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News Article |
| RAF LOSSIEMOUTH 0 MORAY 11 |
| Mon 20th Feb 2012 |
 Moray ran out 11-0 winners against RAF Lossiemouth last Saturday, and keep their hopes of winning the RBS Caledonia Regional League Division 2 title on track.
The match, at the Camp, was played in very blustery and sub zero conditions which made it very difficult in virtually every facet of the game.
The RAF side kicked off with the wind advantage and immediately put the visitors under pressure in their own half.
 In the 6th minute, however, some good popping and driving play took the Elgin side to the home 22. Ball was moved to stand-off Chris Clarke and he grubbered the ball past the fast advancing defence.
Both the Lossie full-back and wing went for the ball and in the confusion, Moray’s wing Ryan Anderson nipped in, picked up the ball and made the line for the try out wide.
With the kick into the teeth of the wind, full-back Andrew McBean did not have the distance to add the conversion points leaving the score at 0-5.
For the majority of the next 20 to 25 minutes, play remained in the Moray half of the field.
Great defence by the Elgin side and some unforced errors by the flyers resulted in no points on the board.
Late in the half, the visitors put together a number of driving phases which took play into the home 22.
For a five minute spell immediately prior to the half time whistle, they threatened the line but good defence held out to leave the half time score RAF Lossiemouth 0 Moray 5.
The Elgin side now had the wind at their backs and went on the offensive immediately from the restart.
When the flyers knocked on and then came in from an offside position, a penalty was awarded on the 22 metre line. McBean stepped up and landed the kick for a 0-8 lead.
Moray were now pressing to add to the score and spent most of the second half in the opposing half.
Several opportunities were created but unforced errors were prevalent caused mainly by the atrocious handling conditions.
 In the 64th minute, they were awarded a penalty, 30 metres out, when the home side held on to ball at the bottom of a ruck. On this occasion, McBean did not master the wind direction and pushed the ball narrowly past the upright.
The Elgin side continued to press in the Lossie half and in the 75th minute were awarded another kickable penalty when the home side strayed offside in trying to get to the tackle quickly.
McBean landed the three points which turned out to be the final points of the afternoon and a full time score of RAF Lossiemouth 0 Moray 11.
As a spectator, it had been the coldest I had ever been watching at the side of the pitch but for the players, it must have been worse.
As well as not feeling their hands due to the cold, the strength of the wind meant that throwing in straight at the line was verging on the impossible, kicking with accuracy was difficult and passing along the back line was challenging.
The Moray side had deserved their victory as they had been the hungriest and played the conditions the better.
 The forwards had been in their opponents face all afternoon and had put pressure on scrum and line and the backs, as well as putting in a great shift in defence, had looked threatening with ball in hand.
Moray’s next game in the league is away to Lochaber on the 3rd March.
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Caledonia 2 North |
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| Aberdeenshire |
12 |
46 |
| Highland 2nd XV |
11 |
46 |
| Moray |
12 |
40 |
| Ross Sutherland |
10 |
22 |
| Banff |
12 |
19 |
| Mackie |
10 |
10 |
| Aberdeen Grammar 2nd XV |
9 |
1 |
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Last 1st XV Game |
| 1st XV Season (2021/22) |
| Banff 33 - 39 Moray |
| 5th Mar 22 - KO: 15:00 |
| Venue: Duff House |
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