The final home game of the season for Shire was against Glasgow Accies at Woodside on Saturday, and with some revenge due for the result in Glasgow earlier in the season and after two home bonus point wins in a row, Shire were determined and confident.

There was another big crowd down to support the boys and Howie’s parents made the trip up as well – even if the auld man was supporting the wrong team. The game kicked off with Shire playing away from the clubhouse and in a fairly even start two penalties were swapped to make the score 3-3.

After that, the much talked about Shire forward dominance went missing as Accies upped their game and deservedly took the lead after a break from the scrum, unconverted. Worse was to follow as some poor tackling in the Accies half led to a breakaway try from their own 22, this time converted for a 15-3 score line.

Shire played their 3rd consecutive home match on Saturday, welcoming back last season’s league rivals Allan Glens, with hopes of a more fortuitous affair than the last time the teams met at Woodside. It was probably the best day of the season so far for rugby with the sun shining accompanied by a fine light breeze - although this was not enough to tempt all supporters away from the clubhouse where the Grand National was being screened.

The game kicked off with the first ten minutes or so being closely fought as was expected in the pre-match build up. Both teams were controlling their plays well, only exchanging a penalty each, and it wasn’t until speedy thinking and quick hands from young Stand-Off Brumwell that Allan Glens’ defensive line was broken through the release of centre Kenny Penman. Although support tried to keep up, their jobs were made redundant as Penman – hair flowing gracefully - beat 3 covering defenders on his way to scoring shires first try.

Shire played host to their local derby team Highland who travelled three hours to reach the land that time forgot, Woodside. Morning showers had made the Shire pitch wet under foot although the sun was shining to allow good running rugby. The warm-up set the tone of the game after some encouraging words from the Canadian import coach Allan MacCreadie, as shire sought revenge after their unimpressive performance up north.

Straight from the kick-off the shire pack showed their intent and “thuggish” behaviour as they controlled the game in open play and set pieces. With the great work upfront setting up clean ball for the backs to show off their running capabilities, breaking the highland line almost at will.

The first try came from remaining kiwi import Brook, quick ball allowed “Man of the Match” Gary Leith, to pass the ball the right way (this is often rarely the case) with space in front and a passive Highland defence allowed Brook to dander round and score in the corner, conversion missed.

Hawick YM arrived at Woodside on Saturday top of the table and looking to maintain their unbeaten record, a record which ‘Shire was aiming to bring to a halt. The team lined up without their two Kiwi imports, number 8 Api Sione having returned to New Zealand following the unexpected death of his mother and Brook Tremayne missing with a hamstring injury.

After the previous week’s narrow loss to Waysiders in Glasgow, all preparation had been focussed on line speed and defence, with the game plan to shutdown Hawick’s 10-12 channel and prevent them shipping the ball wide as they had done so effectively in the first meeting between the two sides. ‘Shire were looking to keep it tight, be stuffy and get under the visitors’ skins. Unfortunately for ‘Shire they got off to the worst possible start when an early knock-on presented the visitors with a scrum around the ‘Shire 10m line. From the scrum, ‘Shire’s line speed in defence was good but poor communication from the inside man allowed the opposition to break in midfield and finish off neatly in the corner. Barely 2 minutes gone and already ‘Shire were under their own posts.

The mighty shire travelled to Drumpellier Country Park aiming to do the double over a Waysiders Drumpellier side that is fighting to stay clear from the threat of relegation.

The theme of the day was set by the late arrival to the ground due to navigation issues, meaning kick off was delayed as Shire tried to shake off the journey in a short and somewhat lackadaisical warm up.

The opening 25 was to prove to be a training match for the Coatbridge side as Shire basically sat back, opened the picnic basket and spotted the wildlife going by. We offered no attacking prowess and measly physical presence going down to an early unconverted try and if it wasn’t for some accurate kicking from Jamie Stephen it could’ve been a lot worse. The home team had their dander up and it wasn’t until we’d finished the strawberries and cream that shire sprung into action.

Good secure ball from the forwards allowed Gary Leith to send a quick sharp pass to Big Cooks haring down the blindside, time seemed to stand still as the energetic figure of Steven strode majestically over the hallow turf, only adjusting his stride to allow a pop off to Jamie Stephen taking advantage of the good work already done. Jamie stepped out of the slip stream and sonic boom left by Cook and rode 2 tackles before getting shire on the score board! Converted.

The game then turned a little sour as Gary Leith was the victim of a sexual assault from his opposite number! Contact with an area that brings a tear to most men’s eyes was not seen by the ref but all credit to the general he took a deep breath, swallowed his balls and got on with the game.

In the dying minutes of the opening 40 the home side took advantage of the rub of the green and the ref forgetting his glasses as a stray ball from a Waysiders attack clearly came off the head and hand to fall forward into the hands of their gleeful winger! Shire stopped waiting for the inventible whistle that never came and we conceded a soft try this time under the posts.  
HT: 12 - 7

Clearly not out of the game and with fire in the belly Shire started the second period with renewed vigor and confidence knowing that keeping the ball in hand would eventually produce the gaps. Sadly there was a blow to the fight back as good running from the Shire hooker Coulson took all the oxygen from his brain and transcended him to another world where a hooker can play 10, resulting in a wild pass intercepted by the gleeful winger once again to run in clear under the posts.

Now 19 - 7 down and with the bitter taste of another away defeat looming it took the poise and skill owned by one Api Sione to restore some pride, it wasn’t long before Api pawed his way through the tiring defence only to loop round and seemingly catch his own pass scoring a deserved try. Conversion missed.

Shire now in the ascendancy it was another piece of rugby magic that got Shire back within 2 points. The forward pack starting to exceed their dominance meant Shire were camped in the opposition 22 and a one out pass to the on running Susan allowed her to side step left, then right, spin round and bulldoze over with a quick pump of her long legs as she smashed the ball down with her top heavy gun rack. Conversion missed.

The home side now hanging on Shire could not find the killer instinct and with time against us the 2 tries proved too little too late and a another disappointing away defeat.

This weekend saw Aberdeenshire RFC travel across the border to England where they faced 2nd placed Berwick RFC in hope of reversing the result of the two team’s previous encounter in which Berwick convincingly won 36-10. With an early start and problem free journey, a slightly unfamiliar squad handed debuts to hooker Fraser Adams, winger Andy Cran and hooker Susan Mountain, stepping off the bus raring to go.

