Lochaber make light of a wet day at Banavie

Lochaber hosted Mull on Saturday before they start the international break in fixtures. Unfortunately Mull were not able to field a full team so Lochaber agreed to a development game which would get the fixture fulfilled and give Lochaber a 28-0 bonus point win. The game would also be played to the new "game on" rules. Instead of the usual 80 mins it was agreed that the game would be played in 3, 20 minute sections. Lochaber gave two players to Mull for the start of the game and both teams played with 13 players. The game also started with uncontested scrums with Mull not having a front row.

The first 20 minutes started pretty tight before until Lochaber broke the deadlock when a training ground move came off for the backs with Koni Johnson shrugging off several tackles to run in to score by the posts with Ryan Davies converting. From the restart Conor Taylor took the ball and set off swatting aside would be tacklers before eventually being dragged down by 3 defenders. The ball was then passed out to Callum Boyd who through a dummy before giving the ball to Euan Larter who first used his pace to run free before having to show his strength to get the ball down after being tackled on the try line. Lochaber were almost in for their third try minutes later when Boyd through a looping pass out to Christopher Simpson to score but the referee deemed the pass had drifted forward and brought the play back. Lochaber got their third after a scrum they spread the ball wide and after a few phases Jonathan McCook found himself in space out wide to run it in under the posts with Davies converting.

In the second third from the restart Captain Callum MacDonald and Conor Taylor dragged Ally Weir who was playing for Mull into touch. MacDonald took a quick lineout and some quick hands put Larter in space who made around 35 meters before being tackled 5 meters out but Jack Hamilton was there in support and got the pass from Larter to run it in and score with Davies converting. From the restart Lochaber worked the ball out wide stretching the Mull defence. The ball came out to Captain MacDonald and Simpson was calling for a kick ahead to chase with no defenders back. MacDonald chipped the ball over the top, Simpson got there first ahead of the Mull defender with Hamilton in support. He kicked the ball onwards over the goal line then touched it down to score. Mull then came back into the third with two tries of their own with the same player scoring from close range before breaking free and running it in for his second. Lochaber responded to that second try and Simpson was in for his second try running it in before spinning out of the tackle of Lewis Morrison who was playing for Mull at the time.

In the final third Mull were first to score, after Lochaber cleared the ball from their own goal line with a kick. Hamilton who was now playing for Mull found himself in space and ran into score his second of the match and was the only player to score one try for each team. From the restart Lochaber won a turnover to regain possession, Calum Sandison almost scored after breaking free but was tackled 5 meters out but Larter was there in support to score. Captain MacDonald was then in after a quick tap penalty 7 meters out. The Mull defender stepped to the side as MacDonald ran at him to go through and score unchallenged. From the restart Lochaber worked it up the pitch just over the half way line and MacDonald found a hole in Mulls defence to run in to score under the posts from almost 50m out. Hamilton chased hard and got the tackle in but MacDonald was already crossing the line. MacDonald then converted his own try with a drop kick and the referee brought the game to an end. With the score 51-17. The win moves Lochaber up to third in the table with 3 games in hand over Cumbernauld who are 7 points ahead and one game in hand over Glasgow University Medics who are 8 points ahead.

Lochaber are now hoping to host old rivals Ross Sutherland this Saturday for a friendly game before being back in leauge action on 27th November away to Bishopton, kick off 2pm.