Caithness hold on for thrilling 49–45 win at Kinloss

Caithness returned north with a huge away win after an afternoon at Kinloss that started with a plan for control and patience…and ended with everyone trying to remember what the score actually was.

The aim was to manage the game, stay patient in attack and make Kinloss work, and for large parts Caithness did exactly that. The visitors built pressure well, found different ways to score and showed real composure with ball in hand.

was plenty of variety in the eight Caithness tries. **Connor Allan and Will Oag both crossed twice**, with **Jak Murray, Cole Wilson and Max Kennedy** also getting over.

One of the highlights of the afternoon came through **Nathan Quinn**, who finished off a superb end-to-end Caithness try. From a 5m scrum at one end to scoring at the other, it was exactly the sort of score that summed up the pace and madness of the game.

Then came the final 20 minutes.Kinloss decided patience was overrated and went into full offload-or-bust mode. With some seriously powerful runners and a willingness to keep the ball alive from anywhere, the game suddenly became scarily frantic.

Caithness had worked their way into what looked like a decisive **49–33 lead**, but Kinloss simply refused to go away. Two late scores dragged them right back into it and, with the second half somehow stretching towards the 45-minute mark, even the players had lost track of the scoreboard.

Thankfully, the referee hadn’t.

Final confirmation: **Kinloss 45, Caithness 49.**Every member of the Caithness squad played their part, but two defensive moments proved absolutely crucial. **Michael Gunn and Thom Storey** both somehow managed to hold Kinloss up over the Caithness try line when scores looked certain.

In a game eventually decided by four points, those efforts quite literally helped win it.They also summed up the attitude of the side — Kinloss kept coming with strong runners, but Caithness were determined to stay on top defensively and make them earn absolutely everything.

This was a big win, especially on the road, against a Kinloss side whose current results probably don’t tell the full story. They are a good team, they will beat sides this season and, judging by Saturday, they’re going to put on quite a show while doing it

.For Caithness, though, another valuable win — and perhaps a few more grey hairs for everyone watching.

• written by Russell Mill