Edinburgh Accies 21 - 20 Glasgow Hawks: Close contest

EDINBURGH Accies marked the first match at the helm for new coach Jonny Else with a dramatic win in a fiercely contested encounter, writes Colin Renton at Raeburn Place.

Accies took the lead in 11 minutes when Jamie Farndale scampered in for a try. Ruaridh Bonner converted, then kicked a penalty. That was cancelled out by a three-pointer from Mike Adamson, which sparked a period of Hawks pressure that ultimately proved fruitless. And the hosts went into the break with a 13-3 lead after Bonner banged over his second penalty.

Hawks restarted well and clawed back three points with a penalty by Adamson, who then squared matters when he converted a stunning long-range try from Tom Steven.

Accies had been on the defensive since the interval but secured a penalty on their first breakout. Bonner was on target to nudge his side back into the lead. However, they handed the visitors a lifeline when they emerged empty-handed from a multi-phase assault on the Hawks line.

And that failure looked likely to cost them when Ross Miller crashed over and Adamson converted four minutes from time. However, Bonner was on hand to finish a flowing move and seize a single-point lead that proved to be a winning margin after Jack Steele was short with a 50-metre injury time penalty.