Glasgow stay on title trail with late surge

victory at Duffus Park last night, though they lost their way in the

first half even though conditions were ideal for rugby, a sharp contrast

to the wet, windy weather that has bedevilled much of February.

After the interval, however, Glasgow's forwards stirred themselves

into a lively, rumbustious game that produced four tries. North and

Midlands, joining the fun, kept the match alive to the end, cutting

Glasgow's lead back to 17-16 with only four minutes to go.

Glasgow were disappointing and disjointed throughout the first half,

apart from frequently shunting the scrum on the opposition put-in. Guy

Cameron and Andy Nicol, however, dealt comfortably with that problem,

and with Stuart Hannah also prominent in the loose, North-Midlands were

busily effective in the fiery game that has been the hallmark of their

districts' rugby, senior and junior, over the years.

Nicol was involved in everything at least once. Though by no means a

one-man band, the scrum half was very much the orchestrator who steered

North-Midlands to a half-time lead that could have been more than 9-3.

Jon Newton kicked three penalty goals, with Calum MacDonald replying to

the first in 14 minutes.

Chris Brown was the one consistent Glasgow forward in the first half,

and appropriately it was his characteristic drive off lineout ball that

set up the surge that led to the first try. MacDonald was denied by

Fraser Stott's forward pass, but Glasgow disrupted the consequent scrum

for Gordon Mackay to pounce and score in 52 minutes.

MacDonald missed a try yet again when he knocked on from Harry Bassi's

half-break, but in the space of little more than a minute Glasgow

transformed a two-point deficit into a 17-9 lead. Stott and Brown set up

a try for Gordon Peterson from a tapped penalty, and when the

North-Midlands restart kick misfired Bassi replied with a deep punt for

Karl Squires to score in the follow-up after 67 minutes, MacDonald

converting.

Jon Newton replied with his fourth penalty goal, and Jason Clarke

escaped up the left touchline on a pacy 30-metre run for a try that cut

Glasgow back to just one point. Newton, however, failed with the

conversion attempt from well out, and Gordon McIlwham made sure for the

visitors by ploughing over for a try from a goal-line maul.

North and Midlands Under-21 -- A M Fraser (Highland); B J Whyte

(Boroughmuir), C R H Newton (Heriot's FP), G S Jessop (Gordonians), J

Clarke (Stewart's Melville FP); J R Newton (Dundee HS FP), A D Nicol

(Heriot's FP), captain; A Still (Mackie Academy FP), L Dow (Gordonians),

N Goodall (Aberdeen GS FP), P G Mauritzen (Gordonians), A J Nisbet

(Kirkcaldy), C Jamieson (Edinburgh Academicals), G Cameron (Howe of

Fife), S Hannah (Dunfermline). Replacements -- M Lamont (Dundee HSFP)

for C R H Newton (51 min.), K Wilson (Aberdeen University) for Cameron

(71).

Glasgow Under-21 -- C T MacDonald; R A Mailer, K E Squires (all

Stirling County), H Bassi (Glasgow High/Kelvinside), J L Price

(Clarkston); T J Sanderson (Glasgow High/Kelvinside), F H Stott (West of

Scotland); G McIlwham (Clarkston), G L Peterson (captain), G T McKee

(both Glasgow High/Kelvinside), T Adams (Kilmarnock), D A Jackson

(Hillhead-Jordanhill), G T Mackay (Glasgow Academicals), A G Ness

(Glasgow High/Kelvinside), C H Brown (Stirling County).

Referee -- J Johnston (Gala).