Rugby: Stew-Mel can take comfort from battling display in under-15 cup final

STEWART'S- MELVILLE head of games Bryn Lockie offered his Under-15 side a word of consolation after they went down to an agonising 10-8 defeat against Hutchesons' Grammar School at Murrayfield last night.

"It's not the end of the world – they'll be fine," he said, reflecting on what was to be the first of a double disappointment in two hard-fought Brewin Dolphin Scottish Schools Cup finals.

Stew-Mel had enjoyed the bulk of the possession during the opening 20 minutes of the contest but had only a penalty by Scott Docherty to show for their superiority.

However, having soaked up the pressure, the Glasgow side struck against the run of play with a spark of inspiration from scrum-half Robbie Blackwood who caught the Capital side's defence napping when he darted up the blindside from a 40-metre scrum to snatch a try which was converted by George Swankie for a 7-3 interval score line. Swankie extended the lead with a penalty before Stew-Mel battled back when prop Will Kesley powered over between the uprights. Docherty steered the conversion attempt wide of the target to leave the deficit at two points.

While that proved to be the difference between the sides at the end of a pulsating contest, Lockie insisted that failure to capitalise on the pressure had been the reason for the defeat, adding, "The game is not won on one kick. Boys always think it's their fault but that's not the case at all. It's a team performance."

Scorers:

Stewart's-Melville: Try: Kesley. Penalty: Docherty

Hutchesons' GS: Try: Blackwood. Con: Swankie. Pen: Swankie

Stewart's-Melville: R Frost, J Price (D Brown 50), R Grant, S Murchie, D Salmanzedeh (S Wilks 37), S Docherty, M Statham, W Kesley, L Begbie, F Crawley (B Gorrie 53), M Hutcheson, A Clayton, S Brown (C Ward 30), M Lowes, H Turner

Hutchesons' Grammar School: L Milton (P Smith 55), J Crawford, C Forgie, R Bottomley, T Buchanan (G Thomson 55), G Swankie, R Blackwood (R Jessiman 59), B White, R Howie (D Forrest 43), I Selby (D Connell 30), S Awan (L Kerr 59), T McMurtrie (C McLaughlin 55), B McCarte, S Young, G Campbell

Referee: L Linton