Another long bus trip down near the banks of Loch Lomond, the Shire men were welcomed by sunshine. The pitch was boggy in places but for the most part was firm underfoot, ideal for some running rugby. Shires back three were boosted with the return of “the born again virgin” Jaime Stephen as he slipped back into the 15 jersey accompanied by his huge right boot in a very accomplished comeback.

Helensburgh claimed the first points with an easy penalty in front of the posts due to Shires ill-discipline at the breakdown. Some good work from the Shire pack and territorial kicking led to an easy penalty for Stefan Cole. With the scores tied up at 3 a piece, the first try of the game was claimed by Doug Jones. A kick was charged down by the wrecking ball number 2 and using his gazelle like speed he crashed down over the white wash. Although Shire seemed to have control of the game Helensburgh fought back and claimed a try of their own with a crash ball twelve, who powered his way through the first up tackles to score beneath the posts after a driven lineout that just came up short. The final points of the half came from the boot of Helensburgh number ten who hit a penalty from a long way out, ending the first half 11-10 to the home side.

The game remained a close contest as very little separated the two sides at half time. Again the first points of the second period came from the boot of Helensburgh number ten as he slotted a well struck drop goal. Fortunately these were the last points of the home side as a determined and committed Shire team exerted their dominance at the set pieces and the break down. Stefan Cole regained the Shire lead as he struck another penalty between the posts. The third try of the match was claimed by “man of the match” Doug Jones with the help of the rest of the pack. Line out ball was claimed close to the home sides try line and a well formed, powerful maul pushed the Shire forwards across the line. This score was even more impressive with the Shire pack being 1 down with Andrew Cook spending 10 minutes on the naughty boys chair for persistent offsides, replacement scrum-half Leith did add his slightly less bulky frame to the drive for that extra shove! As the pressure mounted the final and crucial score of the game was created by Martyn Snell playing at number seven, rather than his usual role in the centre, he broke away drawing in two defenders to create space for impact sub Gary Leith to score a vital try in the context of the match and the whole season. Stefan Cole converted to leave the score at 23-14. Shire did push for the bonus point try but it just didn’t come. Helensburgh to their credit tried to attack whenever possible but the tough organised Shire defence returned just in time to deal with all second half assaults.

With the bonus point just missed the Shire players, coaches and supporters had to wait for the other results to mathematically confirm promotion. The away changing room rang out with Sung by the Shire when Colin Bell announced defeats for both GHK and Marr! Even with the bus driver taking the scenic route home all onboard were happy passengers!

A season of great highs and lows finishes with the initial goal complete - promotion to National 2! Back to back promotion really is a fantastic achievement for all involved with this grand old club be it players, coaches, committee members and loyal supporters.

The 1st XV still have 2 games remaining with the final away game against Marr this weekend being the sixth long bus journey in a row for the travel weary Shire team. All at the club will sorely welcome the final league match at home against Hillfoots the following Saturday where the celebrations can really begin! Hopefully now that the job is done the team can throw off its shackles and play with the flare and pace that ultimately won us promotion!

On a fine day in Aberdeen to play a game of rugby Shire got on the bus and made the journey down to Edinburgh to face Forrester. On arrival two things were apparent (1) The club house was not beside the pitch and (2) the high winds on the day – thankfully not from second row Mason for a change – would have an impact on the game as the team to best use the conditions would have the edge.

Shire went into the game on the back of two defeats but still in the knowledge that two victories from their final four games would see the team promoted to National 2. Shire also had a few changes to the team from the previous weeks as injuries took their toll on the squad. The team welcomed back the old war-horse Russell Hempsey to the front row, the seasoned pro Ryan Mountain to the back row, the reliable Dave Roberts to scrum half, the experienced pairing of Martyn Snell and Robbie ‘Sparrow’ Anderson to the centre berths and the ‘other old git’ Mike Roulston came on to the bench. Mike was joined on the bench by Kris Gilmartin returning from injury and the wee man….. his son Logan.

Forrester kicked of the game into the strong wind which was now blowing straight down the park from behind the Shire lads. From the off the Shire pack took the game to their opponents and looked to have the better of the early exchanges up front as the team worked into nice areas in the opposition half. Unfortunately for Shire it was again this final third on the pitch that proved to be difficult to crack as Forrester defended with great commitment. The shire team too often coughed up possession or conceded penalties that allowed their opposition to clear their lines. Shire set out to score tries and so penalties were used to create platforms from which a chance could be created. It was from such a line out that the most likely try-scoring moment of the half occurred as centre Snell ignored the run of Cole from fullback to ghost around the outside centre to find open space only to just be collared by an opponent. If only the Orcadian had been fully fit he may well have burst through to the try line – or at least this reporter thinks so anyway! Like the wind Shire huffed and puffed with the forwards rumbling down the park but alas a try could not be mustered. All Shire had for their endeavour was two penalties from Parker and a slender half time lead. Half Time 6-3.

At half time the Shire team knew they had wasted some good opportunities to extend their lead and that with the high wind in their faces it would be a difficult second half.

No sooner had the second half started than front rower Hempsey had to depart the field with a back problem leaving Shire one short in the front row and the game without any more contested scrums. This did not weaken the pack however as the big ball carriers Mason and Chalmers from the boiler house as well as the two Mountains charged upfield following the example set by captain Cavey and the ninth forward Roberts. But as was the problem in the first half the final third appeared to be a bridge to far and with the wind on their backs Forrester were able to handsomely clear their lines and put the ball back into the Shire 22. The clearance kicks also proved testing for the Shire back 3 to deal with although when caught successfully an effective counter was usually launched. Unfortunately it was from such a clearance kick that the turning point in the game occurred as the ball was fumbled into touch the quicker reactions of the Forrester players got the ball back into play and surging for the line only excellent cover notably from Sparrow held up what otherwise would have been a certain try. From the resultant scrum however Shire leaked the vital try.