Shire kicked off the match and were soon to gain a confidence booster when a return kick from Berwick was fielded by stand-off Brook Tremayne who strongly ran the ball back breaking a few tackles before forcing the ball forward in an attempt to offload to MacLugash near the oppositions try line.  Pressure was contained in Berwick’s half for the first 5 minutes with strong defence forcing mis-kicks from the home stand-off. Eventually however with a well placed kick from the Berwick midfield Shire were forced deep into their own 22. The line out was won well by the Shire pack and number 8 Api Sione made some good ground taking the ball close to the half way line, however possession was quickly turned over from what was evidently a result of the Berwick defence flopping over the top of the ruck (a theme that would seem to avoid the ref’s radar for the duration of the game). From the resulting turnover the ball was quickly shipped wide with an overlap on the right leaving the winger to score in the corner. The conversion was missed, which as most who saw would agree, was due to Barny’s enthusiastic charge down - although this time he didn’t get as far as kicking the ball off the tee. 

Shire were quick to reply from Berwick’s try. After winning possession back from the kick off, a penalty was awarded within Tremayne’s range, which he slotted to score what would be Shires only points of the game. With continued efforts in attack Shire made good ground, and spent large majorities in the oppositions half . Another penalty was awarded, however this attempt was narrowly missed. The remainder of the 1st half was slightly disappointing for Shire, as front row debates with the ref resulted in yards being lost putting penalties into kickable positions, the 1st of which was scored but the 2nd missed making the score 8-3. It also seemed at one point that Shire were going to concede a penalty try as the referee struggled to get to grips with a rocky scrum, escaping this though Shire managed to maintain possession until half time stalling the score at 8-3 to the home side.

The second half saw Jamie Stephen substituted giving a cameo appearance for veteran back Robin Campbell. Shire started the second half strongly, pushing well into the oppositions half. Territory gained however, was continually being lost through sloppy mistakes and conceded penalties. Berwick too were producing some good attacks, however these were well broken down with Shires defensive line speed and in some cases great covering tackles by the back 3 and back row.

The middle period of the second half saw some more pressure on Shire as Berwick pushed to get the match winning score. This was not made any easier when forwards Susan Mountain and Api Sione found themselves on the wrong side of the Selkirk based referee, who saw fit to sin bin the pair, leaving Shire with only 13 men on the pitch at one point. During this time Berwick managed to get another 3 points on the scoreboard taking the scores to 11-3.

Managing to struggle through with 13 men both Api and Susan returned to the field with 10 mins left to play. Shires tempo was raised, and again they found themselves pushing into the oppositions half, but unfortunately the clinical edge was missing and all eventually came to a close with the home side winning 11-3. This was a very strong performance from Shire hindered by too much bickering at the referee and errors at crucial moments. The team proved they were not a push over, but more is needed to avoid another disappointment on the road.

Today Shire host Newton Stewart who narrowly beat Shire in their first win of the season 19-18, so this was to be the catalyst for which turned out to be a very entertaining match. Shire came out with pride on the line and the thought of returning the favour on their home ground. With some pre match rearranging to the team saw the return of Jamie Stephen to full back after a few frustrating weeks out. It also provided young Colts U18 back Gavin Thomas his first call up to the senior squad, which also provided him with his debut.

Shire came out full guns blazing with great control in the forward pack in the scrum and inspiring running play from the back, for only a handful of times this season the team came together as one unit. With Shire’s dominance the kicking game was put away much to the dismay of the forwards pack, however the back made some fluent running lines resulting in line breaks and some majestic support from the forwards Shire found themselves in the opposition half frequently

Aberdeenshire played their first home game in over 2 months with the visit of Castle Douglas outfit Stewartry. The home team were looking for their first double of this stop start season after recording their only away win against the visitors earlier in the campaign. Needless to say the Shire squad were very pleased to finally be back playing at fortress Woodside.

The game started poorly for the hosts with pedantic plenty being awarded to Stewartry for offside at the first scrum down. The Stewartry kicker promptly converted to give the visitors an early 3 point reward for their long trip north. This kick started the Shiremen into action with the forward pack taking a grip on the game in the set piece and in the loose. Even with this control the home team struggled to trouble the scorekeeper but their patient play finally reaped its rewards.

Shire made there away trip on a less than exciting mood knowing no matter what the result the league was out of their grasp. The trip up only made the feelings worse when the weather turned into drizzle. The team took the pitch for the warm up where they realised they were actually playing on a mossy bog rather than a rugby field. With the intensity not quite there in the warm up, Shire’s mentality was almost as if they expected Huntly to turn over and take a beating, but this was far from the case. Right from the kick off Huntly tried there hardest to out fox the Shire pack which was lacking a few key positions but stand in prop rugby Baz really hoped it would be contested scrumming but to his dismay the ref took one look at his physic and felt sorry for the opposition he called it. But with a lot of pressure inside Huntly’s half it was only a matter of time before Shire got there first try which came in the for of a great phase of quick passes and the great side step of Jamie Stephen who found the gap and was through for the first of the day, but missed the conversion.

Huntly didn’t put their heads down they were right back up in our half with some good possession rugby, but the Shire defence stayed strong throughout, but with some dubious decisions from the referee Huntly got a line out on the Shire 5 metre line which was won but with some bad hands the ball was knocked on. Resulting in a Huntly scrum on the 5 metre line which was a pick and go by there number 8 but again Shires defence stayed strong with no sign of crumbling. The resulting defensive performance was finally seen by the ref where he gave one of his handful of penalties to Shire, Which put Shire back into the oppositions half.

