Caithness RFC are known to be one of the toughest teams in the Caledonia North League Division One. However, this did not stop the First XV from Aberdeen Wanderers RFC playing them this afternoon, putting in all they’ve got and giving them a good shot. Caithness RFC travelled 6 hours to get to Groats Road for kick off today, and a large crowd gathered to support both sides.

The game began with an intense competition for the ball, however Caithness were the first to put points on the board with a try, making the score 0-7 within minutes of the first whistle being blown. The majority of this half was spent inside Wanderers’ half, but this did not phase the boys as they knew that if they put their minds to it, their fantastic defensive skills could keep Caithness from crossing that try line again.

Unfortunately, Wanderers went down to fourteen men towards the end of this half, when Carwyn Walker was given a yellow card for dangerous play after he collapsed a maul. This gap in the defensive line allowed Caithness to score another try, leaving the score at 0-14 at the end of this first half.

The beginning of the second half demonstrated a lack of discipline within the Wanderers side, as they gave away a penalty try for collapsing the scrum again, after many warnings. The 0-21 score did not make the boys put their heads down, and they still gave it their all.

Another three tries were score by Caithness in this half, allowing them to end the game with a total of 38 points. However, Wanderers were not prepared to leave the pitch without any points to show for the huge effort they put in today. After many phases, they managed to get some points on the board after a fantastic try from Malcolm MacNeill, sponsored by Apache. A conversion from Peter McDougall allowed the final score to be 38 points to 7, although this score does not reflect the effort put in by the boys and the rugby they played this afternoon.

Wanderers awarded their Man of the Match to Peter McDougall for the excellent game he played today.

Head Coach, Russell Arthur, expresses the learning points from today, “I think that we showed some really good skill. In order to improve and impose better results we need to concentrate on our physical preparation; keeping the ball alive; and finish more opportunities when they present themselves.”

Thanks to Brian Bat Photography for taking pictures for the game - they can be seen here