Millbrae 17 Aberdeen University 15

It was an intense, absorbing and nerve-wracking match between Millbrae and Aberdeen University as they battled it out at BT Murrayfield to see who would be crowned BT National Bowl champions on Saturday.

Millbrae had the best of the early play, centres James Armstrong and Nigel Howard showing their intention to attack early on. The forwards were on song too, the scrum putting the student team under real pressure. Armstrong stepped up to the tee for the first chance at points but pushed the kick wide.

A young, vivacious squad, Aberdeen were keen on attacking too, and their speedy winger Max Stobbs looked to be streaking away for a try until Millbrae captain Josh Currie hauled him into touch.

There were some tremendous defensive efforts throughout the game from both sides, and the men from Ayrshire had to be on their guard, especially when the university team were being creative near the try-line. A chip into Murrayfield's huge dead ball area looked to be a certain try until the Millbrae defence just got to it and batted it away from an Aberdeen hand.

They wouldn't be denied for long though, and their scrum-half Thomas Forson dashed over from a line-out for an unconverted try. 0-5.

Millbrae had good attacking opportunities after steadily working their way into Aberdeen's half, but they couldn't turn pressure into points, with some loose passes thrown by possibly nervous hands on such a big occasion.

They regained their composure, however, and flanker Alan Drennan led the way in the loose, superbly backed up by prop Ben Paterson, hooker Jim Lymburn and half-backs Max Pickles and David Courtney. 

Possession flipped and flopped between the two sides and there were perhaps nerves all round as a spate of handling errors ensued.

Millbrae managed to pin the students into their own half for a considerable period of time, and again the centre pairing of Armstrong and Howard were making metres. Aberdeen got some breathing space thanks to a penalty but having opted for the line-out, they were out-foxed in the air and later penalised themselves, giving Armstrong another shot at goal. He was wide again.

Millbrae were desperate to get to the try-line, with Howard shooting off, second row Jack Brown in support. Courtney put in a neat little chip for Armstrong and winger Scott Cunningham to chase but Aberdeen got there first.

There was a short delay as Lymburn was helped from the field with a painful-looking shoulder injury. He was replaced by Ruairidh Sayce.

Pickles and Courtney headed for the line but the ball went loose and Aberdeen number eight Graham McKittrick found himself in the sin bin.

The university scrum couldn't cope without him, and under immense pressure on their own five-metre line, they sufficiently infringed to give Millbrae a penalty try. Armstrong's swift conversion brought the first half to an end. 7-5.

It was a shaky start to the second half with Millbrae's kick-off not going ten metres, and they lost speedster Armstrong to injury. But they settled down, with replacement back Gibson Siwo blasting his way through the defence.

The pink and black scrum was still dominant and Pickles broke away for the line with winger Chris Smith in support. They stayed patient and eventually number eight Keith Hunter forced his way over for a try. Replacement Craig Steel took over kicking duty and converted. 14-5.

Back to their full complement of players, Aberdeen put on an exciting display of running rugby fitting to the surroundings. Full-back Jonathan Bain made a beautiful break and a team-mate carried on up the wing, but Millbrae pinned their ears back and tracked him down before any damage could be done.

Another two forays to the line brought no tries for the university team. Millbrae full-back Lee Mayne put in a flying tackle and soon they had turned over in spectacular fashion.

That creativity of Aberdeen University was bound to bring results and a deft chip was collected by Stobbs, who threw himself under the posts for an excellent try. Stand-off William Kelly converted. 14-12.

Paterson and Sayce were throwing themselves about too, both in defence and attack, but Millbrae gave away a penalty and Aberdeen's Patrick Clark booted it over the crossbar to sneak ahead. 14-15.

The tension was palpable, even in that huge stadium, and the pink and black army roared on their team. It looked like they would claw back the lead but Steel's penalty attempt was wide.

Aberdeen seemed to have all the belief now, holding strong at the scrum and launching another attack. But Millbrae were ready to force them off the field.

Just as it appeared Aberdeen were on the up, they let themselves down by trying to trip Pickles as he attempted to tap and go. Marched back ten metres, they brought Steel within range of the posts. It was still a long-range kick, and with just two minutes left on the clock, it might have been Millbrae's last chance. Steel judged it perfectly, the ball seemingly floating through the air and dropping nicely over the crossbar. 17-15.

But moments later, the joy in the crowd turned to despair as Millbrae gave away a penalty in their own half. This was surely the dream over, until Kelly nudged the kick wide.

Play continued with seconds remaining. Aberdeen camped out on Millbrae's five-metre line, desperate for any points at all. But the men in pink and black drove them back until the ball was theirs and they booted it off the park to end the game and start the party.

Final score: Millbrae 17 Aberdeen University 15.

- Elena Hogarth.

Photos by Jim Gemmell.