Dundee High 25 - 23 Carmarthen Quins:Late penalty clinches first win for Dundee
Scorers: Dundee: Tries: Laursen, Fleming, Hawkins. Cons: Weir 2 Pens: Weir 2. Quins: Tries: Dixon, Lloyd. Cons: Maynard 2 Pens: Maynard 3.
“I am thrilled for the guys, especially those players who have been with the club all their playing careers,” said Ian Rankin, the club’s director of rugby.
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Hide AdDundee were worthy winners, but left it late, relying on Glasgow Warriors professional Duncan Weir to kick a last-gasp penalty to snatch victory from the Welsh side, who had only eased ahead for the first time in the match a minute earlier.
Weir’s wild celebrations proved just how much the pro player enjoys playing with the Mayfield side.
A penalty-strewn match in which referee Andrew Jackson seemed obsessed with the most minute of technicalities did, however, yield five tries, three of which came from the home side who were generally the most enterprising.
Flanker Andy Redmayne was the pick of the bunch, as Dundee foraged to curb the sparkle of Quins stand-off James Dixon.
The game was level 10-10 at half time through tries by home full back Brandyn Laursen and Dixon for the visitors, converted by Weir and Quins full back Jack Maynard, who also traded penalties with the Glasgow pro.
Two quick tries after the break appeared to have swung the game the way of the homesters, only for Carmarthen to hit back to ease ahead at 23-22.
The home touchdowns came from winger James Fleming and Richie Hawkins with Weir kicking one conversion.
For the visitors, flanker Ellis Lloyd grabbed a fine effort, but it was Maynard who was causing the most grief with a conversion and two penalties, the last of which seemed to have won the game.
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Hide AdBut it was the exuberant Weir who had the last word with his 35-metre kick.
Dundee: B Laursen; A McLean, H Duthie(c), J Steele, J Fleming; D Weir, R Lavery S Longwell, D Russell, A Brown, C Cumming, R Hawkins, A Redmayne, D Levison, R McIver. Replacements: S Lawrie, N Dymock, T Paris, G Robertson.
Quins: J Maynard; C Banfield, A Pickersgill, J Harries, R Thomas; J Dixon, R Wells A Beaujean, R Wilks, I Jones(c), G Evans, C Jones, A Laxton, E Lloyd, L Joseph. Replacements: T Davies, H Rees, J Williams, R Guest, S Bennett.
Referee: Andrew Jackson (RFU)