Credit to the Shire team for not giving up and giving the Forrester team a hard game right until the final whistle. No-one more felt the battle than the Forrester inside centre who, like half the female population of Aberdeen, wanted to give our Stef a ‘Glasgow kiss’. Unfortunately for our lady friends the centre came worst off and Stef lives to roam another day as both players were able to play out the game. In the latter stages of the game mistakes crept into the Shire game and the home fullback was more than happy to use the wind and keep his team in the ascendency closing out the game with long range penalties.

Full Time Forrester 16 – 6 Aberdeenshire

At the full time whistle Shire knew that the lack of chances taken in the first half had cost them dear although the overall team performance had improved greatly on previous weeks. The only thing that lightened the mood for the journey north was finding out that both Marr and GHK had also lost meaning that a single victory in their final three games for Shire should be enough to secure promotion after their first season in National 3.  

Saturday saw the visit of local rivals Gordonians.  For Aberdeenshire this match represented a chance to enhance their promotion chances, particularly with promotion contenders Marr loosing at home to Hellensburgh.  Neither side had played for several weeks due to adverse weather conditions despite this both were desperate for the points and bragging rights in the local derby.

Despite what was at stake shire began slowly and allowed Gordonians to dictate the pace of the game.  However they were unable to capitalise on their dominance and only landed a couple of penalties following ill discipline at the breakdown from shire.  This left the door open for a shire comeback that didn’t fully materialise until the second half.  In fact Gordonians continued to play the more expansive rugby but still couldn’t quite manage to cross the Shire line. 

On Saturday saw Aberdeenshire travel southwards to face East Kilbride in their first round of the National Shield. It was going to be a daunting task ahead of the Woodside men, as the Lanarkshire side were two leagues above them in National 1.

As the Shire lads ran through their pre-game warm up, the side got together for a short team run to familiarize themselves with the new members that cracked the squad that week, such changes as young Paul Harrow making his way back into his spot on the wing, along with fellow wing-man Joe Oyesiku on the bench. With both centres Snell and Malign missing this saw a new look back line consisting of Ben Morris in for the retiring Gary Leith, Gavin Cunningham at inside and James Baxendale at outside centre, along with an inform Kenny Penman on one wing and the Kiwi Stefan Cole to take control of things at fullback. Along with the missing backs, there were also a lot of forwards unable to travel with the side this week. due to old age, work commitments or just being soft!

With the game underway and the Shire side receiving the first touch of the ball, this saw the game plan come to surface with territory the main aim. So as the ball was kicked back 'n forth like a ping pong ball, n the Woodside team getting the first upper hand with a penalty and a nicely placed kick for touch from stand off Steven Parker, found the lads with a rather handy line out 5 meters from the white line. This saw the very successful switcher 4 line out move called, proving too tricky for the opposition to figure out, this saw the big/plump prop Shaun 'Pumba' Mountain waddle over the line to dot down for Shires first score. Conversion unsuccessful: 5-0.

Not long after the restart EK placed a cleverly weighted kick to the boggy corner which saw Shire turn to scoop up the loose ball and a missed pass from Cole saw EK with their turn to strike, as the ball was re-gathered the quick line out option was taken to catch the Woodside team napping and the try was scored with the conversion good: 5-7. As the second half was coming to a close, both sides were pressing for the much needed score before the half time break. Both teams we're testing each other under the high ball to force the mistake, but it was at the break down that the mistake came from the EK side. With their open-side binned for 10mins for continuously killing the ball. The first half was seen out with Parker slotting a 3 pointer to give his side an upper-edge. 8-7

The ref signalling the start of the second half and a lot to play for both sides. With the game continuing as the first half did territory high on the cards. Now Shire playing down towards the boggier end of the pitch and the corners the targets, used to force EK to make the mistakes. With neither side getting any real momentum or go forward ball, it was time to see Kenny Penman spark into action with hard straight running, and managing to brake a few tackles to slip away from the opposition to dot down for his first try in a loooong time! 13-7

Not long after the Shire celebrations had died down, the home side felt it was time to give their supporters something to cheer about with a try of their own. A nice string phases leading up to the try to bring them within 1 point at 13-12. As both sides were beginning to tier, the Shire side were being stretched out wide but their scrambling defence stood strong. A few injuries struck the Woodside pack, with Stephan Cook going down with an injured knee which brought on Jamie Pope, and not long after saw Shaun 'Pumba' Mountain going off with an injured shoulder. Thus bringing the scrums to uncontested scrums. But it was at the break down the ref didn't like what he saw from Shire, and penalized them for slowing the ball down, which saw the EK stand off slot two easy 3 pointers in as many minutes to give them a slight edge on the visitors 13-18.
It was with 5 minutes remaining in the game, that saw the Shire side dig deep and mount their attack. With wave after wave of runners edging the pack down the field, an uncontested scrum given to the away side. This was the perfect time to seal a famous victory. The ball was scooped up at the back by Andrew 'Wee' Cook drawing in to defenders, a quick snap and change of direction with quick slick hands saw an overlap out wide and Ryan 'Man-Mountain' almost piercing the defence, but a short off load to Penman who cut back through the defenders to cross in the corner for his second of the day, to level the scoring. With a rather difficult conversion to kick Parker narrowly missed by hitting the upright leaving the score at 18-18 taking the game into extra time.

Even with 10 minutes each way of extra time being played neither team could capitalize and edge out in front. This saw Shire go through to the next round of the National Shield out scoring East Kilbride 3 tries to 2.

