The county club recorded their first win of the season last weekend, and head coach Bryan Craig was able to field an unchanged back line, while Rab Watt returned at hooker as Colin Stuart moved to the back-row to cover for the injured Armandt Pryor.
And the home side battled hard against a side who had put a century of points past them in a league match earlier this season, with captain Garry Cockburn impressive in the tight exchanges.
Harry Hamilton and Donald McKenzie made strong carries as the Reds kept the ball tight, while Euan Herkes was a threat behind the pack.
And the Reds were able to turn around still well in the match, with their captain’s try in reply to three from the visitors in an unremarkable first 40 minutes.
After the restart, the Reds, much improved in recent weeks, were pressing the home side’s line when a well-read pass from stand-off Alex Ferguson was picked off by the Whitecraigs centre, who was able to sprint clear and score.
The match turned on that try, as the home side took control and ran in a number of tries to make the game safe, before tries from Herkes and Harry Hamilton gave the county side a glimmer of hope of rescuing a point from their trip west.
Hamilton’s try made it 29-19 and the visitors looked like a side rejuvinated by last weekend’s win over Greenock Wanderers, camping themselves on the Whitecraigs try line as they pressed for their third try.
And it came as Herkes went over for his second in as many games, before being forced off with an injury which coach Craig believes may keep him out for the rest of the season.
In a mirror to the efforts at Howe of Fife earlier in the season, though, the hosts were able to get their hands on the ball, and broke clear with some good link play between backs and forwards taking them over for their eighth try of the afternoon to seal an emphatic victory.
But afterwards Craig told Courier Sport he feared centre Herkes may miss the remainder of the season.
The Haddington head coach added: “We started well and Garry [Cockburn] scored from some great forwards pressure.
“Our inability to hold onto the ball allowed them into the game and they dominated possession until half-time.
“But then the forwards put in a fantastic 20-minute spell, dominating the ball and the breakdown, as we clawed ourselves back into contention.
“They were at bursting point at 29-19, but we lost the ball and they ran in uncontested from their own line, and two minutes later we gifted them another try with a loose pass.”
However the Reds’ head coach admitted it was injuries to Herkes and Calum Cockburn that caused him most concern.
“Injuries are part and parcel of modern day rugby but this season the club might have been best served building an A&E ward as part of the clubhouse improvements to cater for the mass casualties we have had to deal with so far.
“They were probably the two worst players to go down for us at the moment.”
Haddington: J Ferguson, K Adams, C Cockburn, E Herkes, I Watt, A Ferguson, D Crichton; G Cockburn, R Watt, P Smith, H Hamilton, C Hamilton, G Stewart, C Stuart, D McKenzie