Carrick come from behind to win BT Shield Final
Carrick showed composure and class to defeat Murrayfield Wanderers in the BT Shield Final at the national stadium as they dominated the second-half to come back and win 21-41.The first-half belonged to the local side as Murrayfield Wanderers secured three converted tries – having held the majority of possession – to Carrick’s two converted tries and a penalty.The Edinburgh side were unable to extend their four-point lead however which allowed Carrick’s back-line to showcase their speed and skill as they plugged the gaps in Murrayfield’s defence to overtake the Wanderers and cement their win in final 40 minutes.RUN OF PLAY Murrayfield Wanderers didn’t take long to find their feet in the first quarter as they began to build their phases until outside centre Liam Hanlin found a break in the Carrick defence to secure the first try of the game after 8 minutes, converted by stand-off Murray Hastie.The ball then found Carrick hands as the Ayrshire side successfully piled the pressure on Murrayfield as the local side conceded a penalty in their 22 to gift Carrick a penalty goal which was secured by stand-off Kyle Johnson.Murrayfield tried to hold onto their lead but Carrick full-back Greg Montgomery had other plans as he found his way over the try line to give his team the front foot, helped by Johnson who sent the conversion through the uprights.The Wanderers soon responded in the second quarter however as back-row Callum Johnston scored in the 23rd minute which Hastie converted to put them back in front by four points.The Edinburgh side continued to dominate which enabled Hanlin to dance past the Carrick defenders for his second try of the match, converted by Hastie again to take his tally to three from three.Carrick’s unbridled desire to fight back cost them as lock Iain Speirs found himself spending time in the sin bin but despite this, the West coast boys reduced the deficit in the 40th minute as stand-off replacement Lewis Clark touched down just left of the posts.Outside centre and Player of the Match John Fulton made the kick to take his team within sights of the front foot at half-time.HALF-TIME: Murrayfield Wanderers 21 – 17 CarrickMurrayfield came out fighting in the third quarter but Carrick’s defence held up as they forced errors from the leading side who struggled to get past their opponents.Holding on at the breakdown saw Carrick with a penalty line-out after sending the ball into Murrayfield’s 22.The jumpers secured the ball for their back-line who stretched the Wanderers’ defence from right to left before shipping the ball quick right to winger Ross McCulloch who touched down just inside touch to give Carrick the lead, furthered by Fulton’s successful conversion.Murrayfield worked hard to claw back their lead but both sides made mistakes which interrupted Edinburgh’s flow as they found themselves stuck on Carrick’s 5 metre.However their desperation to score lost Murrayfield the possession as Carrick took advantage of a penalty to take a line-out further up their half to keep their opponents at bay.It wasn’t long before Carrick punished the capital side as Fulton scored a second try in the 52nd minute following a break up the midfield and support play with saw offload after offload take the Ayrshire side up to the whitewash.As the third quarter came around, the play went stagnant as both teams lost their momentum and continued to concede penalties.However as the final ten minutes approached, Carrick snuck a fifth try through Clark, scoring his second of the game from the bench, to cement his side’s lead.Murrayfield dug deep and continued to dart towards Carrick’s try line but a missed pass saw Montgomery intercept and storm up the pitch from the half-way line to score his second of the match to seal the deal for Carrick with five minutes to go.Fulton converted Carrick’s final try of the match to bring them 20 points ahead of Murrayfield – taking their tally to 24 points in the second half – but it was Murrayfield who had the last hoorah as Peter Walker scored a last gasp try which Hastie converted to narrow their losing deficit. FULL-TIME: Murrayfield Wanderers 28 – 41 Carrick Player of the Match: John Fulton (Carrick)Referee: Ian Kenny Murrayfield Wanderers: Chris Beattie; Alex Godsmark, Liam Hanlin, Liam Thomas, Patrick Cooney; Murray Hastie CAPTAIN, Fraser Strachan; Tom Lawman, Ieuan Webb, Penni Navunivanua, Adam McFarlane, John Lee, Steven Crawford, Logan Thom, Callum Johnston. Replacements: Scott Lynes, Brendan Reid, Matthew Stevens, Cian Guerin, Peter Walker, Lachlan Lee, Ewan Eley. Carrick: Greg Montgomery; Benjamin Brown, John Fulton, Allan Speirs, Ross McCulloch; Kyle Johnson, Sean Young; Graeme Dick, Joseph Connon, Stephen Raby, Iain Speirs, David Brown, Michael Kirk CAPTAIN, Blair Jardine, Gordon Gregor. Replacements: Jonathon Webster, David Andrew, Andrew McColm, Stuart Bryden, Connor Wyllie, Grant Ward, Lewis Clark.
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