Rugby returned to Woodside after an enforced long lay-off caused by the arctic winter and subsequent frozen pitches, GHK made the long trip North for the second meeting of the season having scraped a 16-15 home victory way back in October.

Both teams observed a minute silence for the late Bill McLaren ,’’the voice of rugby’’ with Aberdeenshire also wearing white armbands as an additional mark of respect for the former Shireman.

The snow might have melted but the conditions were still gong to have a bearing on the style of play with soft ground, swirling winds and relentless rain. Shire started knowing that a student side would be fast and want to exploit their traits as a force out wide but a slippy ball was proving a barrier to any flowing play from both teams.

A cold and early start for the Shire for another important league game against Hawick Linden (still the worst spelling name for any town ever) couldn’t dampen the boys’ eagerness to improve on their performance against Allan Glens the previous week. With a number of key players missing, including ‘captain fantastic’ Craig Livingston (due to his new born 10 pound baby girl), The old man ‘Captain Jack’ Sparrow who was off sailing down the River Thames, the big man Andy Sutherland and Matt ‘f@cked for life’ Barker who traveled on this long trek to support his teammates. This made room for new faces in the team and special mention must be made for Paul Harrow as he made his debut for the first team.

The game started well for the Shire, receiving the kick off and applying some early pressure on the home team. Having given away a couple of penalties, the pressure was put right back on the away team when they finally conceding a penalty right in front of the post Hawick took the lead from a neat shot at goal from the number 10.

Shire tried to put the pressure back on but seemed to give away penalties every time a ruck had formed. Stand-in skipper John Mason must have been his charming self speaking to the referee before the game because he seemed to ping him over and over again for hands in the ruck, the home team gratefully accepting the opportunity to kick a further 3 points.

This put the home team 6-0 up and the away team a bit anxious as to how the rest of the game was going to go but with some positive talks behind the posts the mighty Shire bounced back and finally started to get some momentum. Soon enough they found they had a chance to claw back 3 points.

Up stepped Mr Parks (thankfully not his namesake, Dan). Still recovering from receiving a ball in the eye on the journey up, he didn’t seem phased at all and took the kick with ease. We started to believe we could win now and some good play from the back line put the Shire in the right areas of the park. With the forwards becoming more and more dominant the referee awarded Shire with two more kickable penalties which Mr Parks took with ease. Mr Parks seemed to get a lot of confidence from this and started taking control of the game, putting the ball in good positions for his now hungry forward pack and taking a lot of pressure of the rest of his back line. Half time finished 12-6 to the Shire.

With some positive and wise words during the break from coach Eric Strachan put his team in good spirits to see out the rest of the game. Second half was under way and the home team started well with the hostile crowd well and truly behind them. This led to yet another penalty and another 3 points. The game now was now run by the referee giving penalty after penalty for both sides, which made it difficult for either side to get any sort of attack going but the Shire did get one real opportunity to score and they took it with aplomb.

The forwards attacked up the middle of the park with great purpose and pace which lead to cracks in the Hawick defence. The ball getting agonizingly close to the line, the quick wide ball was on with a 3 on 2 situation just ten meters from the line. Out in the backs were Steffen Cole, 1 on 1 legend Kenny Penman and the front rower Shaun Mountain. Some say he was lazy and just hanging around in the back line, but this experienced reporter would suggest it was great vision. Quick ball from the back of the ruck from the mature scrum half Gary Leith gave the ball to Cole who ran and drew one defender. Kenny running a wider angle drew the other defender and left Shaun to run/waddle through the middle of the two and crash over the line to score a well made try. Mr Parker knocked over the conversion to give him an impressive 100% kicking record for the day.

The home team were fighting hard to get back into the game with the crowd right behind them and they applied some pressure when kicking another penalty... 19-12 with 15 minutes to go. Shire came under huger amount of pressure from the home team, the crowd and the referee, who made some amazing decisions throughout the game. But the Shire rear guard stood firm and with some truly immense defending, throwing in huge hits all over the park, saw the game closed out with another win for the Shire to stay on top of the league and ready to face anyone who challenges them.

The correct attitude, commitment and hunger were certainly on display in this game and the team must match if not raise this for this weekends big local derby, with just a little more composure the tries will surely flow once again for the mighty Shire.

Shire took on Alan Glens for the second time this season on Saturday. This was always going to be a grudge match for two reasons. Firstly they were second in the league behind Shire and second Shire handed them a hammering blow at the start of the season with a fine defeat.
Shire started the game playing away from the club house receiving the ball. The side saw a return of Matt Barker to fullback after a lengthy time out with a knee injury. Craig (Cavey) Livingston was absent from the side due to “Contractual” reasons – his wife went into labour on the previous Friday night.

Shire started the game reasonably well, with good runs by Rory Charmers and Andrew Cook breaking the line of the Alan Glens forwards. The Shire players were too anxious to pass the ball out of contact which saw a run of scrums in quick succession. Glens travelled with a larger pack that in the first encounter, which the Shire front row had taken for granted. Quickly Shire were pinned down in their 22 and going back towards their line.

A scrum only 10 yards out from the Shire line required a massive effort from the Shire pack that was never to appear, they were bullied back towards their own line resulting in the back of the scrum falling to the ground for Glens to be awarded a dubious penalty try which was then converted. 0 - 7.

After the re-start there was some aerial ping pong with the ball which wouldn’t look out of place at Twickenham. This saw a clever kick for the line from Simon McGillewie, this saw Shire attacking the away-side 22 and deep there in for a period of 15 minutes. A high tackle of Cole saw him take advantage of the opportunity to add 3 points by slotting a fine kick in front of the posts - 3-7. 

