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East Kilbride Pirates
46–29
Yorkshire Rams
Having played the Rams only one week previously and
been lucky to emerge victorious, it was a very different looking Pirates team
which turned out to face the Yorkshire side this Sunday.
The Pirates travelled to Leeds to play their sixth
game of the season, more than aware that anything other than a perfect record
will mean playing at least one playoff game on the road. With the additional
cost and travel involved, this is not a prospect to relish for the Scots side,
only serving to increase their desire to win. From the outset, the Pirates
offense was in a gear above that which it seemed stuck in during the teams’
previous encounter. Receiving the ball from the opening kick off, the Pirates
marched down the field confidently, only stalling when the ball was lost in a
fumble by running back Blake Kyle. The defense then stepped up, forcing the
Rams to attempt a field goal which was sliced well wide. The offense put
together a strong drive which again ended with a fumble, this time from Kyle’s
partner in the backfield, Iain Dick.
With the first quarter ending scoreless, the
assembled spectators could have been forgiven for thinking it wasn’t the
visitors’ day, however on their third possession, they finally broke the
deadlock, as quarterback Ryan Hunter hit Receiver Jamie McLaughlin for a 12
yard score. Again, the Pirates defense snuffed out the Rams, giving them
another chance to build momentum. Another strong drive was building when Hunter
hit Martin Galloway with a 35 yard touchdown pass, the first of the receiver’s
career. Hunter again opted to pass for the conversion, finding McLaughlin for a
14-0 lead. Looking to get themselves back into the game, the Rams again
struggled to gain any purchase, giving the ball back to the Pirates without
putting up any points. Keen to take every opportunity, the travellers looked to
pass, but when there were no receivers available, quarterback Hunter tucked the
ball away, headed for the sideline and sprinted 77 yards for the third score of
the day. The conversion followed a similar pattern, with Hunter running the
ball in to give the Pirates a 22-0 half time lead.
The game became somewhat of a shootout in the third
quarter as the quarterbacks traded blows to put a combined 38 points on the
board. The Rams struck first, with Pete Rogers finding Ben Barker with a 15
yard strike to open the home team’s account. Martin Steele kicked the extra
point, taking the score to 22-7. Not to be outdone, Hunter put together a drive
culminating in a ten yard touchdown pass to receiver Craig Towler and found him
again with the conversion to open the lead up to 30-7. Again the Rams struck
back, putting together a short drive capped off by Rogers’s 21 yard strike to
Andy Durkin. Steele again kicked the extra point, making it 30-14.
With the game heating up and every drive leading to
a scoring opportunity, the Pirates took full advantage of their numerous
passing threats, moving the ball well through the air. As they moved into the
Rams half, a change of personnel brought backup quarterback Darren Brownlie in
as a receiver and Hunter hit his understudy with a pass to the sideline, which
Brownlie juggled before securing the ball and taking it 31 yards to the endzone.
For the two point conversion, Hunter found tight end Mark Murphy, extending the
Pirates lead to 38-14. With the Pirates defense recording some crucial tackles
to snuff out the Rams, the visitors were again given a great opportunity to
extend their lead, which they grabbed with both hands. Hunter again found
Towler for an eight yard score, converted by running back Blake Kyle, to close
of the Pirates scoring at 46 points for the day.
The final quarter belonged to the home team as they
gritted their teeth and continued to seek a way back into the game. Their first
strike came as Rogers found Richard Godfrey for a 14 yard touchdown pass,
converted on foot by the quarterback to bring the score back to 46-22. The
Rams, as expected, then attempted the onside kick, which the Pirates failed to
deal with, giving the home team another chance to strike. From there, the
injury hit Pirates defense, which featured a number of players out of position,
were unable to stop the Rams as Rogers hit Barker for a 32 yard touchdown, his
second of the day. Steele kicked the extra point, to give the final score of 46–29. East Kilbride experimented offensively on their final possession,
bringing in rookie running back Bobby Dallas, however a broken play and a
fumble turned the ball back over to Yorkshire and it was all the visitors could
do to hold the Rams off and see out the game as victors.
The Pirates travel to Yorkshire again in two weeks
time, for a fixture against the Doncaster Mustangs on 12 July. The Scottish
side next play at home with they host the West Coast Trojans on 2 August.
To find more about the team or to get involved,
visit
www.piratesfootball.co.uk
or email
info@piratesfootball.co.uk.