Strathendrick U13s 23 -v- 11 Kilmarnock U13s

Kilmarnock U13s travelled through to picturesque Fintry with 15 boys, to play Strathendrick for their first game of 2019.

A combination of rustiness from lack of game time, along with some sore bellies from the journey there, resulted in the home side running in a couple of early scores in quick succession and Kilmarnock being down 8-0 within 3 minutes.

There were ominous signs that this was not going to be a day to remember, however buoyed with some fine defensive play by Matthew Penrose, and strong running from Kenzie Neilson, Taylor Williamson and Jamie Struthers, Kilmarnock grew in confidence and started to make in-roads into the home defence. Strathendrick did however run out deserved winners by 23-11, with Kenzie Neilson (x2) and Matthew Penrose (x1) crossing the line for Kilmarnock and Thomas Dunlop slotting 2 out of 3 conversions, with 1 hitting the post!

Apart from the opening few minutes, there was not a lot to choose from between the teams. The big difference on the day was that the home side managed to push up quickly in defence, keep their line, but more importantly their passing along the line was crisp and always found their man, with very few dropped balls.

Kilmarnock on the other hand, often lost the ball when driving into contact, often knocked on, and were not always effective with their passes and as a result found themselves on the back foot. Fitness was also an issue, however being our first game in a while, this was always to be expected.

As always, there were plenty of positives to take from the day. In the past the heads might have gone down after such a lightening start from opponents, however the team stuck in and never gave up. Some of the tackles being made were top drawer, our ruck play was much improved and at times the driving play, and offloads were a delight to watch…if only that final pass had gone to hand the score would have been oh so different.

Next up for Kilmarnock U13s is an away fixture against Garnock on Sunday 27 January, kick off 2pm.