THE SCOTSMAN WRITES



Published Date: 07 July 2009
By DAVID FERGUSON
THE Scottish domestic leagues will kick off at the end of August and end in early March after a working group agreed to shorten the season.
Rugby clubs have bemoaned the fact that the leagues have stretched well into April with the problems of fixture congestion reaching a new nadir last season when two clubs were ejected from the Scottish Cup for failing to fulfil postponed fixtures by a short deadline set and Berwick chose to play two leagues games on two days to avoid relegation.

As a result, a working party chaired by Jim Fleming, the former international referee and Scottish Rugby Council member, canvassed opinions among clubs over changes. He stated that they had looked to cut the leagues to ten teams, but that this was one of several proposals clubs baulked at, and so there is little difference to the league set-up other than the length of the season.

The other changes see a new-look domestic cup format, with three distinct competitions for the 36 Premier clubs, 36 National clubs and the regional clubs, where losers will no longer drop from one to the other, as well as the introduction of a British and Irish Cup involving Ayr and Heriot's.

Fleming said: "Myself and the elected representatives – including those from the Premier, National and Regional Divisions, schools and referees – have considered extensively a variety of options and their ramifications and have come to a decision that satisfies all of those on both the committee and council.

"I would like to thank the many clubs for their thorough feedback and for helping us to produce the revised season structure."

The clubs will have a week off on 21 November, a fortnight's break over Christmas and New Year, and have no fixtures scheduled for the weekends Scotland are playing in the RBS Six Nations Championship. The final league games are planned for Saturday, 6 March, 2010, and the SHE Cup Final due to be played on Sunday 9 May.

Ayr will launch their campaign as Scottish Hydro Premier One champions at home to Scottish Cup holders Heriot's in an attractive opening day clash.

FIXTURES: (Saturday, 29 August 2009)

SHE Division One: Ayr v Heriot's, West of Scotland v Watsonians, Selkirk v Boroughmuir, Stewart's Melville FP v Edinburgh Academicals, Melrose v Glasgow Hawks, Currie v Dundee HSFP.

SHE Division Two: Stirling County v Hawick, Haddington v Kirkcaldy, Peebles v Aberdeen Grammar, Jed Forest v Gala, Biggar v Dunfermline, Kelso v GHA.

SHE Division Three: Dumfries v Hillhead Jordanhill, Falkirk v Garnock, Hamilton v Ardrossan Academicals, Morgan Academy FP v Cartha QP, Musselburgh v Irvine, Howe of Fife v Perthshire.

This article was posted on 7-Jul-2009, 07:22 by Hugh Barrow.