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Battle for play-off spot tightens up as Howe of Fife defeat sees Dundee HSFP close gap

Howe of Fife try scorer Chris Mason takes on the Edinburgh Accies defence.
Howe of Fife try scorer Chris Mason takes on the Edinburgh Accies defence.

Things are certainly hotting up by the week in the battle for the play-off spot in BT National 1 with Howe of Fife in second spot, Marr in third and Dundee High Rugby in fourth with only one point separating them.

Edinburgh Accies are starting to poke in on the edge as well after their 17-10 win over Howe at Raeburn Place, the Duffus Park side’s second visit to the capital this season and the second time they have come away with only a losing bonus for their efforts.

Again, though, as against Stewart’s Melville in the campaign opener, they could have picked up four points.

Accies were 14-0 up at the break, full-back Facundo Beltramino having notched nine of them from two penalties and a drop goal with Matt Coupar adding a try.

“The big Accies pack dominated the first half but we defended really well and as they tired into the second half, we came back at them and in the end we could have nicked it,” said Howe president Murdo Fraser.

The visitors cut the lead to 14-10 thanks to a try from No 8 Chris Mason, converted by Angus Guthrie, and a Guthrie penalty only for a third Bertalino penalty to take the win out of reach.

With a 22-3 lead at half-time, it looked as though Dundee High were going to pile up a mass of points against GHA but the Glasgow outfit came back to 29-20 in the second half before Dundee closed the game out at 36-25.

Tries from Hamish Livingston, Alan Brown, Isoa Matacagi and No 8 Gav Houghan clinched the bonus point by half-time and only an Andrew Goudie penalty showed on the visitors side of the scoreboard.

Tries from Chris Binnie, Murray Houston and Andrew Gillman kept GHA in the match, however, until Matacagi grabbed his second try to add to Neil Herron’s early second half strike and with Alston converting both, the five points were safely tucked away.

They were not exactly dancing in the streets of Raith but there was a tangible sense of relief at Beveridge Park where Kirkcaldy ended a miserable run in BT National 2 with a very respectable 48-29 win over Whitecraigs.

Dayle Turner claimed four tries, George Mangalo, Gav McKenzie, Kurt Littlejohn and a penalty try completing the try count.

With Finlay Smith converting four, that pulls Kirkcaldy closer to Whitecraigs, trailing them now by only two points from second bottom spot in what looks likely to become a real dogfight in the relegation zone.

The weather battering experienced by the west coast resulted in Perthshire’s match against Irvine at Marress being wiped out.