The second half Shire needed to get their act together so with some words of wisdom from stand in number 10 Dave Roberts (who took over from Alex “10 minute wonder” Moore) Shire decided to run the ball at most plays. Which to Huntlys favour most attempts at  running the ball meant the ball spent more time being knocked on than in hands. It wasn’t until half way through the second half where Shire gained good ground through the forwards who minus a few handling errors made no real mistakes and showed some really good controlled aggression. From the resulting pressure Dave Roberts hit Jamie Stephen who was running the inside line in-between the centres and with good strength broke through the challenges that they made to cross over the line and take a little more pressure off. With some great open field play Shire forwards were making good ground , then out of nowhere Usain “foggy” Bolt made a 30 yard dart through the defence resulting in a chip and chase past the fullback, now the real chase was on  with the ball and line in site foggy was almost celebrating but the opposition winger had a different idea to which he tripped him up, but like all Shire breaks support was there in the form of Ben Morris who may have got the ball down but with the ref still somewhere back near the spectating forwards he gave it with his amazing sight, to which the conversion was again missed.

All in all Shire were disappointed not to have put a cricket score on the opposition, but with the points made after the game regarding what needs to be done to improve, Shire left the field with a good win.
Final score 15-0

After a lovely 230 mile drive we arrived in the beautiful, thriving town of Thurso, ready for a game of rugby. After changing in the plush, lottery funded facilities the forwards warmed up and went through lineouts etc while the backs and Ross Lumsden compared hairstyles and lycra. When the team came together for a full run through and back in the shed like changing facilities, there was more in the air than the smell of shockwaves. There was a definite sense of purpose to correct the mistakes of last week and a will to win throughout the team.

The pitch was a little soggy but the conditions were good. Shire started well and it wasn’t long before they had a scrum on the Caithness five metre line. The ball was picked up from the back of the scrum and for what was to be Shires only try of the day was finished off well by Ross Lumsden. The conversion was narrowly missed. It wasn’t long before Shire were back down the field in a similar position but just weren't able to convert the pressure into points, due to small handling mistakes or infringements at the breakdown.

The Super Twa’s made the short trip to the Meadows for the second fixture against Ellon’s 2nd string this season. The first encounter ended in a tight 20-12 victory for the Super Twa’s at Woodside in gale force conditions. This match was to be played in similar dry, blustery conditions which would surely be an advantage to the team with the wind at their back.

With a core of seasoned pro’s in the starting line up, the Super Twa’s took to the field in confident mood, captained by ‘Cheesecake Cavey’ and supported by a gaggle of youngster’s eager to stake their claim for a place in the team for the forthcoming home matches against the league pacesetters, Garioch and Aberdeen Wanderers.  

Straight from the kick-off, the Super Twa’s showed their intent, taking the game to Ellon at every opportunity with powerful hits in defence and strong running in attack. Very early on, it was clear Ellon’s young team were to be no match for the power and direct running of the Twa’s. Rustiness from the unplanned three month winter break was evident from both teams as numerous handling errors were made throughout the match. The resultant scrums again and again enabled the Twa’s to show their power, driving their opponents off the ball in all but two scrums all afternoon on the home side’s put-in. Stability from props Cook Junior and Littlejohn and the power from the 2nd row of Flett and Fotheringham gave young Dugdale the perfect platform to strike against the head on almost every occasion.

Domination of the scrums allowed the backline, pivoted by the experience of Roberts and Snell to attack at will, most of which resulted in significant gain-line advantage, free-flowing attack and numerous tries. In open play, the shire forwards were also showing their dominance with charging runs from Captain Caveman and Foggy from the many re-starts, rucking prowess from Davies and Redmond allowing the backs quick ball at every opportunity to slice through their Ellon counterparts. Jamie Stephen showed he has regained his confidence in attack, proving the doubters wrong, scoring five tries over the course of the game and assisting in several others, notably for Joe Oyesiku whose turn of speed was causing chaos all afternoon. The outside backs enjoyed feeling the burn though, with all the running in the game. The final dominating aspect of the match from the shire pack was the driving maul off the line-out, allowing little Cook to score two tries in the 2nd half of the match to seal an afternoon of utter domination for the Super Twa’s.

Final score: 0 - 80.

Aberdeenshire made the long journey down to Kilmarnock having been told there was an 80% chance the game would go ahead. To the player’s relief, Aberdeenshire were to play their first game since 20th November, as planned. The weather was dry and bright, with the pitch reasonably firm so all the conditions were there for an expansive game of rugby.
 
Both sides were fired up and ready for the challenge, eager to prove their dominance over the other team, after the last encounter at Woodside that ended rather sourly. At the kick off, neither team gained any immediate advantage, with play and possession being fairly equal between both sides. Then Shires defence slipped up, missing a few tackles which should have been made, allowing Kilmarnock over for an easy score. This turned out to be par for the course, with a number of defence issues allowing Kilmarnock two further easy tries, which were both converted well by their stand-off. Shire’s closest attempt to getting points on the board was through two long range penalty attempts by stand-off Ewan Brumwell, which sadly both just dropped short.
 
Shire came back out after half time, still determined that a positive result could be salvaged through hard work and determination. Two Shire forwards unfortunately had to go off injured. These players coincidentally shared the same surname - Mountain. It is feasible and entirely probable that these forwards felt their contribution to the game was sufficient to entitle them to a well earned rest. Unfortunately, a positive result just wasn't to be with Kilmarnock scoring their bonus point try out wide and then the Kilmarnock forwards driving over the line from a line out for their 5th try of the game. To make it worse, this try was scored by a player known amongst his peers as "Hippo". The last 20 minutes of the game went slightly better for Shire as everyone gave their all and held Kilmarnock scoreless. Kenny "Special K" Penman earned his Man of the Match title during this period, with hard running and tackling being noticed by all. Some glimpses of the hard defence that Shire were capable of was shown by Api Sione putting in some big hits, with one of these being penalised as the opposition player almost being decapitated due to the tackle being ‘slightly’ high. Ewan Brumwell, Shires number 10 and new addition had a good debut, with many runs with the ball. Front row Barney Henderson also had many runs and a good impact on the game. This was overshadowed however, by his post match pride in his choice of underwear for the day. This turned out to be an assless jock strap / man thong, which, in the changing rooms, provided much merriment for all his teammates. A few players even dared to touch it.
 
Overall, the days performance was disappointing, with many areas of Shires game needing some work. The long break from playing had a noticeable impact on Shire, and hopefully performances will improve as everyone gets back into the swing of things. It was the case, once again, that Shire made their opponents look better than they were. Credit to Kilmarnock, however, as they took full advantage of everything Shire offered them, and were solid in defence.

