THE GLASWEGIAN REPORTS

WHITECRAIGS club secretary Graham Scott couldn't hide his joy at the Rugby Premier Cup draw and reckons it will highlight exactly what level they're at.
The National League Division One outfit were bottom seeds and were pitched against Kirkcaldy, Watsonians along with Premiership Division One side West of Scotland.
The task set for the minnows could not be any tougher and Scott recognises it will be an uphill task to even take a point from their group.
But he was keen to just focus on the plus points new coach John Shaw's men could take from the tournament.
Scott said: "We're delighted with the draw and to be playing against West of Scotland will give us a real indiction of exactly where we are.
"It will be a great test and let our guys know what it takes to reach the bigger teams' level.
"We fancy the challenge and it is a worthwhile reward for all the hard work the boys put in last year.
"We're under no illusions, we'll be the underdogs but again it's all about us getting a good indication of where we are as a club. It's all about the team and this is all a learning curve for them but we're happy to be involved and it's good for Scottish rugby as a whole.
"It comes a bit early in the season for us, so I don't want to be saying we're going to be beating these kind of teams. But we're looking forward to it and we'll give it our best shot."
Meanwhile, West of Scotland coach Keith Robertson insists Whitecraigs are not to be taken lightly.
He said: "I'm quite happy with the draw. Whitecraigs are a team very much on the way up and they will fancy their chances.
"It will be a tough match on their patch. They'll all be hard games as Kirkcaldy don't give much away up there while Watsonians are another Premier team so that's shows how hard that will be.
"But we must look to progress in the cup and we'll have to play at our best to do that. We'll take it one step at a time and try and get out the group first and foremost.
"Our first concern is obviously the league and we'll concentrate on that but it will be good to take part in the cup and its interesting new format."
The draw has thrown up some tasty clashes for the Glasgow clubs with GHA having to take on the likes of Ayr and Dunfermline. While Hillhead/Jordanhill will battle it out with fellow Glaswegian outfit CQP.
Pool F sees Premiership Division One giants Glasgow Hawks trown up with old rivals Edinburgh Accies alongside Jed-Forest and Dumfries.
And Hawks boss Peter Wright admits he's just hoping his side can put on a better show than the previous two years in the tournament.
He said: "I think the way they do the draw is fair and I think it's good they mix up the divisions when they out them in the hat.
"The good thing with the cup is it's the luck of the draw and the wee teams get a chance to face the bigger sides.
We're really chuffed with our draw. If there was one marginal criticism it is that the small team get to play us at home but then I don't really want to complain about that because it is probably the fairest way to do it. And the ethos of the tournament is to give the wee teams a chance I guess.
"I'd have a problem if everyone was drawn together.
"I think they will all be pretty tasty ties. Dumfries will fancy their chances with it being a home game. Edinburgh Accies will be the tougher match. We played them twice last year, beat them once and just beat them a second time and they will look to engage themselves.
"I've been fortunate to play these kind of games and it's good for the players to be involved in them. It's good for them to travel across the country to different grounds.
"We've not had much luck in this cup and haven't won a game in the last couple of years, so we're not counting our chickens in terms of qualifying from our group.
"We feel the cup is important and we want to do well in it. We'll be putting out our strongest team. The league is vital to us but we'll not be taking cup games lightly.
"The cup is a nice distraction and there's always a chance of a shock in it."

This article was posted on 29-Jul-2010, 10:56 by Hugh Barrow.