Tough Crawshays start for Thistle
Published on 1 June 2013

Scottish Thistles have a tough opening tie against Crawshays Welsh in the first round of the GB7s Series at Eirias Park in Colwyn Bay today, the first of three tournaments on consecutive weekends, that make up the competition, writes Alan Lorimer.

Thistles coach, Graham Shiel, who is part of the national squad set-up, has selected a side for the one-day tournament in North Wales that mixes international experience with exciting potential shown in recent domestic tournaments. World Sevens Series players Andrew Skeen, Peter Jericevich and Ross Miller will bring their experience of the international game to the Thistles squad.

Shiel will be eager to find out how the likes of Selkirk wing Darren Clapperton, Edinburgh Accies flanker Lyle Godsmark and the Watsonians wing Scott McKean, rise to the challenge of higher-level competition.

"We tend to use the same group of players in international sevens, and so this gives a number of players the chance to put themselves forward. Some guys did really well on the Border circuit" said Shiel. "We're trying to create a pathway in sevens.

Shiel will also be able to assess the fitness of Selkirk's Fraser Harkness, who is captaining the Samurai, who are in the same pool as the Thistles. Also present at the tournament will be the Scotland Sevens coach, Stephen Gemmell, who will take a national side to Lyon next weekend for the first round of the FIRA-AER Sevens series.

This article was posted on 1-Jun-2013, 09:55 by Hugh Barrow.