BT Shield First Round

LENZIE 7

RVINE 46

IRVINE are through to the quarter-finals of the BT West Regional Shield after picking off a determined Lenzie side in their postponed first round tie at Viewfield.

The hosts stuck to their task throughout but became the latest side to fall victim to the visitors’ counter-attacking potency in the backs.

Irvine’s quarter-final opponents will be Allan Glen’s, who will travel to Marress on Saturday week with a point to prove after losing both of the sides’ meetings in BT West 1 – matches they might have won on another day.

The winners of the quarter-final will host West 1 promotion contenders Newton Stewart the following week. Oban are due to host the winners of the other quarter-final between East Kilbride and Carrick at Torrance House.

The last meeting of these two sides at Viewfield – in Jim Barrie’s first league match as head coach – proved to be a largely tight affair, but for a defensive collapse by the hosts late in the first half which led to a scoreline that ultimately flattered the visitors.

On this occasion however, the only time the hosts were in the ascendancy in attack was when the visitors were reduced to 14 men for persistent fouling just after the half hour.

By that time they were leading 15-0 through unconverted tries from centres Jake Cresswell and Chris Hobson and winger Siya Moabi – but that deficit was to be reduced shortly afterwards when home winger David Nisbet intercepted David Kirkwood’s pass to dart in under the posts and give centre Graeme Condie the first successful conversion of the match.

But Cresswell added his second of the match, converted by Ryan Elliston, on the stroke of half-time to regain the initiative for the tourists.

Full-back Jama Ntenga’s try on 48 minutes and Elliston’s quickfire brace just before the hour – to which the fly-half added two conversions – put Irvine on easy street at 41-7, and after that it was just a question of whether referee Craig Clark would play to a conclusion in the cold, wet and muddy conditions.

As it turned out, he did blow for full time two minutes early after Ruchin Filander had added an eighth try for Irvine, but it scarcely mattered as the result was long since settled.

Irvine have no game this week due to the opening round of the Six Nations.

IRVINE: Jama Ntenga; Neil McMillan, Christopher Hobson, Jake Cresswell, Siya Moabi; Ryan Elliston, John Carson; David Kirkwood, Ben Auld (captain), Ewan Callaghan, Alan Nugent, Jonathan Goodlet, Tommy Turner, Andrew Lang, Ruchin Filander. Replacements: Logan Ferguson, Ross Campbell, Alistair Maxwell, Robbie McVey.