Women's 1st XV - Lenzie
Oban Lorne Ladies took to the pitch at Glencruitten this Sunday to mark the halfway point in their league fixtures. Before the fixture Oban and Lenzie were sitting equal top of the league, neither having lost a march so far. With this is in the back of the ladies minds Oban took to the pitch. After receiving the kick off Oban didn’t settle well into play initially with nerves showing through and handling errors and creeping in. A few deep breaths and Oban were back. Lenzies structure and strong runners tested the Oban defence however massive tackles from Jodi Millar and Caitlin Fowler kept them at bay. Turnover in possession from a sneaky steal from Jordan MacIntyre led to powerful running from Ailsa McCuish and Isla MacGillivray drawing in the Lenzie defence to allow Poppy McKillop link fly across the line and open the scoring 5-0 to Oban. From the restart Isla MacGillivray set the tone with a clean catch and powerful run. Great support from Oban and heavy forward carries trucked the ball up the pitch leaving just enough space for Rachel MacDonald to seize her opportunity and plant the ball firmly across the line. Jordan MacIntyre add the extras bringing Oban to 12-0.
Some errors started to creep back into the Oban side as their legs started to feel heavy. A few quick penalties from Lenzie had Oban on the back foot and allowed Lenzie in with their own points bringing the score to 12-7. Oban unwilling to end the half on a bad note took it right back to Lenzie leaving nothing in the tank as Chloe Malcolm took the ball and powered through the defence. With great link play from Lindsay MacMillan, Julie Campbell crossed the line just before half time with Jordan again adding the extras to leave the score at 19-7 going into the second half.
The second half saw Eilidh Graham come into her own very quickly with a Lenzie mistake allowing her to charge the ball in and under the posts from the half way line. Oban’s lack of replacements started to tell on the team as silly mistakes crept in and Alanna MacKenzie was sent off with a team yellow card. Lenzie took full advantage and added 7 points to the score line with Oban a player down. Not to let this change the tempo Oban rallied quickly with an impressive lineout and some efficient link play from the forwards and backs saw Poppy McKillop cross the line for her second try of the day. Not done yet the 9-10 combo of Evie Kellet and Katie Hamilton found space again and brought Oban right back up to the Lenzie 5-meter line where the forwards finished the scoring for the day with a second try for Julie Campbell finishing the day with a score of 34-14 in Oban’s favour. Oban’s player of the match for Oban was awarded to Chloe Malcolm, with Caitlin Fowler receiving the award from Lenzie. The team would like to thank match sponsor Gordon & Strathern for their continued support and give a massive thanks to Soroba House for sponsoring both teams this weekend with a delicious selection of post-match meals.
