There's a breathless hush in the Close tonight -
Ten to make and the match to win -
A bumping pitch and a blinding light,
An hour to play and the last man in.

I don't know about the Close but certainly at Goldenacre with the news that SRU ban Southwell from playing cricket for the Nails

THE HERALD REPORTS
SRU rules cricket out of bounds

KEVIN FERRIE and DAVID KELSO May 25 2006

Hugo Southwell has been told to stop playing cricket after his midweek appearance for Heriot's undermined the national rugby team management's claim that they were trying to protect players from injury ahead of this summer's tour of South Africa.
The international full-back was one of several Edinburgh Gunners players who had been withdrawn from their side to meet Leinster in Friday's match which could see the Irish province crowned champions.
His match-winning performance for Heriot's in a Masterton Trophy clash with Edinburgh Accies on Tuesday consequently gave the impression that double standards were being applied, particularly as Frank Hadden, Scotland's coach, was a member of the Edinburgh management which banned Duncan Hodge from playing cricket a few years ago.
"Hugo should not have been playing cricket," said Gordon McKie, the SRU's chief executive. "Discussions will take place between the player and the coaches but he has never been given permission to play."
It follows that Southwell will not, as Heriot's had hoped and anticipated, now be able to play for them in Saturday's Scottish National Cricket League Premier Division match against Stenhousemuir.
That episode has added to the SRU's embarrassment over an issue that has the potential to damage both the image of the Celtic League and the attractiveness of the professional teams to the private investors who are being courted by the SRU management.
McKie understandably believes that, with some 90 professional players scheduled to take part in international tours in June, they faced a "no win" situation when considering whether to protect some elite players from injury.
Hadden's initial preference had been to rest the majority of international squad members, but that was reappraised in the case of Glasgow Warriors and Border Reivers.
They have still had players withdrawn from their teams for matches that will decide which of them plays in next season's Heineken European Cup, but the majority of their international players are expected to be included in the squads announced today, albeit some will start on the bench.
It is also understood that, since the beginning of the week, when Dougie Hall was the only Edinburgh player expected to be made available to face Leinster as the hooker looks to regain match sharpness following a shoulder injury, more of their international players have now been made available.
A further complication emerged, though, in that Edinburgh Gunners players could miss out on end-of-season bonus payments because of the Scotland management's decision to withdraw international players from their team to meet Leinster tomorrow.
The previous SRU management made great play of the importance of relating performance to payment, so bonuses are greater depending on where players finish in the league.
McKie was not prepared to go into detail over how that bonus system works, but noted that such payments are not down to a single match.
"Bonuses are a private matter but they attach to a season that lasts 20 games, so there is no direct correlation between them and an individual match," he said. "It is unfortunate that they should be linked in any way.
"Bonuses were not an issue when making this decision. Our biggest concern was that we simply cannot afford any further injuries because of the pressures caused by having so many involved in tours."
The biggest issue is, though, the damage that could be done to the Celtic League's competitive credibility if Leinster go on to lift the title because they beat a sub-strength Gunners side while Ulster lose at Neath- Swansea Ospreys who, as defending champions, have promised to field the strongest possible side.
David Jordan, the Celtic League tournament director, admitted yesterday that Hadden had done nothing wrong in withdrawing his players in these circumstances.
"We want the finale to be as strong as possible and would prefer that teams be at full strength, but tournament rules permit players involved in internationals being released," he said.
"As the tournament gains credibility and strength, I am sure the participants themselves will demand a bit more surety."
Jordan also accepted that this situation has underlined the need to consider introducing an end-of-season play-off system as pertains in both the Southern Hemisphere Super 14 and England's Guinness Premiership.
"Maybe the league will have to look at ways of ensuring that we have the strongest possible finish to the season," he said.
Edinburgh's Celtic League clash with Leinster at Murrayfield tomorrow will be broadcast live on Setanta Sports 1 from 7.10pm.
Alistair Forsyth (Earlston) was last night elected to the Scottish Rugby Council as Scottish Borders Regional League representative.

This article was originally posted on 25-May-2006, 06:42 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 25-May-2006, 08:32.