Stewartry took the pitch at Violetbank knowing they needed a bonus point win over Annan ahead of this weekend’s table topping clash.
West one leaders Garnock visit the Greenlaw on Saturday for a match that could go a long way to deciding the outcome of the league. The Blacks are four points adrift but have a game in hand so victory would be a major boost to their title hopes.
Another hard fought local derby was a decent rehearsal. Stewartry were keen to stretch their record seven win run to hang on to the Chisholm Cup as well as pick up maximum points.
Annan faced an uphill struggle having lost the first leg of the cup competition, going down by a whopping 47-0 at the Greenlaw.
They got things under way on a muddy pitch but the Blacks showed quickly with Stevie McCulloch and Micky Yates bulldozing their way deep into the home half before number eight Hugh Carson followed suit charging over for the opening try. Captain John Picken converted to set the scene just ten minutes in.
After Lochie Spence was stopped just short, Annan had a spell of pressure that saw them convert a penalty to make it 3-7. A second from Josh Whiteside followed in 28 minutes, reducing the leeway.
Then the first of three yellow cards was produced, one to Stewartry’s Iain McMorran playing the ball on the ground.
By then the heavy pitch was taking it’s toll, the game losing its sparkle but Whiteside gave Annan hope landing a third penalty to take his side in at half time 9-7 to the good.
Spence and Yates made good runs out wide after the restart and the second try came in 53 minutes from Yates. 9-12.
Three minutes later Spence saw his try disallowed for a forward pass.
T J McCarney and McMorran broke through from the restart with McMorran scoring the third try, John Picken adding the points, 9-19.
Yellow cards followed as Stewartry went hunting the bonus point try.
It came from a quick play with five minutes left. McCulloch and Armstrong produced the drive that put McMorran in for his second making it a double for the third time this season. Picken added the conversion that saw the cup retained in dramatic fashion 73-9 on aggregate.
Stewartry Squad. M McCulloch, F Barne, I McMorran, J Forsyth, R Porteous, S McCulloch, A Lindsay, H Carson, A Nicholson, D Armstrong, M Yates, TJ McCartney, R Austin, L Spence, J Picken (c), K McGuire, D Maxwell, F Gibson, A Picken.
