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The Pirates season reached the halfway point on Sunday
as they hosted the Yorkshire Rams at Hamilton Rugby Club. The Scottish side
were favourites, having won all nine of the teams previous meetings; however
they did not expect the physicality with which the Rams approached the game.
Things started well for the home team as they opened the scoring in the first
quarter. Quarterback Ryan Hunter found an open receiver in Jamie McLaughlin and
hit him for a seven yard completion and the opening touchdown. The Rams kept
their composure and struck back with a score of their own, through a 29 yard
catch and run from quarterback Pete Rogers to receiver Ben Barker. Kicker Adam
Steele added a further point to make it 7-6 and put the Pirates behind for only
the second time this season.
Even at this early stage in the game, the Pirates already depleted squad had
begun to pick up further injuries and things took a more serious turn when
defensive back James McIntosh left the game with a dislocated shoulder. The
home side were already thin in some areas of the field and a number of players
had to step in at unfamiliar positions throughout the game to replace injured
team mates. Despite this, East Kilbride put together another strong drive which
culminated in a touchdown on a four yard run from receiver Craig Towler. Hunter
added the two point conversion on foot, spinning out of a tackle in the corner
of the endzone to take the score to 14-7.
East Kilbride gave themselves a cushion at half time, managing to add a further
six points when Hunter found tight end Mark Murphy for his fourth score of the
season. They again went through the air as Hunter added the two point
conversion by finding Towler for a 22-7 half time lead.
The Pirates started the second half in much the same vein, putting together a
strong drive, however the Rams defense forced them to punt and their offense
came back hard, with the drive culminating in a score on a two yard run from
standout running back Adim Irozuru. Steele’s extra point kick was good, reducing
the Pirates lead to a less than comfortable eight points.
More strong defense from the Rams in the final quarter led the Pirates to again
turn over possession to their opponents without registering any points. The
Rams, now with the momentum firmly in their favour, marched down the field,
finally pulling the deficit to two points as Rogers again hit Barker for a
twelve yard score. At this point, the Pirates fully expected to see the Rams
send Kicker Steele on to pull the gap to just one point, but they opted to
attempt to tie the game with a two point conversion. What looked like a pass
play seemed to fall apart and the scrambling quarterback was brought down short
of the endzone to preserve the Pirates lead.
With only a matter of minutes on the clock, East Kilbride prepared for the Rams
to attempt an onside kick in an effort to recover the ball, however they opted
to go deep, kicking out of bounds with just over two minutes to play. The home
side managed to keep the chains moving and after a nail biting drive, took a
knee to run the clock out to preserve a narrow, but valuable win. The Pirates
retain their unbeaten record and their top of the table spot.
The Rams won’t have to wait long until they get their chance for revenge,
however, as the Pirates travel to Leeds for the return leg on Sunday 28 June.
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, please visit www.piratesfootball.co.uk
or email info@piratesfootball.co.uk.