After two heavy defeats on the trot, it was a long trip up to Thurso where Shire would try and get back to winning ways. With a few boys missing from the pack the coaches worked some football manager style transfer activity and secured the services of Craig & Ross from Aberdeen Grammar for the game.

So at 5pm on Friday night the team set off with the Mountain parents for support, and 6 hours later arrived who-knows-where to stay the night. The athletes in the 17 man squad took the chance during the 45 minute Inverness stop to enjoy a meal of complex carbs and protein for the game ahead, and the other 16 went to Burger King & Pizza hut. After a good night’s sleep, the athletes in the squad enjoyed some muesli, low fat yoghurt, scrambled eggs and toast for the game ahead. The other 16 smashed the buffet full English. And we wonder why the fitness level in the team has dropped away in the last few weeks?

With plenty of time to spare on Saturday morning, shire arrived in Thurso and had time to check out the heavy pitch, when we were reliably informed that it had been ‘pishing doon since last Saturday’. At 12pm Shire kicked off to a determined Caithness side looking to avenge the defeat in the first game of the season. After only 5 minutes or so, a good turnover was secured by the Shire pack and the ball was spun wide quickly, despite the conditions, for tripod MacLugash to dart down the wing and under the posts. Mally White converted for an early 7-0 Shire lead.

However, that was all Shire were going to get in the half and as they failed to string many phases together and played a scrappy half, conceding 2 penalties before half time which Caithness gladly accepted. At half time the Mountain brothers, both struggling with injury, made way for Irish Stu & Coully.

Into the second half and the game pretty much followed the same pattern. Shire giving 100% effort, laying their bodies on the line and putting in some massive hits – particularly Big Cook who enjoyed the Caithness straight running lines and lined a few freight train style hits from about 20 metres out. But it was the home side who had the majority of possession and territory and claimed a drop goal early on, followed by a short range try (converted) after some good pressure on the Shire line. Another penalty later, and Shire were 19-7 down going into the last 10 minutes.

To the team’s credit, they found the energy to get back into the game and after a good counter attack by the backs, the forwards put together a couple of quick phases and wee Gaz nipped over for the try, which went unconverted. The game stayed at 19-12 and in the end Caithness deserved their win but Shire can take a lot out of the game, the commitment & effort were excellent and hopefully once the injuries & absences start to clear up a more settled team will put the phases together, all that is needed to turn these narrow defeats into wins.

Another week off will hopefully help on that front, and then it’s a short trip down to Annan for undoubtedly another tough match, but the confidence from this game means Shire will be gunning for the win on the road.

On the turn of the half point in the season Shire travelled to Inverness to play a confident Highlands team where shire were on the hunt to redeem after their first loss at home to second place Berwick RFC.

With Shire missing skipper John Mason due to injury, Ryan Mountain led from the front wearing the captain's armband.

The match started with Shire receiving kick-off where initial ground was made and remained in possession for the first couple of minutes and after some good chasing work by Michael MacLugash Aberdeenshire had a penalty inside the Highlands 22 but the kick at goal was unfortunately missed. After the 22 drop out was received Highland’s hungry and strong pack turned over the ball and had possession for a long period of time which eventually ended in a converted try under the posts from their Fijian centre. Very disappointing for the Shire defence as this came straight from first phase from a lineout on the 22.

Towards the end of the first half pressure from the Shire pack was showing on the Highland defence as they were within 5 yards of the try line and after perseverance and hard work won a scrum penalty which was taken by Gary Leith who seen space for Ryan Mountain but the try was unfortunately held up and disallowed to the bemusement of the burly South African and his team. This was the turning point in the match as a score for Shire from this period of pressure would have swung the match back in the visitors favour. Unfortunately Shire did gain any points from this good period which in turn added more confidence to the home teams play. This led to a converted penalty extending the lead before half time.

With some stern words from the coaching staff at half time it was made obvious the game was still there for the winning at 10-0 but it would have to take a gutsy performance from the whole Aberdeenshire side.

In the second half Aberdeenshire did not produce the high intensity required to beat the Highland side, allowing the centres to run hard and suck in too many defenders which had the Aberdeen team under constant pressure. Although Michael MacLugush was making plenty of destructive tackles on it opposite number another Fijian who looked like he could prop down with the best of them if a little quicker! Earning MacLugush a well deserved man of the match performance, unfortunately this example was not followed by his teammates allowing Highlands to score two more tries. Again the Shire defence will be disappointed with both scores as the hosts didn’t have to work overly hard to cross the Shire line.

After strong pressure from the Aberdeen side at the end of the second half forced the Highlands side into conceding a number of penalties which were taken quickly and Aberdeenshire soon found themselves deep inside the opposition 22. Here another penalty conceded by the highlands team allowed Barney Henderson to take the ball quickly and offloading it to Steve Cook to evade 3 Highland tackles to score under the posts which Mally White converted.

A positive end to a firm warning for the Aberdeenshire side that was unfortunate with disallowed tries which could have influenced the game but ultimately more hunger and desire from the Highland pack won them the match. This Aberdeenshire side must take positives as they travel north again for the next game in Caithness.

Shire welcomed second placed Berwick RFC to Woodside for a match that, if they won, would put them right back into the hunt for promotion.

With Shire unbeaten at home so far this season confidence was high despite missing skipper John Mason due to injury. As is standard when Craig Livingston is wearing the captain's armband, Shire lost the toss and found themselves kicking off away from the clubhouse.

Berwick were first to strike and after a few missed tackles the ball was shipped wide for the left winger to evade two more defenders and canter over the try line. Berwick doubled their lead shortly after with a powerful drive over the line by their no.8. With Shire's defence creaking with every Berwick attack, it was looking as if it could be a long afternoon.

After 2 narrow defeats in their last 3 games to title contenders Banff and Garioch, the Twas were looking to gain a morale boosting win over Saturday’s visitors to Woodside, Shetland. The Twas had the luxury of a full squad for only the second time this season with a good number of the squad having 1XV experience and others making their debut. Coach Charlie Flett’s words in the warm-up were all about game plan and positivity with emphasis on bringing Thursday night’s training into practice.

