Stormy conditions help West almost rain on Heriot's parade

WEST OF SCOTLAND13-30HERIOT'S FP

THE deadly enemy of all outdoor sport in Scotland is high wind, and storm force conditions prevailed at Burnbrae yesterday. Prior to the kick-off, the received wisdom was that West might well be the beneficiaries, while Heriot's would have given their eye teeth for a benign day in which to work their intricate magic.

The red and yellow West flags stood alert as the players dipped their shoulders into the gale. Tactics would play their part in this match, no matter the discrepancy of league position; the harnessing of the elements, the countering of the tempest and judgment would be critical.

As the posts shivered and shook in the scudding sleet showers the spectators who had, not unreasonably, gathered in the new stand, gazed out at the barren empty spaces of the opposite touch.

The match ran true to the reading of the runes. Heriot's made desperately heavy weather of despatching West, their final and decisive try coming from Charlie Keenan after a 60-yard dash in the third minute of injury time.

The elements apart, there were two main problems for the league leaders: one was the exceptional commitment of their opponents whose unrelenting forward effort very nearly laid Heriot's low. Their captain Guy Perrett led by example, but the whole West eight were men transformed from the humiliations of last week. Even the exemplary back row of the Edinburgh side, Tam McVie, Simon Taylor and Andrew Dall, were sorely perplexed by the end.

The visiting supporters were reduced to cries of "Composure, Heriot's, composure" but the lack of composure was the other main reason for this faltering Heriot's performance. That was down to the indifferent display of their playmaker supreme, Gordon Ross, whose indecision in the taking of options led to alarm and sometimes confusion spreading through the threequarter line.

It had not begun well for Heriot's as West went at them with a vengeance and, after four minutes, they were ahead through the first of Alan Williamson's tries. After good ruck possession Jamie McKee stabbed a grubber through a gap and the fullback was up for the touch.

But there soon followed a deserved Heriot's score when Bruce Douglas, their lively prop, plunged over after ruck control and encampment.

Gordon Ross converted and kicked a penalty goal, both strikes taking an extraordinary trajectory in the wind.

However, McKee's rather more clinical kick had kept West within touching distance, or so they thought until the brothers Lawson combined for a delightful score. Rory's scintillating lateral break from the scrum was decisively concluded by Gregor's dash down the right wing and just before to half time McVie lost the ball in the act of going over.

But, as 15-8 went to 18-8 courtesy of another Ross penalty, the less sanguine of the home support began to make calculations. The faint hearts were soon confounded when Ross' kick from beleaguered defence found the West full-back Williamson who immediately chipped over the oncoming Heriot's defence, hacked on and won the race for the touch for the second time of asking.

At 13-18, it was becoming uncommonly interesting and Heriots were hardly the finished article. Nevertheless their forwards took it into their own hands and following a series of successful rucks Simon Taylor accelerated through an inevitable gap for the try.

Until the Keenan coup-de-grace however, it was all West and they can count themselves unlucky to lose by such a margin. The Hawks had better beware in the cup.

West of Scotland: A Williamson; M Craig, A Gibbon (G Thomson 63), A Henderson, P Assur (J Kerr 63); J McKee, G Stewart; D Little (R Balmer 70), E Forbes, D Gibb, G Perrett (capt), S MacKechnie, S Keith, C Robinson, A Borthwick.

Heriot's: G Lawson; C Keenan, I Stent, H Gilmour, C Glasgow; G Ross, R Lawson; J Bryce (capt), A McLean, B Douglas, D Boswall, T Bradley, T McVie (C Capaldi 63), S Taylor, A Dall.

Referee: J Steele (Dumfries).

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