This was the first ever encounter between these two groups of boys and a toughly contested match was expected as Dunfermline looked a very sizeable outfit. David McCartney kicks the game off on a beautiful sunny day although heavy under foot conditions with varying strength winds. From the off Dunfermline came out the blocks with a scrum deep in Cartha's 22. The home 9 pops the ball up and good quick hands out to the winger who opened the scoring in the corner for the home side 5 minutes into the game.. 5-0 Dunfermline.

Almost 9 mins played when Cartha give away a penalty for being off side are suddenly rocked by quick thinking from the home 9 capitalising with a quick tap, breaking through the line of defence and with a good step dives over the line making the score 10-0.

The visitors still looking like they had the journey still in their legs needed a shake-up or the game could be lost before it started. 18 minutes in, with a quick team re-shuttle, Cartha responded with their scrum powering back at the home side, as the pack push over Dunfermline getting good turnover ball out to the backs. A good offload by Daniel Adam a cheeky over the top ball to Aidan Mair in support charges down the line making 20 meters drawing in the home defence, offloads the ball back into Cameron Mackenzie just coming off the bench who crashes over the line for Cartha’s first try of the game making the score 10-5. At last !! the boys seemed to have woken up.

Minutes later Cartha growing more into the game was again dominant at a Dunfermline scrum. With 9’s retreating pass to the inside centre, Chris Elliot spots an opportunity and puts in a thumping tackle back in on the centre driving to the ground. With the home team trying to recover, a great quick counter ruck by Rory McMullen and Alex Geddes allows Oscar McCallum to pick up at the ruck and snipes round with Chris back on his feet in support. Oscar draws and pops Chris the ball who makes a great run but is just stopped short of the line with desperate home defending.
Cartha were not to be denied this time with almost the same play. More Cartha pressure on the Dunfermline scrum as the midfield three with good line speed press hard again on the ball carrier as Chris once again hits the centre again, quickly to his feet and making another tackle on the scrum half as he is passing the ball which spills, allowing Aidan to pick up and burst into the space. As he is being tracked down by the fullback he puts in a wonderous hand off allowing him to walk in for the try under the posts closing the gap to 10 - 10.

Drawing level seemed to spark Dunfermline again back into action putting pressure on the Cartha defence as the number 15 for Dunfermline steals the ball from the bottom of a ruck and breaks down the blindside coming within 5 metres of the line, but a great try saving tackle by the full-back Daniel Adam drives him into touch giving the visitors the lineout. A quick lineout to Jamie Russell sees the visitors attacking from deep inside their 22 which results in a penalty to Cartha. Unfortunately, with mis-communication from a quick tap, Cartha gives away a penalty on their own 5 metre line. Dunfermline seeing an opportunity, the home 10 puts in a huge miss pass which catches the Cartha defence off guard, out to their prop who powers over the line swinging the score back in Dunfermline favour 15 v 10.

28 minutes gone, the home team get a penalty on the Cartha 10 metre line in the middle of the park, tap the ball quickly with their prop running onto it making 10 metres. With Dunfermline recycling the ball quickly the home fly half passes out to the full back, catching the Cartha midfield misaligned, allowing the full back to run in the try at the corner to regain their 10-point advantage with the score now 20 – 10 to Dunfermline.

With this end to end game, Cartha again looked to strike back at their hosts, as the backs showed great handling skills to feed Cameron Stewart on the wing, who showed real strength breaking out of his opposite numbers tackle to burst down the touch line only to be stopped 5 metres short from scoring. In great support Rory McMullen recycles the ball and crosses over the line for what looked to be a good score, is however disallowed by the ref who brings the play back for a penalty award to Cartha.
Unsure of the decision but from the ensuing penalty, Cartha try to press home another score with time running out in the half. Cartha impose phase after phase of attacks on the Dunfermline line, but the home defence was like a brick wall looking like they were not going to give before the half time whistle. Only after many phases of great controlled Cartha attacks between forwards and backs, Gregor McDowall spots a crack in the home team’s defence and bulldozes through for the score bringing the half to an end. In the half both the home and visiting team kickers had first game jitters.