Disaster struck soon after, in quick succession Matt Barker pirouetted to chase a kick over his head only for his knee to buckle and be taken off to Aberdeen Royal Hospital. This saw a re-jig of the back line, and on came Doug Jones a wing forward with Steve Tobin moving to Centre and Anderson moving to fullback. Then soon after replacement winger Nick Kendall dislocated his finger which rendered another Shire player out of the game.

Second half saw a change at hooker, on came South African legend Shaun Mountain. The South African was like a coiled spring as he entered the arena and this soon showed as he helped turn the tide in the scrums. The extra weight soon showed Glens what the Shire pack were made of, pushing them back for the first time in the game.
This gave the team a life, soon playing the game mostly in the Glens half. There was a lack of decision making though, which saw runs from Cole, McGillewie, Gilmartain and Tobin blundered. The players had practiced for two weeks on decision making which just did not come to fruition. 

Chalmers was trampled on a the bottom a ruck which saw him take a 5 minute blood substitution with the return of Murray to the field while he was patched up. Glens played the game well, stuck to a structure that they had all game. The star of the side had to be there stand off – he kicked for touch well and had a jinky side step that even Cole was impressed with. The score remained at 3-7 with a jubilant Alan Glens side knowing that they had gained valuable points on the Shire men.

A disappointing result to a game Shire could have won. A lack luster first half was the teams undoing, even with a much better 2nd period Shire did not show enough patience and control with their phase game plan and tried to force the ball wide at critical times in the match. Never the less Shire still sit at the top of National League Division 3 and the club will now focus on the job ahead. All players are eager to right the wrongs of the weekend and there is still plenty self believe in the team which will have to be on display in the Borders this weekend.

Congratulations from all at the club to the Livingston’s for the birth of their bouncing baby girl on Tuesday.

I’d like to start with a little verse of honest northern poetry to keep the jock contingent happy:

“The weather it was dark, mean and affa foggie,
 I had tae borrow a lavvie brush to kid rid of the pre-match Broon Baboon,
Ben had left in the Boggie.”

It was a cold and wet afternoon at Woodside, the grey clouds kept rolling in and the rain fell steadily all afternoon.  It was wetter than an Otters Pocket lying on a Stonehaven doorstep.  The referee never turned up, and Strathmore arrived just minutes before kick off.  The match got underway on time under the watchful eye of Dave Roberts who offered to referee the 1st half.  The Super Twas knew that Strathmore would be refereeing the 2nd half so Shire wanted to start strongly and put the game beyond the opposition before half time………….and they did just that.

Playing down the slope the opening exchanges were fairly even with some strong tackling from both sides.  Eventually Shire took control and some good work from Ryan Mountain and Ben Morris released Paul Harrow to score his 1st try of the half.  From then on the floodgates opened. 

Paul Harrow scored 4 first half tries, showing just how slinky his footwork can be, beating men each time and cutting inside to ensure he finished close to the posts.  James Baxindale joined Harrow on the try-scoring sheet, as did Mike MacLugash.

Steven Parker from 10 was commanding the game with excellent cross field kicks and good handling in conditions that were far from ideal,.  Combine this with the pack dominating at the breakdown and the back-row being strong in the tackle Shire turned the screw.  The star of the half Paul Harrow had to be replaced just before half time after taking an elbow into the throat but he had already done enough to secure the Man of the Match. This really shows just how shite everyone else was having double the time to shine!! Coach Charlie Flett was making substitutions all afternoon keeping his players as fresh as possible, and this was quite obvious as half time drew close with Shire dominating in all departments of the game.

After half-time the changes kept on coming with John Dickinson coming on to replace John Howie in the back row, and Dave Roberts replacing Ben Morris at scrum half.  With his 1st touch of the ball Dickinson showed a clean pair of heels for a fat boy-backrow and stormed in following good work at the line out from Craig Robson.  From here on in it was once again one-way traffic with Parker getting himself a try, MacLugash scoring more tries and ending up being the 2nd Shire player to grab a hatrick, the skipper Foggy got himself onto the score sheet, James Baxindale scored his 2nd, and then Joe the winger scored the final try of the match.  There were 2 other Shire tries scored in this high scoring one sided game but these players will remain nameless.

All in all a good performance from the Super Twas, but as always there are still areas for improvement.  Competition for places is hotting up!
Finally I’d like to add how shocking it was that Ben Thompson avoided wearing the DOTD dress.  His attemped clearance kick from inside the Shire 22 was something to behold.  The ball was so severely sliced that it turned into a cross field kick which Paul Harrow gathered and managed to save the blushes of our front rower.  James Baxindale, however, fitted into the size 10 nicely after knocking on with the line begging for what would have been Shire’s 3rd hat rick.

Shires second home game in a row saw them up against a very different Trinity Accies team than they had previously faced. With the line up changed, and with Trinity fighting to keep themselves off the bottom of the league table, this would prove to be a very challenging game for both teams.

Shire were up for the game right from the kick off, and found themselves spending the first ten minutes of the game inside their oppositions 22. All the early pressure, and some quick passing and hard running found Kris Gilmartin crashing over the line (and a few Trinity players) for the first points of the afternoon. Cole missed the kick ..... to make the score line 5-0.

It was top versus bottom on Saturday as Aberdeenshire entertained a stuffy Lenzie on a bitter November day at Woodside. At the midway stage of the season, the north-east club found themselves four points clear at top of the league following a recent return to form. Martin Snell was recalled to openside flanker with Irish number seven Steve Tobin bed-ridden, struck down with a debilitating bout of man flu. Gary Leith was back in the number nine shirt, while Stefan Cole made way for young stand-off Steven Parker, with the Kiwi slotting in at outside centre.

