Arnold Clark West Regional League 2
Wigtownshire RFC 36 – 19 Birkmyre

If ever there was a day for woolly hats, waterproofs and blind optimism, this was it. A cold, wet afternoon with a strong wind blowing straight into Wigtownshire’s faces set the scene, though credit to the pitch which stood up remarkably well despite the testing conditions.

There was a touch of emotion in the air too, with travelling Kiwi Trent King pulling on the Shire jersey for the final time before heading back to his homeland. Add to that the welcome return of vice-captain Neil Forsyth from an injury that, according to scans, he never actually had, and it was shaping up to be an interesting afternoon. Birkmyre, meanwhile, arrived as the only side to have beaten Shire in the first half of the season and were clearly keen to remind everyone of that fact.

First Half

Birkmyre wasted no time in spoiling the mood. Before most of the Shire faithful had managed to fully settle in, a penalty for a collapsed scrum was quickly moved wide, and two rucks later the visitors crossed for the opening try.
0–5

Shire responded well, building pressure and finally turning dominance into points when Ian Allan forced his way over after sustained attacking play created gaps in the Birkmyre defence. The conversion drifted wide in the strong wind.
5–5

Shire continued to press but left a few tries begging, with efforts held up over the line, crossing calls and the final pass just refusing to stick. Birkmyre’s defence repeatedly strayed offside and, after a clear warning, the referee reached for the yellow card.

From the resulting pressure, Mark Pirrie made no mistake, bulldozing his way over the line.
10–5

Birkmyre responded with a well-worked converted try in the corner to edge back in front.
10–12

Jason McKie, lining up at stand-off this week after recent outings in the front row, back row and midfield, created the next opening. A strong carry and clever offload sent Blair Forsyth through to score Shire’s third try.
15–12

Right on half-time, Shire secured the all-important bonus point. After a series of tight rucks close to the line, McKie capped an influential half by forcing his way over, with Blair Forsyth adding the conversion.
22–12

Second Half

The wind shifted slightly after the break, now blowing more across the park and largely cancelling out any advantage. Shire, however, remained largely in control, dominating possession, territory and continuing to hold the upper hand at scrum time.

A few missed tackles allowed the Birkmyre scrum-half to weave his way through and score beneath the posts, the conversion narrowing the gap and tightening the contest.
22–19

Shire then made life briefly more difficult for themselves when Jake Rennie found himself on Santa’s naughty list, collecting a yellow card and earning a spell in the sin bin. His festive cheer will no doubt be questioned, but his teammates responded well during the temporary setback.

Shire restored control through patience and composure, and it was Jason McKie again who crossed the whitewash, finishing off a series of tight phases inside the 5-metre area, the conversion extending the lead.
29–19

The final score of the afternoon went to Neil Forsyth, marking his return in style. Taking a quick pass from the base of the scrum via Jamie Farquhar, clever decoy lines from Scott Forsyth opened space and a neat show-and-go left the Birkmyre defence wrong-footed as Neil showed a clean pair of heels to score. The conversion completed the scoring.
36–19

Coaches Comments

> “Another fantastic day for rugby. The team need to be mindful not to let their own frustration dictate decision-making when games are still tight, but credit to the boys for their ball retention and defensive effort. To be able to lift it back into a higher gear after being flat for a 20-minute spell takes some doing, and that showed the character in the group.”

Summary

A fantastic result in challenging conditions, and with other league results going in Shire’s favour, Wigtownshire head into the Christmas break sitting top of Arnold Clark West Regional League 2. With the Wigtownshire Ladies having secured their league title last week, rugby success is very much in the air this festive season.

Leswalt Village Store Man of the Match was awarded to Aiden “Dozer” Dunbar, whose dominant scrummaging and relentless ball carrying set the platform for the victory.

With the league now paused for Christmas, Shire turn their attention to the annual Spice Cup derby against Newton Stewart, taking place on 27 December.