Linlithgow Reds took the derby day bragging rights thanks to a 27-16 victory over Livingston as the two sides met in a National Shield second round tie.
The outcome was perhaps expected given the Reds currently sit a division above their West Lothian rivals but the visitors certainly gave a great account of themselves.
Linlithgow opened the scoring thanks to a Jack Frame penalty with the Reds kicker passing the 1000-point mark for the club during the contest.
Almost immediately Livi replied with a penalty of their own through Jamie Pollock after an infringement stopped a charging run towards the line.
That gave the away side a spark and they took the lead when a wonderful passage of play carried the ball 50 yards before scoring in the corner with the conversion making it 10-3 to Livi.
The back-and-forth nature of the first-half continued and after a passage of sloppy play, Linlithgow finally got it together and were able to level up the contest.
They managed to secure the ball in midfield with Frame sending Mark Caddle through to score under the posts with Frame duly adding a simple two points.
If the expectation of the sizeable home crowd was that the Reds would go on to dominate, they were mistaken as Livi moved ahead once more thanks to a pair of penalties from the boot of Pollock - one of which resulted in both sides being temporarily reduced to 14-men during the feisty affair.
But Linlithgow would head into the break with a slender lead as they bagged a penalty before adding an unconverted try in the final minutes of the half.
Freddie Adcock charged through the defence before the ball was moved along for Frame to add the finishing touch to score in the corner.
The missed conversion meant it was an 18-16 advantage to the Reds at the break.
A pair of missed Livingston penalties early in the second-half perhaps provided the turning point as they were unable to retake the lead while an excellent recovery from Ross Plenderleith prevented a possible try.
After weathering that storm, Linlithgow began to take control while a string of substitutions showed their strength in depth.
A sturdy defensive effort meant the hosts were unable to break the line but Frame kicked a pair of penalties to take the score onto 24-16 as the game entered the final 10 minutes.
Livi threw everything at their rivals in the closing stages in a bid to pull off a shock result but the Reds defence simply refused to be breached while Ross Tulloch’s kicks provided some relief.
The contest ended with a fifth Frame penalty to send Linlithgow through to a hard-earned place in the third round.
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