EKP Intoxicated By The Cream Of Manchester
June 29th, 2026
Manchester Titans 51 East Kilbride Pirates 06
After defeating Merseyside Nighthawks on their previous visit, East Kilbride headed back to Manchester to face reigning Division Champions, the Manchester Titans. The Pirates travelled with a depleted squad and made the journey more in hope than expectation.
EK won the toss and elected to receive the ball, however the opening drive stalled and interim Punter, Fraser McDonald had to kick the ball away. Likewise, the Titans’ opening salvo came up short as they too went 3-and-out. The next Pirates’ drive ended with QB Reece Aris limping out of the game as he came up just short on a 3rd-and-8 run before being pushed out of bounds. This was the first of three casualties in the first quarter alongside DB Gamu Mukeredzi and OL Brian Laidlaw. McDonald again punted, and this time Manchester responded immediately. A break out run up the middle saw Hafeez Bisiriyu gallop 46 yards for the opening TD, which Alex Lenkowski duly converted.
The Titans now had a taste for blood and their next possession ended with QB Josh Mills finding an open Sam Wilson in the endzone. Lenkowski’s PAT made the score 14-0 and with EK toiling in the sun, it wasn’t long before that lead increased. Again, it was the powerful running of Bisiriyu that did the damage, carrying home from 47 yards before the PAT was tagged on. There would be another touchdown before the end of the first period. Manchester’s ground game, operating behind a dominant O-line, proved almost unstoppable, and Nathan Jewkes was the beneficiary when he ran the ball home from 20 yards. Lenkowski added the conversion to end the period with the home side ahead by 28-0.
The second quarter started with yet another Titans TD. On the first play after the turn around, Mills connected with Brad Temple who then sped away for the covering Defence for a 57 yard TD which Mr Automatic duly converted. EK then started to show some signs of life on Offence, only to see a 9-play drive into the Manchester “red zone” falter on an incomplete 4th Down pass. The upward trend continued when Sands Christie intercepted the ball to regain possession and return it into enemy territory. From there, QB Scott McKigen guided his team forward before rounding things off with a 4-yard pass to Fraser McDonald. With no kicker available on the day, EK went for the 2 point conversion, but the pass went to ground. The next score in the half came when the Titans had to settle for a Field Goal that Lenkowski slotted over from 41 yards, making the score 38-6. Finally, inside the 2-minute warning, they added their last TD of the day. It was another rushing score, Jewkes getting his second of the game with a 67-yard run. The conversion left the interval score at 45-6.
That extended lead, by an excess of 35 points, meant the introduction of the “running clock” rules. This factor, combined with Manchester taking the opportunity to rotate their squad saw a more evenly contested second half. Indeed, the only scores in the second half came from two Lenkowski Field Goals of 37 then 25 yards.
So, a sobering day for the Pirates with slight mitigation in the fact that they travelled with a light squad, and some comfort can also be taken from the fact that the unbeaten Titans are head and shoulders above all of the other sides in the Division.
The Buffalo Trace Bourbon Gameday MVP Award was presented to lineman Michael Girvan who not only performed stoicly in his normal position on D-Line, but jumped in on O-Line and Special Teams when needed.
Next up for East Kilbride is the reverse fixture with Manchester Titans. The break will hopefully give the Pirates time to recover and re-group before the game on July 19th. The game at GHA Rugby Club in Giffnock will be preceded by a Pirates v Titans U19 clash.
Report by Bill Campbell
Photos courtesy Katie Stepek
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