Too little too late as Wolves pip Pirates again
June 11th, 2018
Saturday had seen The Rolling Stones playing in Edinburgh, but it was EKP who couldn’t get no satisfaction in the capital less than 24 hours later.
Early overtures saw both sides easing them selves into the game before the home side broke the deadlock midway through an extremely long first quarter. Four plays saw Edinburgh move from their own 26 into Pirates territory before Jamie Morrison completed a 39-yard TD pass which Lloyd Dignan converted. There was no more scoring in the opening period as the tentative exchanges continued.
On the first play of the second quarter, QB Neil Baptie sent a long pass to Andrew McBride who showed a clean pair of heels to the Wolves defence as he sped home for a 56-yard touchdown. This was “Thumper’s” first TD for the Pirates and he could not hide his delight as he celebrated. Steven Kane added the PAT to tie the scores at 7-7. Having acquired the taste for scoring, McBride then added a second TD just before the 2-minute warning, reeling in a 14-yard Baptie pass. Kane’s PAT hit the left upright, but the Pirates took a 13 -7 lead into the break
The home side’s opening drive of the second half stalled on a run of incomplete passes and they turned the ball over on downs. EK couldn’t capitalise, and a Baptie punt pushed Edinburgh back to their 25-yard line, From there, Morrison threw an interception that Andy Shaw returned 32-tards for his first career TD. With Kane unable to kick due to a leg strain, the Pirates unsuccessfully went for the 2PAT, leaving their advantage at 19-7. Wolves’ Morrison was next on the board when he ran the ball in from 12 yards on a QB keeper. Bruce Callan added the PAT this time, narrowing the deficit to 19-14. Edinburgh’s following drive led to them retaking the lead, needing just 1 play to do so. A breakout 51-yard run by Calum Davidson saw him evade several tackles before heading to the endzone. Morrison then passed to Stephen Wilson for the 2PAT and a 3-point advantage.
Early in the final period, Edinburgh managed to move into an important 2-score lead. A short drive was capped by another long Davidson run, just the 41 yards this time. Callan converted to make the score 29-19, a lead that the hosts set about protecting by making full use of the game clock. EK did get one TD back, with Baptie finding James Lightbody from 30 yards out, deep inside the 2-minute warning. Again the 2PAT failed, and when the attempted onside kick took an Edinburgh bounce, the Wolves were able to kneel out the game and secure the win. This was a game that the Pirates had targeted to kick-start their season, but as the fella with the big lips says, you can’t always get what you want.
Elsewhere, the Junior Pirates travelled to Inverness to face the Highland Wildcats. Despite going down 14-0 in the early stages, the young Pirates rallied to win 42-14. They now play hosts to Merseyside Nighthawks this coming Sunday (17th). The game is at GHA Rugby Club with a 13:00 kick off.
Report by Bill Campbell
Photos courtesy Duncan Gray, Duncolm Photography
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