DAILY TELEGRAPH REPORTS
By Alasdair Reid
Last Updated: 3:19am BST 07/05/2007


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Rory Kerr\'s three-match international career with Scotland did not include an appearance at Murrayfield, so the Glasgow Hawks wing had more than one box to tick when he turned up at the national stadium for his side\'s National Cup final against Edinburgh Academicals. And as he cradled his winner\'s medal at the finish, there was no disguising his satisfaction.

In a match that was tight to the point of being claustrophobic, Kerr did not manage to find a way through the Accies\' defence, but still made a noteworthy contribution to the Hawks\' 24-13 win. It was a third cup success for the side founded just 10 years ago, and the end of a long and sometimes rocky road for Kerr.

A player who might once have epitomised the sterility of the Scottish professional system, Kerr was hot-housed through the age-grade international sides, virtually bypassed the amateur club level, became a prolific scorer for Glasgow and made his full international debut in 2002. Three years later, however, he was cast on the scrapheap when released by Glasgow, with no idea what the future might bring.

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So he went travelling, spending time in New Zealand where he sheared sheep, lived a little and came back the better for it all.

\"I went just to get away from it all,\" he explained. \"I spent my whole youth and early twenties training all day and sitting in an ice bucket every night, and after a while that gets a bit boring.\"

On his return to Scotland last year, Kerr joined the Hawks, finding the camaraderie of clubmates as rewarding as anything else the game had given him.

That sense of togetherness was almost palpable on Saturday as the Hawks summoned indignation over criticism of their rather lucky semi-final win over West of Scotland and unleashed themselves on the Accies.

Flanker John Fitzpatrick and No 8 Ally Maclay collected their tries and fly-half Mike Adamson weighed in with a conversion and four penalties. Stuart and Dan Teague scored tries for the Accies and Gavin Douglas dropped a goal, but the capital side never really found their stride.

On the support bill, GHK took the National Plate with a 34-29 win over Strathearn, Morgan retained the Bowl by beating East Kilbride 18-11, and Falkirk claimed the Shield with a 15-14 victory against Garnock.

This article was posted on 9-May-2007, 07:15 by Hugh Barrow.