Due to the islanders’ long journey the game was slated to kick off at noon although a minor “clerical error” saw this pushed to closer to 1215. Shetland kicked off and with the sun at their backs, the Twas immediately went to work, working the ball into the Shetland 22 after some hard running from the returning Andrew Cook. Quick phase ball was recycled and stand-off Chunky Moore popped up between the centres to open the scoring out wide. With the conversion attempt slightly wide the Twas took an early 5-0 lead.

A great take from Duncan Coull from the kick-off saw the ‘Shire men immediately return to Shetland’s 22 before being pinged for an offside at the ruck. Shetland looked to clear their lines however their stand off’s boot failed to find touch and was collected by Frenchman near halfway. Shire’s own Bryan Habana made some good yardage before offloading to wing partner Mike MacLugash who drew 2 men and offloaded to allow Iain Irvine to win the foot race to the line and dot down near the posts. Moore stepped up to slot the conversion, 12-0.

An errant kick-off from the Shetland 10 straight into touch gave the ‘Shire pack its first chance to dominate and they duly obliged, driving the Shetland pack back and winning clean ball for the backs to distribute. Another penalty conceded deep in Shetland territory again appeared to have let the visitors off the hook however another missed touch, quick hands and several offloads allowed Joe Oyesiku to turn on the gas and ground his first of the afternoon under the posts. Moore stepped up to the easy conversion and, as the ‘Shire team turned its collective backs, he pushed it wide of the uprights. 17-0.

With the Twas now fully in the ascendancy, second row Mike Fotheringham showed pace few thought he still possessed, streaking up the right wing before touching down under the posts (and promptly being substituted). Moore managed to slot the conversion this time although missed the next one after burly prop, Charlie Catto smashed his way over the line in the far left hand corner to make it 29-0.

As half time approached, Mike MacLugash saw a try chalked off after a brilliant perpendicular offload from the captain was harshly judged to be forward and substitute, Matt Christie earned the coveted Dick of the Day award by dropping the ball in a tackle whilst trying to make his way under the posts. The property magnate’s protests regarding a “studs-up” tackle, rightly ignored by all present.

Coull was next to cross the whitewash following a barrelling run before the half almost ended on a sour note. The pressure of keeping his mouth shut for 39 minutes finally took its toll on scrum half, Gary Leith after the Smokie fan received a cheap shot from one of the islander forwards. In a moment of confusion, Leith appeared to suggest the referee be quiet (albeit more aggressively) and almost received his marching orders. Half time score: Twas 36-0 Shetland.

The half time chat saw Flett demand ‘Shire to keep to the game plan and play as a team. Several personnel changes saw Matt Lynch move to 10 and James Broadribb come in at 15. The second half performance continued where the first left off and the tries were soon flowing with Nick Smart touching down from a 5 metre line-out and Broadribb opening his account after a sweeping counter attack. The defence, although rarely tested, held firm during a brief period of Shetland pressure with MacLugash making an excellent covering tackle as the Shetland wing looked certain to score.

With Lynch leading the line well from 10 Shetland had no answer and as the game approached full time their resolve finally crumbled. The Twas racked up a cricket score scoring 48 points in the final 20 minutes with Oyesiku completing his hat-trick and tries from Lawman, Redmond, Lynch and Carr amongst others.

The Twas left the field to the baaing of their defeated opponents buoyed by a solid performance but safe in the knowledge that next week’s return fixture will not be plain sailing.

Saturday saw Shire welcome a Kilmarnock side who had only lost one fixture so far during their 2010/11 campaign and were sitting comfortably nestled in second place.

However, as with all away games, this match would prove to be much trickier than any they had faced thus far. Especially when an automotive issue left the Lanarkshire side's front row jettisoned somewhere near Coupar Angus and awaiting rescue from the AA.

A decision was made and the game was delayed by 10 minutes to allow the stranded players to arrive. But with match time looming and no sign of Killie's missing men, the referee had no option but to start the game, meaning that scrums would be unopposed until Kilmarnock had their full compliment on the park.

The game kicked off under favourable conditions and Shire immediately took the initiative after a penalty allowed stand-off Treymane to bang a raking kick into Killie 22.

Shire arrived at Glasgow Accies and there was an immediate sense of déjà vu. Granted the bus was half the size (so ditching our one loyal male supporter, Pete, in the process), however we disembarked at a club with a very large pitch, good underfoot conditions and a strong wind blowing end to end. Shire felt confident going into this game with a settled starting line and growing confidence in our game plan.

Shire started against the wind and immediately asserted the desired control. Early kicks to corners, a backline looking solid in defence & chasing kicks hard in a disciplined fashion all boded well. Shire converted early pressure into points with a good low kick into the wind by Brooke. Unfortunately Shire, as was too often the case through the game, turned our backs on Accies enterprising players who ran a quick penalty, made significant ground before spreading quick ball wide to score in the corner.

Shire returned upfield again and converted another penalty chance to move back to 7-6 down. Shire then contrived to spend 20 mins in the Accies 22 with the ball over the line several times and failed to get the points on the board. Some of this was down to lack of composure in the forwards, some down to not trusting each other and trying to do too much ourselves but also down to some good Accies defence that we failed to think our way around. Shire will point to some strange refereeing decisions but this would sound churlish given the utter domination of the Shire pack in this key part of the game.

As Shire entered the second half, we were determined not to repeat same mistakes as Allan Glens and close the game out. However, in spite of showing we'd learnt our lessons and kicking effectively for position, we allowed Accies to escape from their half and several well worked backline moves later, their 15 crashed in under the sticks with our defence stretched. Shire first up tacking and ability to think quickly to snuff to
enterprising attacks would appear weak and doesn’t do justice to the standards we have set ourselves.

Shire responded immediately and playing the territory well, pushed into the Accies 22. Again several strange refereeing decisions prevailed with at least two balls grounded over the line, with the ref pulling Shire back on each occasion. Again lack of composure hurt us, with several knock ons or accidental offside’s blunting our attacks and not moving our point of attack wider. This made the job of Accies all the easier to defend. Finally from our 5th or so attempted push over, Dave Roberts managed to ground the ball for well deserved forwards try.

However on back of this relief and elation, once again we took eyes off the ball. We allowed Accies to secure quick ball from kick off and rucktime and before we know it they were through our midfield defence, stretched one way and then the next, before crashing over out wide. Unfortunately we made simple mistakes, allowed cheap yards to Accies’always dangerous backs and their strong running 14 beat off several tackles to score in the corner.