Securing a ninth win and another precious bonus point was crucial for the league leaders if they were to remain in pole position for the second round of league matches. However, Aberdeenshire were caught cold when the opposition number 10 went short at the kickoff allowing a teammate to take control of possession and begin an early attack.

Shire Super Twas took the 5 league points on offer with Dunfermline cancelling and looked for a friendly fixture to keep the momentum going after two excellent away results in recent weeks. After FPs 3s couldn't get a team out, Shire welcomed local rivals, Gordonians 2s, to Woodside for the 2nd out of our 3 planned meetings for this season. Following a narrow loss last time out at Countesswells, Twas were fired up to put a result in and continue to build on good work in training during the week.

Shire started the game positively and probably played some of their best rugby in the first 20 minutes. Despite being against the slope, the backline gained some valuable ground and enabled a period of pressure on Gordonians line. However, a recurring combination of over enthusiasm close to the line and key errors & indiscipline allowed the opponents off the hook, bringing in the game largely into the middle third with a fairly turgid display of error strewn rugby. Shire lacked cohesion at the breakdown, getting isolated and failing to build momentum in the forwards. The exceptions to this were probably Spudos with some effective driving close to and Mike Maclugash, whose clear desire and strong running set a great example for the rest of the team and built on another strong performance from last week. The scrums were poor at times with real difficulty securing our own ball, although lineout's were greatly improved following a focused session on Thursday evening. All Shire had to show for a great deal of effort was a missed pot at goal, although some comfort was gained by the fact that Gordonians had failed to threaten the line.

Following some clear direction from coach Allan at half time, the lads started with much more focus and quickly turned possession into field position and then points. Strong driving from the forwards was recycled on the Gordonians line and Chunks quickly saw the opportunity to spread wide to Doug Maclugash to score. Shire now found their feet with some astute kicking from Chunks and committed chasing from Chad and Paul on the wings continuing to gain field position and points followed quickly with 2 converted penalties from Chunky. Shire continued to turn the screw with the vastly improved lineout putting pressure on the Gordonian throw leading to scrambled ball and a charged down kick which was deftly collected by Ian Irvine, who crashed over to score. Chunks converting the straightforward chance from straight in front. Ian Irvine continued in this effective vein, making the most of his time with some crunching tackles and direct running. As is perhaps inevitable, Gordonians put in some stronger performances in the final period of the game with only some excellent covering work from Chad and Chris Farmin saving a certain try. In the end, the Gordonians centre crashed over for a consolation score, leaving the final score 18-7 to Shire.

In the final analysis, a good result with a great deal of effort from the lads. Scrum time and breakdown cohesion were clear areas to be improved on if Super Twas are to continue to compete for League honours this term. Best wishes to James Baxendale for a speedy recovery from a nastly ankle injury.

Both Shire teams travelled to Tillicoultry this week for a very tough encounter against Hillfoots. Coach Eric Strachan decided to change up the 1st XV starting line up in an attempt to keep all players hungry for the Shire jersey. Mally 'Breezer' White and Kris Gilmartin getting their first starts of the season at scrum-half and number 8 respectively, with man flu victim Gary Leith and Andy 'Junior' Cook dropping to the bench.

The Game was a bruising bad tempered encounter with neither side stamping their authority on it. First half Shire played up the steep hill and conditions were very heavy under foot . Shire had their fair  share of the possession but failed to turn this into points with the home side defending very well and using the conditions and kicking well to keep Shire in their own half . Both sides exchanged  penalties and  missed  others as Shire's out half spent 10 min in the bin after frustration boiled over at the Hillfoots crafty tactics at the breakdown. At the break it was 3 all .

For the second time this season, the Super Twa’s travelled to the same away ground as the Shire 1st team, but this time more eager to come away with the spoils to match the achievements of the 1st's at Countesswells the last time the double fixture arose.

With a later than expected departure from Harlaw, the heavily laden bus filled to capacity with both teams, coaches and supporters arrived in Tillycoultry to be hosted by Hillfoots a mere 45 minutes prior to kick off.   

With the pre-match plan of a team photo with the newly decorated Super Twa’s shirts with the logo of the new sponsors, Quartz Elec shelved because of time constraint’s, the Super Twa’s took to the field, without injured captain Duncan Coull and instead, led on the day by Michael Fotheringham.

Aberdeenshire welcomed on form Marr to Woodside after 2 consecutive defeats. With only point’s difference separating the teams before kick off, Shire needed to find their early season form despite the awful weather conditions. With the return of one on one specialist Kenny Penman on the wing Shire were determined not to let the weather ruin their game plan. Coach Eric Strachan kept faith in his squad with only a few changes, with Steve Parker being drafted onto the bench after a number of standout performances for the Super Twas. With the torrential rain and strong wind at there backs Shire received the KO and made some front foot ball from the off. Captain Livingston caught the ball, barged over the first Marr tackler and was strongly supported by the rest of the pack when he was eventually stopped.

From then on Shire used the conditions to their advantage and played the game in the Marr half. However with only 10 minutes gone Shire were dealt a blow. Rory Chalmers was unable to gets his guns in position to protect his ribs from a big hit, which forced the second row work horse to retire from the game.  

Shire arrived at the game knowing that after a windswept win at home the previous week, there would need to be another step up through the gears to win convincingly against Forresters FPs. Shire were without the services of a full frontrow of Shaun Mountain, Steve Cook and Andy Sutherland with back three flyer Kenny Penman also unavailable.

Saturday afternoon brought an additional challenge the Shire team. This came in the shape of a very strong swirling wind which was to play a major part in the match. This was a real change in conditions to the sunshine that had graced every other Shire game this season.

