Mid Argyll back with Islay friendly

Sunday saw Mid Argyll senior rugby team play their first full 15-a-side rugby match in a decade.

 

Almost 40 years to the day since Islay RFC played their first competitive fixture against Mid Argyll, the visitors' first points were scored within 15 minutes, when Jamie Blair opened the scoring with a well worked try, and Coll MacKay converted to make the score 0-7.

 

Good work from a set play then saw vice captain Ben Rusden cross the whitewash for his opening try of the day.

 

MacKay converted for 0-14 at half time.

 

Into the second half, a Mid Argyll scrum the pack put on the pressure and a quick ball out from scrum half Aiden Short found Murray MacDonald who broke the lines to run in his first senior try from just inside the Islay half.

 

He then converted his own try to establish Mid Argyll's lead at 0-21.

 

Mid Argyll kept the intensity up and were soon on the score sheet again, after the Boars' man of the match Euan MacArthur powered over, bashing the last Islay defender out of his way to claim a well-deserved try.

 

After going 28-0 up, and finding themselves with a penalty close to the line, Rusden showed superb thinking with a quick tap and dummy to cross for his second of the day.

 

At 33-0 down, Islay dug in deep and found great energy to put real pressure on the visitors.

 

A good kick deep into the Mid Argyll half forced MacKay to clear his lines with a kick back. Islay took the initiative and after a couple of phases the ball broke to scrum half.

 

A defence-splitting pass saw inside centre Noah Hurton charge through from his own half and score a well worked try under the Mid Argyll sticks.

 

The Islay fly half converted the try and the home side made it 7-33.

 

Soon after, David MacArthur - not to be outdone by brother Euan - stormed over to score his first try, and MacKay converted to take the score to 7-40.

 

Next on the score sheet was Daniel Broderick, before MacKay added the extra

 

two to make it 7-47.

 

With time almost up, Liam Long took the ball at speed, shot down the wing, and skipped past a tackle to finish a great phase of play for a deserved final score of 7-52 to Mid Argyll.

 

Back row left to right: Euan MacArthur, Ben Rusden, Ethan Thomas, Murray MacDonald, Ben Smith, Simon Morrison, Allan Gordon, Tim Lyons, Charlie Takel, Coll MacKay, Fionn Doherty, Stuart Charnock, Daniel Broderick, Jack Johnson, Stephen McCormick, Lee Buckley, Lewis MacFarlane. Front Row, left to right: James Campbell, Tony Flower, Murray Sutherland, Jamie Blair, Gordon McLean, Aiden Short, David MacArthur, Innes Paterson, Ayden Smith, Elliot Lynsey, Robbie Herd and Liam Long. NO_A19midrugby01_23 mid-argyll-rugby