Kirkcaldy/Grangemouth Rugby Club U18s finally got their season up and running in week 7. With 6 league and cup games cancelled due to lack of opposition number, they opened their season in Rd 2 of the cup

The squad battled bravely but came up just short in a tightly contested match against a strong Preston Lodge RFC side, going down 19-24 in front of a supportive home crowd.

The match got off to an energetic start, with both teams looking to assert dominance early. Kirkcaldy opened the scoring with an opportunist try from a Captan Euan 0 as he picked from a ruck and ran 40m to dive under the posts. With the conversion good.

Preston Lodge responded with intensity, capitalising on a handling error to cross over for their first try, which was converted to level the scores. 7-7 HT

Momentum shifted slightly in their favour as they added another try just after halftime, taking a 12-7

Kirkcaldy came out firing. Some good clean ball for Adam at the back of a ruck saw a powerful forward drive resulted in a try under the posts, and the successful conversion nudged them back in front at 14-12. Some strong hits from Louis and Euan in the centres stopped PL in the tracks. While Innis, Noah’s and Ewan were leading the forwards with some power hit ups. This resulted in another fowards try to the Blues, stretching the lead to 19-12.

PL refused to give in and mounted a spirited comeback in the closing stages. A try in the corner narrowed the gap to 19-17, setting up a tense finish. As the clock ticked down some good play saw them score outwide and take the lead 19-24. Despite throwing everything at the visitors in the final minutes, Kirkcaldy couldn’t find the decisive score to snatch the win.

It was a gutsy performance from the young Blues, who showed flashes of brilliance and plenty of character throughout the match. With continued effort and development it won’t be long till we see these players in the senior team.

Well played also to PL and good luck in the next round. Thanks also to our match official.

Final Score: Kirkcaldy U18 19 – 24 Preston Lodge U18
Tries: [Kirkcaldy – 3 tries]
Conversions: [2 successful]