It was a damp October afternoon at Inverleith Park as Dalkeith tried to maintain their unbeaten start to East League 3. The ground was heavy underfoot and early morning rain made sure it would be a challenging game for running rugby.

A couple of enforced personnel changes to the Dalkeith side that beat Gala YM so convincingly the week before with Claymore Corcoran the man of the match against Gala moving to hooker, captain versatile Robert Letson moving from the back row to the second row and the welcome return of Paul ‘The Bus’ Mckay still meant Dalkeith started with a formidable pack. One change in the backs with Darren Mcmillan missing through concussion and the reliable Paul Clugston coming in at centre.

The game started a bit edgy by Dalkeith with Lismore gaining good ground from some well placed kicks. The referee also set his stall out early with some penalties against Dalkeith making it difficult for the away side to get into their usual rhythm.

The game ebbed and flow back and for the from each teams 22 with neither team able to convert any pressure. Good work at the breakdown by Lismore was making it difficult for Dalkeith to get any quick ball. However after some good work at the lineout and some good patience shown in the opposition 22, Dalkeith broke the deadlock on 29 mins with Kieran Cooney showing great strength to twist and turn and get over the line for the first score. A sigh of relief from Coaches Wood and Hendrie and the conversion was good by Michael Wilson. 7-0 to Dalkeith.

Dalkeith’s scrum dominance was plain to see led by Stevie Halliday and although the Lismore pack were getting shunted around the park the referee did not penalise them. The rest of the first half was much the same as the first 20 minutes with neither side being able to convert pressure into points. Lismore finished the half trying hard at the Dalkeith line but some stout defending by all the players ensured they came away with nothing to show for their efforts. As the half time whistle went both sides were welcoming the break.

At half time Head Coach Neill Wood made sure the players knew the significance of matching their efforts from the first half into the 2nd half. Lismore had defiantly shown in the first 40 minutes (actually only 38 played) that they were up for the challenge and were not going to let Dalkeith take the points easily.

Half Time: Lismore 0 – Dalkeith 7

The 2nd half started much the same with Dalkeith playing to the south send and a bit of kicking battle for the first couple of minutes with not much to show from it for either team. However after just 4 minutes of the 2nd half beginning the referee decided that action by Paul Mckay warranted a yellow card. A frustration for the coaches but more because of the inconsistent nature of some decisions from the referee who generally had had a good game up to now.

Lismore tried hard but could not get into the Dalkeith 22 and after 7 minutes Scott Rae came on for Stephen Mcmillan for the first scrum in the 2nd Half. Once again the Dalkeith pack showed their dominance and were finally awarded a scrum penalty just inside their own half to relieve the pressure. A good touch find by Michael Wilson saw the away side advance just short of the 22m. Another clever choice at the lineout by the alert Stevie Halliday and Claymore Corcoran saw Dalkeith push into the 22. After more pressure from some good carries from Scott Rae and Gavin Davidson (who carried well all game) Dalkeith were awarded a penalty in front of the posts. An easy decision for captain Letson to give the ball to Michael Wilson who slotted the easy kick for 3 points. Lismore 0 – Dalkeith 10.

The bench by this time was being used to good effect and at the end of the yellow card Mikey Banks came on. Another 5 minutes of Dalkeith pressure keeping the Lismore pinned in their 22 looked like the game was firmly in the Dalkeith grasp. However after a fumble in the wide channel after a promising attack the Lismore winger Tomasi Saurara broke away down the flank an showed some good pace to get into the Dalkeith 22m only stopped by some good covering tackle by Matt Henderson. However the ball was quickly recycled and the Ryan MacDougall scored under the posts on 27 minutes. The conversion was successful from Elliot Freeman and what was looking like a comfortable afternoon for Dalkeith suddenly took on a different light.

However this Dalkeith side know when to fight for each other and once again forward dominance showed. With the introduction of Graham Ewart for the injured Robert Letson and the season debut for Shaun Roach coming on at 29, 68 minutes the pack once again were relentless in their carries and set piece. Gary Smith came on at the same time replacing Robbie Lockhart and added a bit calmness to the attack. After more pressure in the Lismore 22 the referee awarded another penalty to Dalkeith. Once again Mr Reliable, Michael Wilson slotted the penalty to make it 13-7 to Dalkeith.

The next 7 minutes saw some good defence from Dalkeith as Lismore tried hard to get the 2nd try and the win. But once again the dominance in the scrum told. A couple of penalties out of the Dalkeith 22 and the Green machine were hammering away at the Lismore line. Penalty after penalty but no yellow cards to the Lismore men. Michael Wilson had taken over the captaincy and spurned the kickable chances opting instead for scrums. On the 39th minute the pressure finally told and the Dalkeith pack won a push over try score again by Number 8 Kieran Cooney.

The last couple of minutes saw some more attack Lismore just inside the Dalkeith half. The game was summed up on 42 minutes with Lismore breaking down the touchline and man of the match Kieran Cooney taking out the Lismore player with an Exocet of a tackle taking the player 5 metres into touch.

Final Score: Lismore 7- Dalkeith 20

Coaches Comments;
"All credit to Lismore today who showed a real desire to win. Our guys stuck to task most of the game and showed some great defensive sets to deny Lismore getting a foot hold in the game. Our forward dominance were key today with the whole 12 forwards who were in the squad contributing. We know we have a lot to work on and this game has shown us how hard it is going to be to win this league. The guys are determined to get back to the drawing board and start again for next Saturdays game against Edinburgh Northern. We know this will also be a tough game but myself and Jason are extremely proud of the mindset of the team and the determination to get better. A huge thanks to the many Dalkeith supporters who travelled to watch us today and we hope to see them all back on Saturday."