31/08/2026
🏉 PRESIDENT’S REPORT | CRIEFF 45 v PANMURE 24
The first President’s Report of the new league season is in following Saturday’s trip to Crieff.
It wasn’t the result we wanted, with the hosts taking a 45–24 victory, but there were plenty of positives to take from our opening league fixture.
Members/Supporters,
A new Season, a new league, a new look side, could this be our season? That was the question on all our minds as we travelled down to Crieff on Saturday in positive and buoyant mood ahead of our first league game of the season!
A couple of hours later and the question changed to, is it going to be another one of these seasons?
Although we came 2nd to the better side on Saturday, there were positive signs, a four-try bonus point and competitive debuts for two 18-year-olds and a number of other youngsters shows the age demographic is lowering. The game was played in glorious sunshine and in a very open entertaining fashion. A Crieff side packed with young students and some old heads, started the game well and our backs were to the wall for most of the first 20 minutes. Later into the half we started to grow into the game and gain some control scoring a couple of very well worked tries to reduce the deficit to 19-12 and with a few minutes to go in the half we were camped inside Crieff's twenty-two and looking odds on to score and draw the game level at the break. Then in typical Panmure fashion, disaster struck and an intercepted pass led to a length of the pitch try allowing Crieff to pull ahead 26-12 at the break.
The second half played out much the same with us scoring a couple more tries but also conceding three tries with the final score 45-26 in favour of the home side. Speaking to the coaching team after the game it was all positive talk, credit being given to the way we stuck in when the game could have really got away from us and confidence that while we are not there yet, the nucleolus of a good side very prominent.
Special mentions to Murray Peggie and Ally McGovern who at 18 years old look right at home in Senior rugby, and also at the other end of the scale Gordon Gray proving there is a lot of life left in that old dog yet! To our Skipper Jamie Faulkner, who led the team from the front and Liam Britten for a hat-trick of tries. The highlight of the day for me however was watching Jonny Pattullo bursting through the middle of the Crieff defence and sprinting clear. With no one in front of him and the whole paddock to go, quicksand got him and he was caught with 20 metres to go by the slowest man in Crieff that day (present company and all that).
My thanks as ever to the coaching staff, the travelling support which was plentiful and especially the players for their efforts. We go again next week against Strathmore 2nd XV, a game being played at Greenfield Academy due to the unavailability of Forthill.
There will be no presidents report for the next two games, due to my 2-week sabbatical to Spain, but I know the players would welcome your support at the games.
Play up Panmure.
Doug Bett
💪 Four-try bonus point
🎩 Liam Britten hat-trick
🌟 Competitive senior debuts for 18-year-olds Murray Peggie & Ally McGovern
👏 Plenty of young players getting valuable senior rugby
🏉 Jamie Faulkner leading from the front
Next up ➡️ Strathmore 2nd XV at Greenfield Academy.
