Lenzie sit top of West 2, with 9 wins from 9 and 8 bonus points, but since the start of October, their points scoring pace has been somewhat curtailed. This slowing down was in part due to games against fellow title challengers Uddy and Oban, but it also included a win against Cumbernauld that was tighter than we were expecting. This weekends visit to Helensburgh was an opportunity to demonstrate to their challengers that they're still the free-scoring team from earlier in the campaign.
Helensburgh weren’t for lying down though and whilst Lenzie did pick up the win, at only 22-3 it was closer than many were expecting at Ardencaple. The scoreline was due in no small part to some brave defending from the lads from Helensburgh, who put everything on the line. Defensive displays like this, and Helensburgh will be very hard to beat. For Lenzie, it adds another win to the tally, and they move on to next week.
Uddy had a more comfortable win at home against Millbrae – 55-19, which keeps them in second, three points behind Lenzie, but Lenzie have a game in hand. Interestingly, Lenzie points difference is 255, and Uddys 254.
Obans game against Bishopton was off due to the stormy weather, so they remain in third – 12 points behind Lenzie. It sounds like a big gap, but Oban now have this game in hand, whilst Lenzie have still got the awkward away games at both Uddy and Oban to come.
Despite it being an Autumn International weekend, we do have fixtures scheduled for Saturday. Lenzie welcome Millbrae, which following last weekends results should be a win for Lenzie, however neither Ayr 1s or 2s have league games this weekend, so it will be an opportunity for Millbrae to boost their squad with dual registered players – Paisley, as league challengers last season, found out to their cost what can happen in this circumstance.
Oban visit Stranraer for what will make for an enjoyable day out. Wigtownshire had a poor start to their campaign following promotion to West 2, but in the last month or so they have picked up five wins from five, moving them up to fifth. This made their visit to sixth place Clydebank for the inaugural game on the 3G pitch at Whitecrook look an interesting contest. However, the scoreline suggests it was a bit of a one-sided affair, with Clydebank winning it 45 – 5. Shire will need to up their game if they want to take anything from the Oban visit. We’ll go with an away win.
Clydebanks win moves them back up to fourth, ahead of Bishopton and Wigtownshire. At 7 points behind Oban, Clydebank are still in with a shout in the title race, but a 19 point deficit to Lenzie is surely too big a gap.
Perhaps the more important battle for Clydebank (and the others in the mid-table) is ensuring West 2 safety following restructuring at the end of this season. The current 24 teams in West 1 & 2 has to be whittled down to 20, so at least four will be making the drop to a revised West 3. Fourth place at this point in the season would normally be a pretty comfortable position, but at only 9 points ahead of Helensburgh in 9th, Clydebank (and those immediately below them) can’t afford any complacency - none of this middle batch of Clubs are by any means safe. Chuck in the possibility of two West Clubs coming down from National 3, and we have real pressure on the mid-table Clubs (p.s. does anyone know if West 2 & West 3 champions will be promoted at the end of the season?).
Paisley kept themselves in this mid-table restructuring battle with a tight 13-7 win over Loch Lomond at Dillichip. The result puts them up to seventh, five points behind Clydebank.
The lose bonus point for Lomond means they close to within three points of Cumbernauld, but Cumbie do have three games in hand. Lomond this weekend travel to Strathaven, whilst Cumbie have no game, so it’s a chance for Lomond to move up a place with a win. A few weeks ago, we’d have had this down as a comfortable home win, but in recent weeks, Lomond have beaten Clydebank, and lost by only 10 away at Wigtownshire and then by 6 to Paisley on Saturday. It’s no gimme for Strathaven, and a big factor might be if the game is played on the 3G. We’ll go with a home win, but won’t be surprised if this is another tight one.
The title race looks to be a three horse race, the normal relegation battle is also a three horse race, but then we have the remaining 6 Clubs with their own mid-table restructuring battle – so plenty of action throughout the league.
West 1 Update
West 3 Update
See also:
West 2 Updates:
29th October 2018
23rd October 2018
15th October 2018
9th October 2018
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