BT West One

ANNAN 23

IRVINE 13

IRVINE made the long trip back from Violetbank empty-handed after a late rally from hosts Annan denied them at least a draw.

The visitors had deservedly squared the match up with a penalty try 14 minutes into the second half after the home side illegally halted their progress over the try line, adding to two first half penalties by full back Per Jacobson.

But Irvine’s depleted side were unable to score again, with poor execution preventing them from capitalising on a number of promising attacking positions, and flanker Dwayne Barnes’ try, converted by full back Cairn Wallace, restored Annan’s seven-point half-time lead before Wallace goaled an injury-time penalty to make the game safe.

Irvine have now lost four games in a row since defeating Strathaven in the Shield, and next face a hazardous trip to Maybole to play a Carrick side who have comfortably won all their games so far, and racked up a 52-6 victory in the corresponding fixture last season.

Unlike last week, when Irvine came flying out of the traps at Cambuslang, the tourists were on the back foot from the start – and their ill-discipline saw Wallace kick his team into a 6-0 lead after 11 minutes.

Irvine managed to force their way into the game after this, and Jacobson landed a penalty of his own to reduce the arrears as the game entered the second quarter.

Annan stepped up their efforts in response to this, and Irvine were lucky to still only be trailing 6-3 when centre Andrew Halliday’s offload to winger Andrew Jancey was ruled forward by referee Scott Livingstone.

Both sides were guilty of giving the ball away in attack as half-time approached, but it was the hosts who got it together five minutes before the interval with a slick handling move finished by centre Johnny Callaghan.

Wallace converted to take the score to 13-3, but Jacobson replied with the last kick of the half to keep his side in the game at 13-6.

Neither side really looked like settling in a frantic opening to the second half, until Irvine forced a series of penalties on the Annan line which led to the penalty try. But that was the last time the visitors were to trouble the scorers.

Elsewhere, Alan Nugent and Steven Paton scored tries and Stuart Tracey kicked a penalty as Irvine 2nd XV lost 62-13 to their GHK counterparts at Old Anniesland. They are also next due to travel to Carrick.

IRVINE: P Jacobson; C Williams, S Cook, R Elliston (captain); J Murdoch; S Buswell, J Carson; K McCrae, B Auld, L Ferguson, S Thomson, J Goodlet, N Turner, C Maxwell, J Doolan. Subs: C Stevenson, K Finneran.

Elsewhere, Alan Nugent and Steven Paton scored tries and Stuart Tracey kicked a penalty as Irvine 2nd XV lost 62-13 to their GHK counterparts at Old Anniesland. They are also next due to travel to Carrick.