Stewartry win league and cup double after clinching Glasgow West Bowl trophy

Stewartry Rugby Under 18s Glasgow West Bowl winners 2019

Stewartry Under 18s upset the odds to clinch the Glasgow West Bowl trophy with a 16-10 victory over Cartha Queen’s Park to secure a league and cup double.

It was a tremendous cup final between two very evenly matched teams and a crowd of around 150. Cartha were the favourites from a higher division but the boys in black dug deep to win the trophy.

Stewartry started very hard and fast and put pressure on the Cartha defence line. Cartha resisted the first two or three pushes, but on the third series of plays Fraser Forsyth scored.

Cartha came right back into the game scoring a fine equalising try after excellent forward work, but Stewartry responded and Frank Gwynne slotted over a penalty from distance to make it 8–5. Stewartry ended the first half with a player sin binned for a high tackle.

Fourteen man Stewartry made a bright start to the second half as man of the match, centre Lochie Spence scored in the corner. Cartha, however, bounced back quickly and scored another unconverted try to reduce the gap to 13-10, before Gwynne slotted over another penalty to extend Stewartry’s lead to six.

In the last 15 minutes, it was only serious tackling which kept Cartha at bay which they had with 14 again another player was sin binned.

Tommy McGrath put in a massive cover tackle to knock the stuffing out of the away team and himself as he had to go off injured. Spence put in tackle after tackle to help pin Cartha back. A massive kick and chase upfield ran the clock down and pressure by Ali Wood forced Cartha to knock on and the game was over. Only the sevens tournaments remain now with Dumfries (Cussie Cup) Sevens on Sunday, and Ardrossan Sevens on Saturday, May 18 for a final fling.