East Kilbride Pirates tamed Glasgow Tigers to stay unbeaten in the NFC 1 North with a superb shutout display on Sunday evening.
Despite an unusual kick off time of 6pm, East Kilbride ran out comfortable 38-0 winners to keep their title hopes well on track.
Both sides struggled to get into any rhythm in the early stages and the first period passed without any scoring.
Early in the second, a good punt return by Christian Rubuga took the ball back to midfield. From there it needed just two carries by Stewartfield star Dougie Meechan to put the first points on the board. His 11-yard TD run was successfully converted by Scott McDonald for a 7-0 lead.
A torrential downpour then made ball-handling more difficult but the Pirates managed to add a second touchdown before half time.
A 7-play drive was rounded off by a one-yard plunge from running back Greg Black. McDonald duly added the PAT for a 14-0 interval lead.
By the time the second half kicked off, the rain had stopped. Early in the period, the home side increased their advantage.
A disastrous sequence of play for the Tigers saw them penalised for a delay of game, lose yardage on a wayward snap then fail to get the punt off on 4th Down. This left the Pirates at the Glasgow 17-yard line and they quickly capitalised.
Sam Montgomerie completed a pass to Neil Baptie before Black ran the ball in from the remaining four yards. McDonald again converted and it was also he who was next to score.
A 42-yard field goal split the uprights, making the score 24-0 moving into the final quarter. By this stage, the low, setting sun was becoming a factor as the game worked towards its conclusion.
Early in the quarter, Meechan notched his second TD of the game with a 13-yard carry and McDonald kicked the extra point.
The final score came late in the game when McDonald, now playing at QB, completed a 6-yard TD pass to Rubuga, then kicked the PAT.
The victory keeps Pirates top of NFC North 1 after four games and their 100 per cent win rate sees them lead the way from Northumberland Vikings in second place on 75 per cent.
The Distell International Game MVP award was shared by running backs, Greg Black and Dougie Meechan who had two TD’s each and solid performances throughout the game.
Next up for the Pirates is their return fixture against Inverclyde Goliaths at GHA Rugby Club, G46 6EB, on Sunday, June 5. Pirates ran out 46-14 victors when the sides last met at the start of the month.
This clash will be a “Black Out” game, when the team will wear their throwback all black uniform. Kick off is at 3pm.
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