Bonus point consolation as Glens go down to league leaders

Glenrothes were missing a couple of players who had arranged tickets for the International against England before this game was rescheduled but still fielded a strong squad.

However it was Gordonians who got off to the best possible start when their stand off, Mark Marchbank, danced through the home defence to score near the posts, leaving an easy conversion.

This stung the Glens into action and tries from Ross Hutchison and Barry Crookston, with David Gray converting the latter, gave the Reds a 12-7 lead half way through the first period.

Another break from Marchbank and another try from the visitors put them back in the lead at 12-14 but the game swung back in the Glens’ favour with Hutchison’s second try converted by Kain Duguid.

This made the score 19-14 and it stayed this way until half time.

The second half belonged to Gordonians as Glenrothes slipped off tackles and the Aberdonians took full advantage scoring four more tries, two of them converted to take a 19-38 lead.

This meant that the Glens only chance to take anything from the match was to score a fourth, bonus point, try.

James Cowan duly obliged, when he finished off a period of sustained pressure at the end of the game and, with Duguid converting, the game ended 26-38.

The result was closer than the early season game at Countesswells and over the whole season, Gordonians have lost only once and have only once conceded more than 26 points.

The Aberdeen outfit look destined to finish the campaign as champions with three games outstanding.

Meanwhile the Glens have one game to go, against Mackie on April Fool’s day with the runner up spot still a possibility, though third is more likely.

Chris Docherty was awarded the man of the match accolade prior to the players watching the further disappointment of Scotland’s defeat at Twickenham.