Shire were again without the work rate of Rory Chalmers who was kept offshore at short notice on Friday. Shire’s Mr Nice Duncan Coull was called up to stoke the boiler house. Irishman Steve Tobin also made his debut on the openside.

The difficult conditions were for all to see during the warm up where the hosts tried their best to get to grips with the terrible playing conditions. The team talk before the game focused on righting the wrongs of the previous Saturday in the attitude and desire departments and for the forwards to take on the large but underpowered Ross High pack

After an unconvincing start to the season the Twas sought to get their winning run under way against local rivals Ellon. However, many factors were conspiring against the mighty Shire; the gale force winds were sure to make it an awkward day for rugby, the experience of James Broadribb was to be missed due to a last minute injury and the referee decided the match was to kick off 15 minutes early (not allowing the Shire boys to fully warm up).

The game started on a similar note to last weeks defeat to Gordonians, the score remained 0-0 for a considerable period due to both teams lack of creativity going forward. This lack of ambition continued for Ellon as they seemed content to try and crash the ball through the fringe defence persistently, only moving the ball out to their midfield twice in the 80 minutes. The more ambitious Twas, however, took opportunities to try some creative attacking options and were never scared to ship the ball wide despite the poor conditions. This proved to be vital as the backs broke the line, with excellent support from the forwards allowing John Dickinson to finish off an excellent team try. Malcolm White took the conversion in front of the posts and on the worst possible day to be a kicker secured the extra 2 points.

Needless to say in typical Shire fashion, the Twas took their foot off the gas and within 5 minutes, just before the half-time whistle, Ellon worked a successful 22m rolling maul – closing the gap to 2 points as half time.

The mood at half-time was one of frustration and despondency, however, the inspirational words from Coach Allan MacCreadie and stand-in Captain Tim ‘Spudos’ Condon – sent Shire into the second half with a renewed vigour. Despite attacking into the wind, there was the knowledge that this game was there to be won.

The match continued in fine fashion, Ellon, despite being backed by the wind, only spent 5 minutes in the Shire 22. In stark contrast the Twas, crashed the ball through the fringe defence time after time, constantly making ground. Following on from the forwards the backs tore the Ellon defence apart in the open, whether through the creative kicking of White, the crash-balls of Cunningham or the pace out wide. The only thing Shire lacked was that final ball. Finally, Ben Thomson crashed over to extend the lead 12-5. This gave Shire a bit of breathing space and before long the powerful South African, Ryan Mountain – crashed through the Ellon team to secure the win. The final whistle blew and euphoria filled the hearts and minds of the entire Shire squad, Shire had won 17-5 away to Ellon!!

Coach MacCreadie commented that this is a game that the Twas would have not been able to win in the past as they had been unable to win a match in an ‘ugly’ fashion. This was only achieved due to the exceptional example set from the more experienced players such as Ryan Mountain, Dave Roberts and Captain Tim Condon. The aggression and old-fashioned rugby of these players proved vital in securing the result and it can be seen that their example is being passed onto the young Chris Simpson and Man of the Match Gavin Cunningham.

This was to be the battle of all battles as far as Shire’s season is concerned. Many had been looking forward to this showdown for sometime and some had only heard of the last few encounters between these two club rivals.The stage was set, the sun was shining and the crowds were ready for what promised to be an epic game at a lush Countesswells. Shire welcomed back Kevin Pepper and Steven Cook to the subs bench after injury.

The game kicked off with Shire receiving the ball and a very determined Gordonians pack, hungry to disrupt a great start to the season for the boys from Woodside. From the moment the whistle sounded the pressure was on like never before, it was as though Shire had never played together before. Making uncharacteristic mistakes left, right and centre, gifting Gordonians first blood with sloppy tackling around the fringes taking them to 7-0 lead.

A calm but firm coach Eric Strachan asked his side at half time "to show some character" and assistant coach Rob Currie asking “to be patient” added to the players desire to right the wrongs of the first half. Extra effort was also asked for up front with the sin binning of blindside Gilmartain just before the break for alleged persistent infringements at the breakdown.

With the second half underway and the sun at their backs, Shire looked to build on the progress made late in the first half. Some clever tactical kicking from Fly-half Stefan Cole put the pressure on Gordonians. A quick change of direction at the break down, Cole spotted a gap and off-loaded to McGillewie who then fed to the try scoring Broadribb. Cole added the extras pulling Shire back into the game, bringing the deficit down to 6 points.

A beautiful Saturday afternoon saw the Twa’s pitch up at Countesswells looking to improve on the previous Saturday’s gutsy but ultimately disappointing defeat away to Stirling County. In the absence of Coach Allan Maccreadie, Charlie Flett & Captain Coully urged the boys to up the aggression and smash the young looking Gordonians side up front, early doors to prevent them running rings around the “experienced” back line.

The game kicked off with Gordonians doing most of the early running and only a combination of swift cover defence and poor handling prevented the Twa’s going behind. As the half wore on however Shire pack began to impose themselves and some good distribution from the backs began to create chances. With the game still poised at 0-0, Shire were reduced to 14 as veteran lock Charlie Flett was binned for failing to retreat the 10, Gordonians however couldn’t capitalise and the half ended scoreless.

From the restart, a mix-up in the Twa’s defence allowed Gordonians to dribble through to score the first try of the game despite decent claims that Doug Maclugash had grounded the ball first. Shire’s response was almost immediate with the impressive Paul Harrow touching down for the Twa’s first points of the afternoon. With the conversion missed the score was 7-5 to Gordonians.
Shire continued to press and with the forwards beginning to dominate and Duncan Coull terrorising the Gordonians’ lineout, showed some real class to take the lead. Sterling work from the forwards and quick hands through the centres allowed full-back, John McLennan to break the Gordonians’ line before offloading to Harrow just shy of the home team’s 22. Harrow took on three of the Gordonians’ defenders before being snagged but stayed big and offloaded to the on-rushing Iain Irvine who rode a tackle before touching down close to the posts. Unfortunately for Shire , the conversion was missed, 7-10.

