Bulloch caps a rare win for Glasgow over the Borderers

victory overthe South, the defending champions, and a last-kick penalty

goal by Bryan Easson gave the lads from north of Forth a slender success

by 19-18 against the boys from south of the Border.

Glasgow's victory was only their fourth in 14 matches in the series.

It was, too, their biggest winning margin, but apart from those

statistics in Glasgow's favour the match had little of note, so

fractured was it by infringements and whistle.

A try was urgently needed, and it came almost too late, two minutes

from the end, the admirable Gordon Bulloch finishing off after his

second tight-head strike and Alan Hogarth's darting thrust almost to the

Borderers' line.

Bulloch, the West of Scotland hooker, was a notable success. So were

two others of last season's Scottish Schools caps, David McLeish and Ken

Baillie, as well as Geoff Caldwell, Ayr's under-21 international wing.

Bulloch and McLeish, the latter a Border product from Kelso, caught

the eye with their all-round work. Yet Glasgow, though leading 9-3 at

half-time, could not convert their increasing forward superiority into

greater material advantage.

Opportunities for Baillie and Caldwell were few and far between. Both,

however, were not averse at taking those chances. A Baillie intrusion

late in the first half almost made a try for Caldwell, though it was the

preliminary to Martin Hose's third penalty goal, and a Craig Sangster

break soon after the interval would have put Colin MacRobert clear but

for a forward pass.

Even as champions, the South failed to impress. Andy Renwick opened

with a penalty goal, and Rob Hogg had a slight edge in the lineout.

Hose, however, countered with four penalty goals.

Rugby in the other match was much more lively, not least with the

spirited revival by North and Midlands to snatch victory after Alex

Bennett's second try had put the Exiles 18-16 ahead with only five

minutes of injury time left. Easson's fourth penalty goal gave

North-Midlands a victory that was well deserved even though the Exiles

scored three tries to one.

A cheeky try by Alan Featherstone off Ben Quinn's lineout take and the

forwards' sterling drive put North-Midlands ahead for the first time

just before the interval. Easson added the conversion for a 10-3 lead.

Bennett's first short-range score and Morley's try off Euan Hamilton's

thrust clawed the Exiles back to 13-all, and when Bennett went over

again, off a tapped penalty, it looked like being the winner.

North-Midlands, to their credit, refused to give in.

Glasgow Under-21 17,

South Under-21 3

Glasgow -- K I Baillie (Edinburgh Academicals); G D Caldwell (Ayr), G

McLeod (GHK), C Sangster, C G MacRobert (both Stirling); M I Hose

(Edinburgh Academicals), A Hogarth (GHK); R D Eccles (Glasgow

Academicals), G C Bulloch (West), B Steven (Kilmarnock), I Smith

(Clarkston), G C Perrett (West), S Allison (Kilmarnock), D McLeish (West

of Scotland), D R Thompson (Watsonians), captain. Replacements -- Tyrone

Greenshields (Clarkston) for MacRobert (59 minutes), D Dunlop

(Stewartry) for Hogarth (79). Temporary -- D Philips

(Hillhead/Jordanhill).

Try, Bulloch; penalty goals, Hose (4).

South -- A Renwick (Hawick); S Turnbull, S Shaw (both Jed-Forest), G

Laing (Kelso), R Elliot (Hawick); A B C Clark (Selkirk), D A Paterson

(Gala); J Ramage (Kelso), P Cranston (Hawick), D Howlett (Kelso), I

Elliot (Hawick), R B Hogg (Gala), C Cottrill (Langholm), D T Weir

(Gala), captain, S Laurie (Selkirk). Replacements -- C Cochrane

(Selkirk) for Elliot (45), N Ainslie (Duns) for Hogg (77).

Penalty goal, Renwick.

Referee -- K D Harrower (Forrester FP).

Scottish Exiles Under-21 18,

North and Midlands Under-21 19

Scottish Exiles -- E Hamilton; E Hunter (Leicester), M Duncan

(Tynedale), C Morley (Bath), S Reed; R Lake (both Leicester), P Sauve

(Blackheath); D Davis, M Hillier (both Harlequins), C Ambrose, S Begley

(both Blackheath), D Macfie (Bishop's Stortford), A Bennett (Otley), J J

Whittaker (West Hartlepool), J P Healy (Bristol). Replacements -- L

Nixon (Tynedale) for Whittaker (62), N Norris (Blackheath) for Macfie

(77).

Tries, Morley (2), Bennett; drop goals, Morley.

North and Midlands -- D A Reddick (Kirkcaldy); J Goldie (Glenrothes),

A J A McGregor (Aberdeen University), S G Carnochan (Edinburgh

Wanderers), C Jones (Stewart's Melville FP); B R Easson (Boroughmuir),

captain, A Featherstone (Morgan Academy FP); D Massey (Currie), S

Forsyth (Stewart's Melville FP), J Farquharson (Gordonians), B Quinn

(Edinburgh Academicals), F J A Wilson (Aberdeen University), J Watt

(Aberdeen GS FP), S L Wands (Edinburgh Wanderers), N Rennie (Glasgow

Academicals). Replacements -- A Moncur (Gordonians) for Wilson (46), K

Oddie (Aberdeen GS FP) for Carnochan (68).

Tries, Featherstone; conversions, Easson; penalty goals, Easson (4).

Referee -- J Johnstone (Gala).