Hawks take flight and full advantage as Jed fall to earth

GLASGOW HAWKS 27 - JED FOREST 8 This was certainly not one for the connoisseur, although it did include a glorious try.

And, given the awful weather over the previous 24 hours it was a small miracle that the turf was green and the sky blue when proceedings began.

Obviously the blessings of the elements were enough for the Hawks in the first period since their leisurely demeanour and general uncertainty gave their Border visitors every reason to hope for rather more than they had enjoyed in their autumnal encounter at Riverside Park.

Their supporters were tightly grouped in the little stand at New Anniesland and during the entire game provided a lively running commentary on all of the game's officials, Mr Steele, the referee, naturally attracting most of the bon mots. "A gey sair wan that, Steely boy!" providing a nice touch of Borders colour in Glasgow's douce West End.

Certainly there was nothing douce about the rollicking approach of the Jed forwards with their flanker Calum "Howler" Brown omnipresent and their tight-head Gavin Kerr frequently the focal point and spearhead of their driving fringe play. But they had little to show for the first quarter save considerable territorial domination. It was 28 minutes before Gary Hill kicked a penalty after Campbell Aitken had retreated to gather loose ball which he spilled and Jed were awarded a penalty at the ruck.

But, as is often the way, Hawks scored a try from their first serious attack when full-back Graeme Renwick had his kick charged down, a Rory MacKay take at the subsequent line-out gave Eugene Martin a chance to fire out a huge pass to the intruding Aitken and Chris Simmers wriggled his way past several defenders to the line. The Hawks full-back converted and Jed found themselves 7-3 down at the end of a half which they had dominated.

Within 10 minutes of second half play two more successful kicks by Aitken from long range had put the possible thought in Border minds that justice would not be seen to be done this day.

However, there was now clear evidence that the Hawks' scrummage was waxing that little bit stronger and when Ricky Mundy replaced Martin after 57 minutes there was something of a transformation in the game's fortunes. And it was the Hawks who produced an exceedingly fine try when quick ball from Mundy put David Wilson through a huge gap to feed to Kenny Baillie on the wing which gave Aitken enough time to ease into the equation and ghost to the corner. The full- back's conversion gilded the lily.

But the hammer-blow a couple of minutes later came from the nimble feet and quick wits of scrum-half Kenny Sinclair who nipped round the front of the line-out, chipped the fullback and beat Howler Brown to the touch. From far out Aitken once more did the needful and Hawks were clear at 27-3.

Jed-Forest may well have been gob-smacked but they were far from finished and determined frontal assault from their very lively pack led to a face-saving try. A terrific burst from centre David Ward carried him into space and Hill was on hand to score in the corner. Little flurries of fist activity followed and the injury time seemed interminable.

"Awa back tae Dumfries," shouted the Jeddart clique as the game stuttered to a close. But, truly, Jed will play much worse than this and win.

Glasgow Hawks: C Aitken, K Baillie (M Scott 69), C Simmers, D Wilson, G Hawkes, E Martin (R Mundy 57), K Sinclair, L McIntyre, C Docherty, G Walsh, R McKay, I Smith, S Hutton (c), G Francis (S Unkles 62), A Plastow.

Jed-Forest: G Renwick (S Lindsay 73), K Amos, G Hill, D Ward, J McCraw (S Lightbody 61), C Laidlaw (c), G Goodfellow, R Griffith, C K Brown, G Kerr, A Hotson, J Szkudro, C J Brown, D Forster, K Liddle.

Referee: J Steele (Dumfries).

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