With the Twa’s in the lead for the first time, complacency again crept in as another defensive mix-up allowed Gordonians to win a dubious penalty inside the Shire 22 and score out wide from the resulting set play. With the conversion made, the Gordonians’ kicker landed a difficult penalty to make it 17-10 to the hosts with a quarter to play.

From the restart, the Twa’s pack smashed the receiving Gordonians and secured a great turn-over. Some neat hands allowed Harrow to grab his second of the afternoon, crossing in the corner to rapturous applause from the Shire crowd. With a difficult conversion missed Shire were now behind 17-15.

As the game entered the final 5 minutes Shire looked to have grabbed the points when veteran fly-half “Chunky” Moore skipped over to touch down after good work from Ben Morris and his forwards. Frustratingly however, it was not to be. Another dubious penalty conceded in the Twa’s 22 and poor defensive organisation allowed Gordonians their third try of the afternoon which was duly converted to make it Gordonians 24-20 Shire .

Shire again battled from the restart but any hopes of coming from behind for a third time were snuffed out by a knock-on from the base of the ruck deep in Gordonians’ territory in added time. This defeat leaves the Twa’s with 1 win from 3 games and a lot to do to mount a challenge for the league title.

After an unconvincing win against Allan Glen’s, Shire set out to prove themselves against the struggling Hawick Linden team at Woodside.

The game started with ill discipline from Shire who conceded two early penalties which, proved to be only warnings as the Hawick kicker pulled both kicks wide of the posts. This seemed to spark Shire into life, as a spell of consistent attacking play was rewarded with the first try of the game, scored by Andrew Cook when a short ball allowed him to stroll across the line (5-0). As Shire took the lead a third penalty was conceded within kicking distance, and proved to be the charm as Hawick collected their first and only points of the game (5-3).

As pressure kept building Hawick found it difficult to keep Shire at bay as an attacking maul sent most of the forward pack piling across the line, only to be claimed by Martin Snell (replacement for the injured captain Craig Livingston) (10-3).

Further pressure opened the gates for Robbie 'Sparrow' Anderson to keep the scoring going when his try was converted by Stefan Cole (41-3). Continuing pressure, with some greedy play, created a scoring opportunity for Stefan Cole as he ignored a three on two to take an opportunity to score his first try of the season, as he side stepped his opposite number to score under the posts, this was also converted (48-3). The final try of the game came from the second oldest man on the pitch as Tim Condon smashed his over the line, this was converted by Simon McGillewie who left the park with one from one (100%),  (55-3).

Hawick Linden was up against it as they could only bring up one substitution, despite this they battled hard all the way to end. Although Shire met the target set, discipline and handling errors kept the score line below what it could have been.

The Supa Twa’s travelled to Stirling on Saturday to take on County’s 3rd string hopeful for an improvement on the 22 all draw last season. The lead up was encouraging with virtually a starting side at training on the Thursday beforehand, this coupled to a pack that embarrassed the 1st XV in the final run through of the night, all signs were looking good.
The calm before the storm unfortuately, Friday night, fullback Maclennan pull out with a longstanding shoulder injury, Saturday morning, new lock Chaplin is unable to make the departure time for the bus and is left in Aberdeen. Maclennans’ absence is covered reasonably well by personnel on bench, Chaplins’ is a little harder to cover with Ryan Strachan promoted from lock cover to start, leaving the Twa’s a little thin on forward cover.

The Twa’s kicked off with the wind behind them and immediately get some pressure on the home side who struggled all day to move the ball effectively under pressure (when it came), some good carries by the pack and effective rucking let HARROW score within 10min of ko, the resultant conversion was missed. 5-0 to the twas. Then the rot set in, believing that this would be the order of the day the visiting pack backed off, counter rucking was poor and numbers at brakedowns even less so. It is testament to the Twas backline, in particular the scramble defence, that the scoreline remained low, or so it should have. A succesion of penalties at the breakdown allowed Stirling county back into the match 6-5, with the Twa’s unable to break effectivley beyond their 10m line. Of small consolation was the scattershot nature of the stirling kicker towards the posts, with one poor attempt dropping short, regathered and run back by THOMSON and COULL, alas, with litle effect in the end due to some poor decision making and handling. The Half ending with Stilrling in the ascendancy.

Stern word were the order if the day from coach Macreadie with composure a watchword for the 2nd half, which started well before stirling, using their strong ball carrying hooker, burst some tackles before the ball moved through a couple of phases for a soft score on the wing. This galvanised the visitors who rallied well to mount a series of drives up the park with DICKINSON (short on match fitness but not form ) and THOMSON, again being thorns in the Stirling defence. It has to be said that when up against it, this twas side can show their teeth, this was exemplified by flyhalf CUNNINHAMS frustration at lack of drive up the pack that he proceeded to take on not only his opposite man but the stirling 12 and 13 also, breaking several attempted tackled on an arcing run through their half, sadly a lack of support running spoiled the move after the ball was moved quickly. Shire maintained field position by stirlings impatience at moving the ball with several good field positions given due to knock ons by the home side. It was from on e of these that the ball was moved, recycled and moved again to FRENCHMAN on the wing who squeezed over and ran the ball as close to the posts making CUNNINGHAMS conversion all the easier. This served to galvanise stirling whom continued to make inroad in shires midfield, helped not only by some less than perfect alignment but also to the introducton of a substitute that it was later learned was a 1st XV player returning from injury. Stirlings final score coming from a breakout from inside their half with the winger finishing well. Again the Twas rallied and began probing drives into the heart of the stirling defence, alas, too little too late. The final whistle sounded on a game that could quite easily gone the Twa’s way.
Positives, some fine individual play from several players most notably FRENCHMAN and CUNNINGHAM to name but two. Fine rallying play to keep themselves in the game.
Negatives, lack of composure and structure with the visiting side scattered over the park with no real defensive organisation. FITNESS, particularly the pack.
Summing it up, the same as last week, the right components, now all that’s needed is to make them work together.

