments later though as Gala again put over a clever kick for Andy Mclean to be on hand to dive over. Hunter made no mistake with the conversion. Haddington continued to battle and deservedly had the final say after the initial surge by Herkes was taken on by King, he shipped it to Rodger who finished off in the corner. The conversion was missed as the match drew to a close in what turned out to be a frustrating afternoon for the Scarlets. 10 - 34.

Haddington’s heads never went down with winger, Andrew Symington showing up well on his league debut for the Club whilst the forwards stuck manfully to the task with Ross Martin and Quinton Caulfield leading by example, closely followed by young Alex Spence belying his tender years with a very mature performance on his home debut.

With several players now returning to the fold, it will be a case of the coaches getting them up to match-speed as quickly as possible for the forthcoming fixtures.

Next Saturday sees Haddington making the short journey over the Forth to play Dunfermline, 3pm KO.

September 06, 2009
Aberdeen v Haddington Match Report(L)
Aberdeen GSFP 65 v Haddington 5

Haddington knew they’d be up against it at the start of the season due to injuries and unavailability, however, results like this only add to the difficulties facing the players and coaches at the moment.

Haddington started strongly with stand off, Sam Hughes, controlling much of the early play with his deft chips and strong running. This kept Aberdeen pinned back as he asked questions of their defence throughout the early exchanges, although sadly no points were gained during this period.

Aberdeen made the breakthrough after 12 minutes with full back, Aitken exploiting a gap after his inside backs had created the space for him. The conversion was missed but Aberdeen were 5 – 0 to the good. Haddington continued to press and a crossfield kick into the corner from Rory Couper had Aberdeen scrambling to clear. From the resultant lineout the Scarlets pack drove over the Aberdeen line with prop, Alan Laidlaw claiming the try. With 18 minutes played the scores were now tied at 5 – 5 after the missed conversion.

The rest of the first half was keenly fought with the lineouts and scrums working well for the Scarlets and on the odd occasion Aberdeen threatened, Haddington covered each other well to nullify the danger, with Craig Harrison in particular, showing up well in his defensive duties.

As half time approached a high tackle on an Aberdeen player allowed their kicker, Bennedick, the chance to knock over the penalty and give the home side a three point cushion going into the break.

Half Time: Aberdeen 8 - Haddington 5

From the kick off, Mike Legget recovered possession for the Scarlets and allowed Graeme Crawford an early run on his wing, although Aberdeen did well to contain the threat. It was in the 49th minute when things turned sour for the Scarlets and the wheels came off their challenge with Aberdeen almost scoring at will. The home side scored four tries in quick succession as Haddington wilted, Nelson (2), Phillips and Robertson were the benefactors of some poor Haddington tackling and with Bennedick knocking over three conversions the score was suddenly up to 34 – 5 and Haddington were facing down the barrel with still 20 minutes remaining.

The Aberdeen backs were having a field day in the second half and their three Australian imports were hugely influential. The tries continued to flow with Strelow(2), Phillips, Aitken and a third try of the day for Nelson wrapping up the scoring on the final whistle. Three of the tries were converted by Bennedick to condemn the Scarlets to their worst defeat for many a season.

This was definitely a game of two halves and lets hope for Haddington’s sake that the second half is not repeated again.

Gala are the first visitors of the new season to Neilson Park next weekend, 3pm Kick Off. A home match should allow the team some respite and with the sponsor’s day in the Clubhouse beforehand, a large vocal support is anticipated that should encourage the squad onto producing a sterner test for their opponents than in recent weeks.

August 30, 2009
Kirkcaldy v Haddington Match Report (L)
Kirkcaldy 45 v Haddington 21

Haddington suffered a heavy defeat in their first league match of the new season to a confident Kirkcaldy side at Beveridge Park on Saturday. The newly promoted champions of Premier Three came up against a Haddington side that bore little resemblance to the team that ran Melrose close in the semi final of the SHE Cup only a few months previous.