Half Time Score: Dunfermline 20 v 15 Cartha QP

With the wind picking up at the start of the second half, conditions for the game got harder. The home side again started well throwing everything at the visitors, but stout defence across the park by the visitors showed their intent. With 5 minutes in a Dunfermline scrum on their own 10-metre line was put under enormous pressure by the front row as Logan Kirkwood and Gregor drove through their opposite props allowing Dylan Briscoe to steal the ball, getting Cartha going on the front foot again. With quick turnover ball at the scrum and slick handling the backs where baring down on the home teams line. As the backs drew the defence in Daniel Adam shows a great dummy to get in the gap, diving over for the try and levelling the score to 20-20. You can now see Cartha have their tales up.

Then in steps the Referee. CONTROVERSY !!, With Cartha again pressurising the home team’s 22, a free kick is awarded to Dunfermline. Undecided the Dunfermline 10 taps then puts a poor cross-field kicks to the other side of the park where Cammie has set himself to catch and attack. However, the chasing home 15 to stop Cartha fielding the ball, jumps up with one hand and slaps the ball forward and down to the ground. However, with the home ref way out of position and we assume not seeing this, allows play to continue??? Unfortunately, most of the Cartha boys turn off in outrage except winger Cameron Stewart who turns and tracks down the home full back 40 metres up the park and makes a great try-saving tackle. The home 15 from the ground offloads to his supporting centre, although Cameron is quickly back up on his feet again and makes another try-saving tackle resulting in Cartha having to defend like fury. Unfortunately off this incident Cartha give away a penalty and Dunfermline use their forwards to score in the corner to take the lead once again 25 - 20.

Outraged at what had happened, really showed the boys determination, togetherness and team spirit that this incident was not going to affect the outcome of this game.

Straight from the restart the Cartha boys were coming back with a vengeance and with another Dunfermline put in, the Cartha pack shot back the scrum the metre and a half. With the ball spilling out the back of the scrum and the home 9 knocking on under pressure, openside flanker Cameron McKenzie as quick as a flash picks up the ball and puts in a great hand off, fending off the covering defence and with blindside flanker Roddy Colquhoun running on his shoulder receives the pass off Cameron, for Roddy to use his burst of pace to get around the defence and score again levelling the match up at 25-25.

This time Cartha had the bit between their teeth really pressuring Dunfermline looking for more opportunities, which presented itself to the Cartha Scrum-half Oscar McCallum and without any hesitation he picked up from a well cleared Cartha ruck to snipe through the gap in the Dunfermline defence running down the touch line. Being closed in by the home fullback shows great feet work to cut inside to keep the ball alive and pops the ball to the supporting winger Cameron Stewart who cramps up short of the line but manages to keep his legs pumping to get out of the contact and score taking Cartha into the lead for the first time in the game – 25-30 inside the last ten minutes. Then what was a hardly contested match seemed to turn and got really physical.

Cartha retaining possession shipped out to Daniel who breaks up to the half way line, with the home number 8 launching a ‘no-arms’ tackle into the Cartha fullback. 7 minutes to go, Daniel off to hospital. Warning only but some how scrummage given to Dunfermline. From the scrum the number 10 cross field kicks the ball into the corner which the defence gathers but then bundled into touch for a Home side line out. Quickly taken and using their big forwards to drive and then slipping it to their backs the home side were going for the line, but great Cartha defence saw a try-saving tackle on their last man from replacement full back Spencer King driving him out into touch giving the visitors the line out.
From this lineout Cartha swept up the field using Aidan and Chris who cut through the heart of the defence up into the opposition half. Good recycling saw the ball back in the stand off’s hands where David kicked a measured ball over the defence for Hasib Mohammed to take with support from Matthew Dickson and the forwards deep into the Dunfermline 22 where the play got stopped again for another Cartha injury. This time an ankle in the ruck. From a planned backs set piece move Cartha attacked open with Spencer King attacking back in on the angle and a ruck being set up 5 metres from the line, saw Rory McMullen pick and driving to the line, popping it on his shoulder to Logan Kirkwood in support who bumped off the defender and went over for the try making the score 35-25. With minutes left the Dunfermline re-start was a very high hit and hope up the park, but on David gathering and setting the ball up, numerous home players went wildly flying into the contact point, as a result the game being stopped with Jamie Russell getting a neck injury 2 minutes from the end of the match resulting in an ambulance being need on the park and David also needing to attend hospital after being stamped on the wrist. A sour end to a cracking game.

Full Time Score: Dunfermline U16's 25 v 35 Cartha QP U16's

Match Reported by S.U. Porter