East U20 put in capital showing on indoor debut

Scotland’s East U20 select side overcame their West counterparts in a keenly contested encounter at Oriam, Scotland’s Sports Performance Centre (34-12).The match was Scotland’s first full-contact contest to be played indoors, with the skill level granted by dry ball matched by the ferocity of the encounter that can often be absent in trial matches.It took just ten minutes for Currie back-row Thomas Gordon to open the scoring after he came crashing onto the ball at pace, cutting through the defence from the 5m line.Clubmate and scrum-half Charlie Shiel added the extras (7-0).The visitors then hit back through Glasgow Accies back-row Ryan Sweeney, who put the finish on some fine interplay as his the men yellow rushed forward.Josh Henderson converted to put the sides level at the interval.East U20 7-7 West U20Busy wing Ross McCann [pictured] got the East men back in front as the young Melrosian looked to bring his BT Premiership form into the proceedings.Shiel missed the conversion but soon made amends with a penalty kick, a further indication of the seriousness in which this fixture was being taken but those competing for age-grade international honours later this season (15-7).McCann then added a second score – which Shiel duly converted – to stretch the home side’s lead, before man-of-the-match Luke Crosbie added a fourth.With Shiel off the field it fell to the stand-off Kyle Brunton to take the conversion, who was just wide of the mark (27-7).Despite the scoring sequence it was by no means one-way traffic, with West U20 replacement back Paddy Dewhirst diving over after supporting the nearside break of Josh Henderson and Ryan Sweeney (27-12).The nail in the coffin was, however, hammered home by East U20 replacement Jack Paterson, who burst through on the end of a lovely, no-look inside ball to score.Brunton made no mistake with the conversion to see out the entertaining game.East U20 (7) 34-12 (7) West U20EAST U20: Darcy Graham (Hawick); Ross McCann (Melrose), Ronan Kerr (Boroughmuir), Grant Huggan (Hawick), Robert Kay (Heriot’s); Kyle Brunton (Hawick), Charlie Shiel (Currie); Finn Hobbis (Stewart’s Melville), Fraser Renwick (Hawick), Daniel Winning (Boroughmuir), Jamie Ure (Boroughmuir), Harry Borthwick, Luke Crosbie CAPTAIN (Currie), Thomas Gordon (Currie), Scott McGinley. Substitutes: Jonny Grant (Stewart’s Melville), Callum Eastwood (Watsonians), Blair Robertson (Hawick), Dan Marek (Currie), Hamish Bain (Currie), Connor Adams (Gala), Cameron Hutchison (Currie), Lewis Berg (Gala), Jack Paterson (Fettes College).WEST U20: Bruce Sorbie (Stirling County); Logan Trotter (Stirling County), Stafford McDowall (Ayr), Craig Pringle (Stirling County), Kyle Rowe (Falkirk); Josh Henderson (Glasgow Hawks), Andrew Simmers CAPTAIN (Heriot’s); Michael Scott (GHA), Paul Cairncross (Glasgow Hawks), Fergus Bradbury (Stirling County), Martin Hughes (Heriot’s), Bruce Flockhart (Glasgow Hawks), Ross Jackson (Biggar), Walker Graham (GHA), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Hawks). Substitutes: Robbie Smith (Ayr), Shaun Gunn (Edinburgh Accies), Calum Baird (GHA), Dean Roger (Edinburgh Accies), Ryan Sweeney (Glasgow Accies), Harry Henderson (Stirling County), Kaleem Barreto (Glenalmond College / Dundee HSFP), Paddy Dewhirst (Ayr), Mark New (Glasgow Hawks).