Pirates revel in the joy of six

June 16th, 2019

East Kilbride Pirates 39 – Glasgow Tigers 07

East Kilbride notched up their sixth straight win of the season with a victory over local rivals Glasgow Tigers. The Pirates sit top of their Division with a perfect 6-0 record and find themselves in the driving seat for race to the play-offs.

A first play fumble recovery by Glenn Davis set up a short field for EK, but the Tigers defense held strong, stopping WR Fraser McDonald just short of the endzone on 4th-and-goal. Unfortunately, this left them pinned against their own goal-line, and Davis corralled the RB in the endzone for a go-ahead safety. The Pirates also got the ball back after the restart, and a six play drive was capped by a 20-yard pass from Neil Baptie to McDonald. Greg Atkinson duly kicked the conversion making the score 9-0.

Glasgow had punted to end the first period, and one of many Pirates’ penalties on the day, saw them start deep in EK territory. However, a breakout run of 63 yards by Baptie, immediately followed by a 16-yard pass to Antonio Capasso brought about a quick TD. Atkinson again converted to increase the lead to 16-0. Midway through the quarter, the same trio added another 7 points in the form of a Baptie – Capasso pass (40 yards) and an Alexander PAT.

Then, before the interval Baptie added his fourth TD with an outrageous 60-yard completion to Liam McClory, and despite a false start on the extra point, Atkinson completed the PAT to secure a half time lead of 30-0.

The Pirates received the ball after the restart, however the drive stalled and they had to punt. Glasgow moved the ball into field goal range, but the 38 yard kick failed to split the uprights. Even so, they quickly regained possession as EK went 3-and-out and the ensuing punt was partially blocked. Three plays later and the Tigers were in the endzone on the back of a 13-yard carry by QB Alasdair Kay. Jason Maclean added the PAT to further reduce the deficit.

At the beginning of the final period, Mark Stewart recovered a Tigers’ fumble near midfield. Then, in their inimitable “one step forward, two steps back” style, strong runs by Dougie Meechan (50 yds) and Baptie (15 yds) saw EK still short of the endzone due to penalties. Finally, on 4th-and-goal, Baptie found Angus Mackintosh in the endzone from 13 yards out and Atkinson’s kicking boots tagged on the PAT.

The scoring later ended, the same way it had begun, with a Pirates’ safety. A Glasgow punt was blocked, and despite the best efforts of Gordon Wallace to recover the live ball, it trickled out the back of the Tigers’ endzone.

While the win was achieved and the unbeaten run continued, conceding almost 200 yards in penalties and having no fewer than six TD’s called back as a result, is a luxury that cannot be afforded against stronger opposition. Discipline will have to be improved for the next game, a potentially difficult encounter at Yorkshire Rams on Sunday 23 June.

The OnPoint Financial MVP award went to QB Neil Baptie who threw for 5 TD’s and also had over 100-yards rushing on the day.

Report by Bill Campbell
Photos courtesy Duncolm Photography

 

 

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