Again determined to win a game we had all rights to and to produce the result that our forward domination and focused backline defence deserved, we played for field position and got ourselves in the right area. Brooke kicked us expertly into corners and finally our patience paid off with a well worked try into the corner for Kris Gilmartin. The conversion was agonisingly close on a tough day for kicking.

Shire began to build phases quickly with little time remaining and as the game loosened up, the forwards took the game by the scruff of the neck until a desperate high tackle by Accies in a good position gave Shire the last kick of the game to win it. Unfortunately it was not to be but it should never have been in that position. Our failure to make possession and field position pay in the first half when lack of composure failed to convert pressure into points cost us dear against an enterprising and resourceful Accies backline in particular. As long as Shire are learning and improving, hopefully these three tight results away from home won't come back to haunt us.

The Supa Twa’s travelled to Aboyne on Saturday to take on Deeside whom sat below them in the table. After narrowly missing out the previous week to Garioch, this was a must win match in order to keep the spirits of the squad and hopes of league aspirations up. After a somewhat delayed arrival from some members of the squad to Aboyne the warm up was hastily run alongside final tweaks to backline and lineout set ups. Much to the dismay of the visiting pack after much chasing of players in order to field a competitive scrum, Deeside failed to do so.

Deeside kicked off and immediately put the shire catcher under pressure (Coull), with a kick that was most likely going out on the full had it not been claimed and the catcher bundled into touch.  Aboyne claimed their lineout although this was to be one of the few that they managed in the course of the game due to the excellent disruptive qualities of Strachan and Chaplin in the shire lineout. The ball was spun wide and the shire defence tested for the 1st time in the match.

On Saturday Shire headed down the road to get reacquainted with last season’s National 3 rivals and eventual winners Allan Glens. On a clear, if slightly blustery day and the Glens pitch looking good everything was tee’d up nicely for an open game of rugby.

Last season was one all, with Shire winning at Glens early in the season and Glens winning at Woodside later in the season, setting up their title win.

But Shire were confident that a victory could be achieved, and aiming for their first away win this season the game kicked off.

Now at this point it should be made clear that stand off Brooke’s original match report was eaten by the dog he doesn’t own, and the Allan Glen’s report (which has not been plagiarised) mentions three Shire players, one who has left the club and suffered a career threatening knee injury, two who did not play on the day,. So, the following is a mixture of truth and foggy memories.

Kick off.

Early in the game, Shire started well enough. The forwards putting Glens under pressure and the backs playing the game in the correct areas of the pitch. However Glens struck first with a penalty following some indiscipline from Shire at the breakdown – not for the last time during the game. Shire struck back though someone, probably Gav Cunningham since Kenny hasn’t scored this season yet – he’s still level on tries with his once a season points machine skipper. Tremaine knocked over the extras. With play going from end to end it was Glens turn to complete a similar move when Murrell strode in under the posts. Auld converted. However Shire scored again before the break, through the forwards this time, maybe Mason but probably not. Again Tremaine knocked over the extras.

Half time score of 10-14.

After the restart Shire took their foot off the gas, and with scores for either side Shire held a slender 21-20 lead going into the last couple of minutes.

Frustration & confusion followed as Glens mounted another good attack through the backs which ended with a hack through into the Shire goal area. Gav Cunningham was still putting the work in and did well to get back and dive on the ball, but after he touched it down the Glens player followed up and also touched it down and the try was awarded. Either the rules have changed and if you touch the ball down with your hand, forearm, upper arm, chest and legs – it doesn’t count – or the ref saw Gav in his best weekend tracksuit eyeing up his car before the game and didn’t like it, either way it was a bit of a strange decision and a tough pill to swallow.

Glens then held on for the last minute or so as Shire failed to turn it round for the win.

So another narrow defeat on the road, but an improved performance and attitude from the Newton Stewart match. Progress is being made and if Shire again up their game, get used to the patterns of play and keep focussed for 80 minutes then the home wins will continue and the away wins will come.

This week’s fixture saw the Aberdeenshire men travel to local rivals Garioch. Buoyed by the previous weeks win against Ellon the Woodside men looked to continue their momentum against one of the leagues strongest contenders. With several backs playing in the forwards the visitors pack would have their work cut out as they took to field.

After a positive warm up, the away team seemed to switch off from the start allowing the home team to win possession. The Garioch standoff launched a probing kick into the shire 22 and from the resulting stolen lineout, the Inverurie winger broke several tackles to score under the posts. The try was converted. 7-0 after 2 minutes. This seemed to stir the visitors into action and they immediately turned the tide with 30 minutes of sustained pressure in the Garioch half. Wave after wave of Shire pressure eventually resulted in a penalty inside the home team’s 22. Shire centre Broadribb was cynically tripped on his way to a certain score. A clear yellow card offence the home flanker was extremely lucky to benefit from one of several poor refereeing decisions and not be taking 10 minutes on the side lines to think about his actions. Alex Moore converted the penalty making the score 7-3. Again the Woodside men looked to take the lead. However a lack of composure and handling errors in the home 22 saw several clear scoring chances squandered. A rare Garioch break out saw them awarded a penalty for a shire infringement at the breakdown. The resulting kick was converted making the score 10-3 to the home team at the break.

A few harsh words at halftime and the visitors came out firing. The tone of the first half continued with the Shire 15 camped in the Garioch 22. Unfortunately the failings of the first half also continued with the visitors again squandering several chances in the first 15 minutes. At last however on the 20 minute mark the visitor’s persistence paid off. Man of the match Ryan Mountain capitalised on a dominant Stormers scrum to pick and go from the edge of the 22 breaking several tackles to score under the posts with a tremendous individual effort. Alex Moore converted making the score 10-10. The visitors started to gain the advantage in the forwards with their superior fitness beginning to become evident, stretching the home team. Then with all the momentum with Shire, they were dealt a crushing blow. An intercepted pass between the Shire centres 10 metres from the Garioch try line allowed their opposite number to sprint the length of the pitch finishing under the posts. The standoff converted making the score 17-10 with 10 minutes to go. Again the Woodside men rallied. From a penalty in his half Alex Moore found touch on the home 22. From the resulting lineout shire developed their best passage of play of the match, putting several phases together stretching the home defence. Second row Ryan Strachan breaking a tackle, found space before being grounded, popping off the deck to tight head Charlie Catto, who from 10 metres out drove over the top of the opposite fullback and winger to score in the corner. This left the visiting 10 a difficult conversion to tie the match which drifted just wide with 5 minutes to go. The remainder off the match saw the Stormers try in vain to find the winning score, however the failings of the first half returned with several handling errors and indiscipline costing them dear. The final score 17-15 to Garioch. The Stormers with only themselves to blame returned home to Aberdeen with the scant consolation of a losing bonus point.

