Loch Lomond Rugby Club cruise to victory

Sep 26 2008 by Laura McLachlan, Lennox Herald (main ed)

UNLUCKY for some, but lucky for Loch Lomond rugby club as they soared to a 13-0 victory over Oban on Saturday.

This traditionally tight fixture has been known to be settled by just a single bounce, but this time around it was all Lomond.

With a mirror image start to the season – one win and one loss each, the sides lined up with little between them, but it soon seemed to be the home boys’ day as the sun came out above the Dilly.

The match kicked off at an frenzied pace with both sides tearing into each other in a series of frantic, error-strewn forward- dominated exchanges.

This type of play provided nothing more than half chances and prevented either side showing their flair.

However, Lomond dominated their larger opponents as their fitness, mobility and ferocity translated into valuable and hard-won yards.

A thrust from their own 22 deep into Oban territory, only halted by a despairing tackle, made it clear Lomond held all the aces behind the scrum.

Their midfield of Mathieson and Ferrier, prompted by Nicholson at stand-off, was starting to deliver a perplexing mix of silk and steel that Oban would struggle to contend with all day.

However, despite the dominance of the home side, both teams remained deadlocked at 0-0.

The nerves and anticipation of the home support soon spurred their team forward once more, this time earning a penalty as Oban tried to slow down the possession.

Nicholson popped the kick into the corner and from the ensuing line-out, the forwards took over – McGinty driving hard at the line and off-loading brilliantly to Flynn who ploughed over for the opening try of the match.

Although the conversion was missed, the home side made up for it when Nicholson knocked over a penalty to make it 8-0.

Oban rallied and pressed forward, but strong defending from Dennison in particular held them at bay in the first half.

After the break it was a similar story for Lomond as another scintillating break from Thomson and a quick off-load to Ferrier created the try that gave them a comfortable winning margin, and fourth place in the table.

Next week Lomond travel to Uddingston for what should be a challenging, but also a winnable, fixture.