The new coaching team of Stewart Bennet and Rory Couper have had a difficult pre-season with injuries and unavailability, 14 at the last count, but will have taken some comfort from the fact that the spirit and effort from the player’s on Saturday was exceptional given the little time most of them had been together.

Haddington started well on Saturday and a Lance Robinson penalty put them ahead after only two minutes. From the resultant kick-off, which were to prove costly for the Scarlets throughout the match, they failed to gather and an opportunist bounce allowed Kirkcaldy flanker, Neilson a simple score. Sanft converted for a 7 – 3 lead to the home side. The Fife side didn’t have long to wait for their next try, which was scored through hooker, Wallace after only 8 minutes as the game opened up. Sanft converted. Haddington were struggling to contain Kirkcaldy at this stage and were falling off tackles too easily, which allowed Kirkcaldy to look dangerous with ball in hand. Sanft knocked over a penalty as Kirkcaldy raced into a 17 – 3 lead. Haddington responded quickly though and got their first try of the day, Sam Hughes sucking in the Kirkcaldy defenders allowing new recruit Willy Haenga to spot a gap and stretch over to mark a very assured all-round performance on his debut.

Haddington’s failure to retain kick offs was exploited to the full again by the home team. After pilfering the spilled ball it was moved wide for winger, Gillies, to squeeze in at the corner. The score now stood at 22 – 8 and left Haddington with a mountain to climb even at this stage, however, back they came with a vengeance. Graham Crawford picked up a loose pass in midfield and beat several players for an excellent individual effort as the deficit was reduced to 22 – 13. A few minutes later Haddington scored another great try, created and finished by the back row unit. From a lineout, Neil Rodger made the initial break and debutant, Graham Paris was up in support to flick a deft reverse pass to Captain and No.8, Derek O’Riordan to stroll in unopposed. The Scarlets now had their tails up and pressure on the Kirkcaldy scrum forced a penalty, which Robinson duly converted to bring the visitors to within a point at 22 – 21. Again though, Haddington were unable to retain the next kick off and the home team capitalised once more with a second try for hooker, Wallace. This was to prove to be the last points of the half and although it was proving to be a highly entertaining spectacle for the supporters, Haddington knew they had to tighten their defence if they hoped to get anything from the match.

Simon Ward came on to mark his debut for the 1sts at half time, allowing Paris a well-earned breather. Haddington continued to play at a pace, however, were probably naïve at times of trying to force the pass that wasn’t on, this proved to be their downfall because Kirkcaldy took full advantage of nearly every mistake that Haddington made in the second half. Another turnover ball put Kirkcaldy hooker, Wallace in space, his speculative kick bounced nicely for winger, Gillies to score his second try off the day. Sanft converted to put the home side clear at 34 – 21. With half an hour still to play, backs coach, Rory Couper, who had been pressed into sitting on the bench due to the catalogue of injuries, decided it was time to take his Haddington bow and to try and shore up a shaky defence. Elgin Miller making way for him at full back. The game got a bit scrappy from here on in and although Sanft kicked a further penalty Haddington continued to look for quick ruck ball with Haenga, Rodger and Herkes continually making inroads. It was no surprise that Kirkcaldy were eventually reduced to 14 men for persistently trying to slow ball down at the rucks. Haddington tried to get the fourth try that their overall play deserved and should have scored when Dougie Orr ploughed over, however, Kirkcaldy were able to get a body underneath him and the chance was lost.

As the game entered the closing stages Haddington’s lapse of concentration allowed Sanft to knock over a drop goal and to rub salt into the wounds a turnover ball as Haddington pressed, allowed Kirkcaldy winger, Webster a simple run in from the half way for a convincing 45 – 21 win.

The final scoreline probably flattered the Fife team, however, Haddington know the areas that let them down on Saturday and will be working hard at training this week to rectify the problems before making the journey north for next Saturday’s encounter against Aberdeen Grammar School.