Aberdeenshire continued their home winning streak on Saturday with a well controlled victory at Woodside against the visitors Waysiders Drumpellier by 28 points to 7.

The match conditions saw the teams compete on a heavy pitch, with intermittent rain and a mild wind at Woodside. Aberdeenshire kicked off into the light breeze and both teams took time to settle. The first scoring chance fell to Aberdeenshire stand-off Brook Tremayne who narrowly missed with a 35m penalty attempt.

Fullback Jamie Stephen joined the backline during the next attack and was tackled late giving Tremayne the chance to slot a penalty from a similar range which he converted to give the Hosts a 3-0 lead after six minutes.

Aberdeenshire's first overnight journey of the season was identified by coaches Bell and McCreadie as a must-win game. The fixture represented a chance to lay down a marker and prove to the rest of the league that Shire were capable of travelling to some of the darkest recesses of the country and triumphing regardless of the distance covered. With three key forwards ruled-out of the away-day squad (Craig 'Old Caveman' Livingston, Shaun 'Pumba' Mountain and Barney 'The Enforcer' Henderson) the pack was left lacking a much-needed physical edge.

But thanks to the commitment of the Aberdeenshire club's coffers, the squad travelled down on the Friday night and got a much-needed respite
in Kilmarnock's flagship Travelodge, cosily nestled beneath a giant electricity pylon alongside an intersection of the A77. Matchday began with the cornerstone of any modern athlete's breakfast - a fry-up from the charming Little Chef next door. Despite no sign of Heston Blumenthal's revamped menu emerging from the paws of the glamorous waitresses, the lads filled up on just enough suturated fat to set them on the right path for the battle ahead.

Eager to get their first away victory in the bag, the North-east club came onto the pitch with all cylinders firing. After the opening exchanges of the game, the Shire pack looked to be the dominant force, however, some foolish penalties conceded in their own half saw the home team claim the first three points of the match. The Shire team were quick to respond and when the ball finally found its way into the the hands of the backs, fullback Jamie Stephen punched a flukey spiral grubber kick behind the opposition line, leaving winger Paul Harrow with a lot of ground to cover to get onto the end of it. However, Harrow's quick feet allowed him to get his nose in front of his opposite man, pouncing over the whitewash to ground the ball for his first-ever 1st team try. With the try in the bag, all that was needed was Jamie Stephen to slot home the kick for an easy two points, which was pushed painfully wide. The fullback was subsequently relieved of the kicking duties for the remainder of the game.

Shire took a short-lived 5-3 lead, after more indiscipline led to additional points being put on offer for the home sidedirectly in front of the uprights. Moments before the half was up, Saffie centre Gav 'The Chav' Cunningham used his special 'dancing feet', rumoured to have been honed on the floors of Liquid Nightclub, to make an incisive break through the opposition's defence to score the second try of the day. Fly-half Tremayne stepped up to take the kick and made no mistake with the finish.

Half-time score: Aberdeenshire 18 - Newton Strewart 9

All that was needed for a famous away win was for the travellers to hold their composure throughout the second half. However, after the restart it was the complete opposite; missed tackles, poor decision-making and lack of ball control, the sort of play that wouldn't look out of place within the cherished walls of Murryfield.

As heads began to drop, the hardy Newton Stewart pack got their dander up with continuous pressure throughout the second half, which was compounded by the Shire backline's inability to kick a ball further than 10 yards. This was only made harder by the referee's seemingly selective vision, which allowed the Wigtownshire outfit to creep offside after virtually every breakdown. Despite words from the captain, it fell on deaf ears and the whistler continued to ignore the obvious infringements. Explaining the offside-trap to the ageing members of the Women's Royal Institute may have proved to have been an easier task for skipper Mason.

With the home team gaining confidence, the supporters began to believe in their side and cheered on every cheap yard gained as Shire struggled to keep the home team at bay, capitulating at set pieces and missing first-up tackles. Some shocking defence inside the 22 resulted
in the home team diving over the tryline securing their first and only try of the game. This took the score to a nail-biting 16-18.

For the remaining 10 minutes of the game the Shire boys had to fight the opposition from crossing for a score and a penalty loomed under the mounting pressure. A borderline high-tackle gave the home team a penalty kick two minutes from the end, which was converted, giving Newton Stewart their first victory of the campaign, winning 19-18.

It was an extremely disappointing result for the team, and most importantly for the coaches. The only glimmer of joy came some hours later in a quaint public house in Glencarse, where prop Andy Sutherland was accosted by a 6ft 4in transvestite - sadly, he/she was not available for any of Shire's remaining away fixtures. The pain and disappointment of the defeat will hopefully give the squad a sound warning that improvements in their playing sequences and a more aggressive attitude is needed if they are to take more than a bonus point whilst away from the security of Woodside.

On a day where only a bonus-point-win would be acceptable to the Shire coaches, a break from the torrential rain was welcomed by all at Woodside. Shire were playing host to Annan who had travelled a fair distance to play the fixture.

Although Shire started with impetus - competing well in all aspects of the game - first blood was drawn by Annan after their ten struck a penalty in front of the posts to take the lead.

But Annan soon made a crucial mistake, when a 22 drop-out was knocked short and pounced upon to allow a line-out just five metres shy of the try line. The dominant Shire pack stole Annan's ball and set a well-worked maul to allow Steven Cook to tumble across the whitewash to give the home side their first points. Despite a tricky conversion, fly-half Brook Tremayne slotted the ball between the posts taking the score to 7-3.

