THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS

Rugby: Stevenson hands team-mates Melrose meeting



Published Date: 15 January 2009
WHITECRAIGS players tempted into thinking they had done the hard work by knocking out Premier Division 2 Peebles in the Scottish Hydro Electric Cup have been given a reality check after being drawn away to holders Melrose in the fifth round.
However, the Glasgow club have one of their own number to thank after stand-off Ally Stevenson, 17, drew the home sides in yesterday's Murrayfield ceremony, while Mark Billingham, skipper of the weekend's other giant-killers, Lasswade, who beat another Division 2 club in Jed-Forest, plucked the away teams from the hat.

Lasswade were drawn away to Premier Division 3 side GHA, with Billingham accepting the East League side will not be an unknown quantity. But it is Whitecraigs, currently pushing for their second successive promotion, to National League Division 1, who drew the plum tie, and Stevenson was delighted.

"You definitely want a big team because it gives you something to really look forward to," he said. "Melrose are a big club with a big history, and it will definitely be a challenge. It's a great draw because it gives us the chance to see where we stand compared to the top leagues in Scotland. The boys might be disappointed that I never pulled out a home draw, but I'm sure they'll be pleased we got a big team everybody will recognise.

"They will really be looking forward to playing at the Greenyards. I hope it will be a great game and we'll at least be able to give them a run for their money."

National League clubs play under the under-19s' scrum law, which stops pushing at a metre-and-a-half, which might be seen to help a Whitecraigs front row made up of two 18-year-olds and one 17-year-old. Whitecraigs coach Jim Henderson shrugged that off, however, pointing to good displays by his side in friendly games against higher-ranked opposition in pre- season as a reason for optimism.

Craig Chalmers, the Melrose coach, was similarly unconcerned by the ruling.

"We played with that at Newton Stewart at the weekend," said Chalmers, "and it's not an issue. The bigger concern is getting the scrums straight and the binding correct, but our scrum hasn't been brilliant this season so I'm not worried. I think the draw's great and while we'll be expected to beat Whitecraigs, they'll come to us pretty fired up from their win over Peebles and ready to take us on I'm sure."

With so many earlier ties postponed due to the weather, there were few other clear-cut games decided by the cup, shield, bowl and plate draws.

There are potential all-Division 1 clashes between Hawick and Ayr, and Glasgow Hawks and Edinburgh Accies, while Heriot's and Gala are on track to meet at Goldenacre, Stewart's-Melville and Watsonians at Inverleith, and Currie and Kelso at Malleny Park, similarly, if those teams do not suffer upsets.

There also remains the tantalising prospect of Hawick YM clashing with the senior Hawick side in the shield, if the Greens were to suffer a shock defeat at Gordonians and YM lose to Stewart's-Melville. That may just provide more incentive to ensure victory in the re-arranged tie in the north-east.

This article was posted on 15-Jan-2009, 12:05 by Hugh Barrow.