After a great start to the season with 2 wins from 2 games, Shire heading down the road to sunny Glasgow where they faced a tough Allan Glen’s side.

The game started in glorious sunshine which does not often happen in Scotland! The game itself started at a high tempo with both side dominating for short spells! Shire had many scoring opportunities early on but bad decision making and handling errors cost them dearly. 

Shire got the first try of the game through some great work from the forwards and a good break from Stefan Cole who opened up the Allan Glen’s defence, who then found his backline in support which ended with fullback Mike MacLugash scoring in the corner.

Half way through the 2nd half, backrower Livingston and scrum-half Leith decided to run into each other while trying to tackle the same player with the skipper coming off second best with a nasty gash to the head. Livingston was back on the field within 2 minutes all strapped up, just showing what Shire means to the captain! Shire got there 3rd try of the game with a bust up through the midfield, good clean out work from the forwards then I brilliant solo run and side step from burly tighthead prop Shaun Mountain. The try was converted to take Aberdeenshire out to a 0-19 lead with 20 minutes to go.

Allan Glen’s were determined not to give up on there home turf and kept the pressure on Shire. There was no way through the Shire defence as the players put there bodies on the line for each other and kept the Allan Glen’s players out.  

The 2nd team kicked off their new season under a new Captain, Duncan “Coully” Coull began his tenure away against Garioch 2nds. The fixture was meant to be a league game vs Wanderers 2nds but they were unable to raise a team, normally this would have meant a rescheduling of the fixture but such is the focus of winning the league this season that points were duly taken. As such a friendly was hastily arranged to ensure a run out for the 2nd team squad against a veteran Garioch reserves side.

The game kicked off in beautiful sunshine reminiscent of a summer day rather than the start of autumn and thus a fast paced handling game was eagerly anticipated and hoped for by supporters and players alike, shire ones anyway! From the outset it became clear that if the game was to be won the Supa Twas would have to subdue the considerably more heavyweight but less mobile opposition pack, a task that was set about with considerable gusto but less thought by the shire pack. Passes were given to thin air, players overran ballcarriers, unfamiliarity with calls, all symptomatic of a team unfamiliar with itself. Needless to say the 1st quarter was error strewn with both teams unable to maintain control of the ball for more than a few phases before it broke down. What was apparent was the superiority of the shire backline when ever clean quick ball was given to them.

It was such ball given to the midfield, after some considerable pressure exerted by the pack that allowed Alex “Chunky “Moore to crash over for the Twa’s 1st score. What was to follow became an increasingly familiar patter of kickoffs, receptions by Michael “Foggy” Fotheringham who gained yardage with every run, quick ball for the backs and the inevitable score coming from the outside backs. Not content with letting the backs have all the fun, the forwards began to match their garioch counterparts at the breakdown and set piece, the lineout catch and drive goin particularly well.

Garioch began to vary their play with their forwards taking the ball on to a greater extent and the variance of kickoffs to keep the ball away from the Fotheringham express. This was all to no avail. The one foray into the shire 22 was halted by superb scrambling defence and Gariochs own impatience to move the ball. Mass changes were made at half time with reshuffling of the pack and new personnel in the backline, particularly Gavin Cunnigham, a player whom continues to grow with confidence and skill everytime he touches the ball brought on at 10 for the veteran campaigner Moore.

The one way traffic of the 1st half resumed within moments of kickoff of the 2nd half, quick efficient rucking by the forwards, followed by the slick handling and slashing lines of the backs. The only negatives taken from this half were the over zealousness of some backs to get onto the ball, over running the ball carrier, runners leaving their support and a slightly disconcerting number of catch and drives breaking down , one in particular on Gariochs own tryline. All of  which are small adjustments to be fixed at training since the next opposition will not roll over as easily as Garioch 2nds, Stirling County 3rds will be looking for a measure of revenge from the 22-all draw from last season at their pitch.

Looking at the faces of the 'Shire lads during the warm up on Saturday 5 September, you'd be forgiven for thinking this was the warm up for one of the balmy Saturday training sessions we had put in during the summer. Boys were relaxed, there was plenty of communication and, whilst the routine was well oiled and executed, it was clear that the focus switch would have to be flicked if the team were to build on their impressive opening tie the previous week.

On more than a couple of occasions last season, the 'Shire team had resembled a 1964 Aston Martin DB5….beautiful to watch when in full flow, but lacking a certain reliability at the start line. Classic car analogies aside, though, the team got off to a flyer with 2 tries from the in-form Kenny Penman taking advantage of the quick ball plays which had been encouraged at recent training sessions.

Saturday marked the long awaited return of newly promoted Aberdeenshire RFC to competitive rugby, this year competing in the National League Division 3. Expected to be a tough opening fixture, Shire faced Trinity Academicals, who narrowly missed out on promotion last season.

The team arrival at Bangholm rugby pitch was slightly delayed due to minor bus problems, however, this did not put off the focused minds of the players as they went through the first warm up of the season, led by the now familiar captain, Craig “caveman” Livingston.

The game kicked off as scheduled, and for the first ten minutes Trinity Accies felt they would demonstrate the type of physical challenge to be expected for the rest of the season as they pushed up to the Shire try line.