Aberdeenshire’s first away journey of the season was one of the so-called ‘shorter’ trips to Hawick YM. With both teams securing wins in their opening games it was going to be an interesting test for both sets of players.

The travelling side was dealt a cruel blow late on Friday night after Steven 'Big' Cook pulled out of the squad with a mysterious hand injury. Newcomer Barney Henderson was also missing from action, meaning Shire arrived in the Borders with a depleted front row.

However, the Woodside outfit was given a lift thanks to the arrival of Kiwi-import Brooke Treymane, who shook off the jet lag of a 23-hour flight from Waikato to take his place on the bench.

With the sun shining and a pitch firmer than Abbey Clancy's bottom, it was perfect for playing expansive, running rugby - sadly, as the game progressed, it was only the home side who were to benefit from the conditions.

Shire received the kick-off playing away from the cheers of Mansfield Park next door, initially clearing their lines, but soon found themselves under pressure. Hawick were playing a fast game and looked to ship the ball wide quickly, forcing Shire to work hard in defence to keep the home side at bay.

The first points of the match came through two successfully-kicked penalties from the Hawick stand-off. Until that point the line had held strong, but only thanks to some good cover tackles as Hawick repeatedly found gaps in a porous midfield defence.

The first try of the match went to the home side midway through the first half when Shire's defence was stretched, leaving room for the Hawick winger to touch down out wide.

This should have been the first real wake-up call for the visitors, but an overhit restart gave possession straight back to the buoyant home side, who contained Shire in their own half with relentless attacks.

Shire were hanging on and managed to prevent two tries on the line with some last-gasp tackling. Despite butchering several try-scoring opportunities, Hawick managed to dot down again just before half-time when the opposition centre made an impressive off-load after breaking a tackle to send a runner in under the posts for an easy seven points.

Half-time score 20 -0 to Hawick YM.

Some stern words were spoken at half-time by coach Colin Bell and Brooke Treymane and Chris Caris were ordered off the bench to make their Shire debuts. The new additions made an immediate impact on the field and the team started to play. Aggression levels were raised and everyone started upping their game.

Mike MacLugash must have missed the half-time team talk and, instead of focusing his energies on his positional play, chose to vent his frustrations on his opposite number - branding him a retard - which earned the winger the coveted dick-of-the-day honour for the second week running.

However, Shire were not contemplating the return journey just yet and Ben Morris got the team going forward with a good break from a lineout. The mustachioed scrum-half found a gap and slipped the ball to Ryan Mountain, allowing the second row to wrestle his way over for a score and notch his second try in as many games.

Treymane stepped up for the kick and easily converted. With the away team trailing by just 13 points, there was optimism among the ranks that a fightback could be staged but Shire just couldn't get a foothold in the game as Hawick continued to press the midfield.

Although the visitors were bossing most of the scrums, Hawick were running better and harder lines, and started finding more space out on the wings and behind the back three.

Only scrambling defence stopped an onslaught, but some good play from Hawick gave their winger space to burn his opposite number on the outside. Three more tries followed thanks to a cheeky chip and some woeful defending - the less said the better.

Shire were glad to hear the final whistle with the game finishing 42-7 in favour of the well-drilled Hawick side. The boys took their medicine and knew a repeat performance would not be acceptable again this season.

As new season skipper, Iain Irvine, called the Super Twas together for the first home league run out of the year, some of the Twas were surprised by the professional sounding 1.30pm meet (for 3pm KO). Huntly, and Barney, took the far more pragmatic approach of a much shorter warm up being quite enough at this time of the season.

A strong looking Twas squad, that nearly included a front row this week, took to the field, the major question being how the unit cohesion would work in the perfect playing conditions at Woodside. On the face of it, the many stalwart Shire supporters who came to watch needn’t have worried. Early runs from KOs from Foggie, Baz and Derek looked promising, quick clean ball was secured and the backs ran strongly. Tries began to flow almost immediately with Iain Irvine, Robin Campbell and Foggy crossing the whitewash.

After a passing shower, the weather settled to provide the perfect conditions for a game of to-and-fro rugby. Shire arrived all wired-up for a game they knew they had to win to send a stark message the rest of the league that there was no luck involved in their promotion last season. The attitude in the dressing room was positive and
professional.

Skipper John Mason’s pre-match talk was plain and simple: "This is our ground, no-one comes here and tries to bully us. Lets set the marker." With fire in their bellies and determination in their eyes, the Shire XV took the field.

From the kick-off, Shire’s pack set the tone and structure for the game with a solid contest up front. With some turnovers for both teams and some questionable penalties, Shire had the chance to take the first points from 25 metres after 15 minutes of play.

In the first game of the season, ‘Shire took on Banff in a game we should have won. With a team full of backs and not many forwards, it was not going to be an easy game. Shire won the toss and kicked the game off. Some smart play from the start saw us take the lead early on, with a try from Doug Maclugash in the corner. The try was converted by Alex Moore and Shire had a 7-0 lead quickly, this was added to minutes later with a try from Ben Morris. The conversion attempt was missed but we had settled into the game well and were looking to build on our lead.

Perhaps due to a lack of out right forwards in this game, our pack struggled in the line out. A number of our thrown ins were snatched by the opposition and this lead to us losing our first try. Banff stole our line out near our line, and decided to drive with it. Our forwards drove against their maul, but a player from the opposition managed to dive through the middle to score their first try; which was converted. 12-7 to ‘Shire.

Banff’s second try was almost identical, and in the exact same position. This was converted and left us trailing by 2 points with not long to go in the half. Our backs were not seeing an awful lot of the ball, and we were opting to kick on most occasions. This was a problem as our line outs were not successful. ‘Shire went into half time trailing 14-12.

We discussed what needed to be done in the second half and went in with a positive attitude. But a number of dropped balls and conceded penalties made it hard for us to play consistent rugby. There were a number of great tackles and some good solo running in the second half, but we were always a little short of scoring.

Banff were awarded two penalty kicks in the second half which were both converted and the game became frustrating for us, coming close to scoring on a number of occasions. The final whistle went and we had been beaten by six points. Final score: 20-12. Man of the match, well deserved for his play at number 8: Andrew Cook.

Thank you to Banff for their hospitality and for having us. The barbeque at the end was well enjoyed!