PAISLEY RFC 2^ND XV 49

LOCH LOMOND 2^ND XV 5

PAISLEY’S second string lifted the mood at the club with a fantastic victory which included a hat-trick, a debut double and an 80-yard try from a second row forward...

With the first XV enjoying an idle weekend, focus switched to the 2nd XV with the 2s looking to pick up their first win of the season.  And the Buddies did it in style scoring within seconds of the kick-off when fullback Ryan McCready, who was enjoying a spell in the back row for a change, touched down wide on the right.

 Paisley sensed a big win could be on the cards but switched off momentarily to allow the visitors a quick reply to make the score 5-5 with a well-worked try.

It was a rare lapse form the home team who were back in front minutes later when the forward pack recycled the ball over and over again yards from the score line, when finally big second row Paul Taylor burst through the fringe to touch down.

McCready got his second just before half-time to take the Buddies into the break well in command of the game.

Five minutes after the restart, and with Paisley under some pressure inside their own 22 metre area, scrum-half Scott Glover fed second row Stef Lach from a ruck and the big South African shrugged off two tackles before handing off the Lomond fullback and running a full 80-odd yards to score under the posts.

His exploits left him so short of breath that an ambulance was almost summoned, but he recovered to celebrate with his team-mates.

A spell of Lomond pressure had them camped in the Paisley 22 for five full minutes but the dogged home defence kept them at bay, although conceded six consecutive penalties in the process.  From each penalty the visitors tried to force their big forwards over the line but each time pitbull front row Paul Reid broke their hearts with increasingly brave tackles.

Debutant winger Arnaud Bastianelli had already been causing the visitors major problems with his frightening pace and he got his rewards with a lovely try on the hour mark.

Hooker Stuart Lyle powered through a number of tackles to cross the line in the corner before McCready wrapped up his brilliant hat-trick with another well-taken score.

French flyer Bastianelli got his second, in only his second ever game of rugby, to round off a perfect afternoon for Paisley.

This weekend the first team take on the best that Loch Lomond have to offer when the clubs clash again in West Division One.  Here’s hoping they can take inspiration from this excellent 2^nd team showing.

Man of the match went to Bastianelli with fellow winger Thomas Herron also earning praise for an outstanding performance.

Flying winger Arnaud Bastianelli	Prop Ryan McCready