Caledonia Dreaming or Ian38018 Sporting Travels: Bellsland

Saturday, 31 March 2012

Bellsland – Kilmarnock RFC

30^th March 2012

Kilmarnock RFC 16-24 Dunfermline RFC

Dunfermline reached the RBS National Shield Final this afternoon, and hence booked themselves a rare jaunt to Murrayfield sometime in April. This was an impressive showing by the Fifers I felt, particularly by the backs who bossed and bullied their Ayrshire counterparts for much of the 80 minutes. Even at 10-0 down midway through the first-half, Dunfermline still looked to have proceedings in hand, although I could not help but wonder if the second period would have turned out a touch differently, had Martin SCADE not managed to scurry in a for a try seconds before the break, to tie things up at 10-10.

The pivotal moment of the second-half came with around 15 minutes remaining, when Dunfermline, leading 17-16, found themselves camped out on the Killie line. The visiting pack retained both their patience and composure (and, more importantly the ball) through a number of phases of play before prop Tommy MURRAY (I think) thudded on through to touch down.

The conversion took the score to 24-16 and pretty much knocked the stuffing out of the hosts, whose last opportunity of perhaps saving the game disappeared with a subsequent missed penalty.

So Congratulations to Dunfy, but a wee word of note for the Kilmarnock Second XI, who clinched their own league championship on an adjacent pitch this afternoon, providing occasional alternative entertainment during lulls in the main stage action.

First-half scrum.

View from the Bellsland stand.

Bellsland is more or less an open area (no-one seemed remotely interested in collecting any admission money), with a stand which looks to hold perhaps a couple of hundred. From the front the stand looks rather trim, but behind is showing its age – all bare concrete and steel decorated with graffiti. My sole real criticism of the place, however, is that it did not have a scoreboard; or at least one in use. And for a sport like rugby where scoring if often both regular and frequent, I should imagine someone keeping a tally for the benefit of the spectators would be obligatory.

My age-befuddled brain somehow managed to convince the rest of me that Kilmarnock led 13-10 at the break, with the consequence that some of the shouts I was hearing from the players after the break, appeared to make no sense at all. But then, that perhaps is a comment on my own inabilities to keep up these days.