Perthshire Rugby Club seconds get win over Kirkcaldy

Nov 27 2009 by Alison Lowson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

PERTHSHIRE 2nds enjoyed a hard-fought and close victory over local rivals Kirkcaldy on Saturday.

The 1st XV held a training session in the morning before cheering their colleagues on to victory.

And both squads came together later in the day to cheer Scotland on to their superb win over the touring Australians.

The coaches were well satisfied with the 2nd XV's performance and wanted to have a look at a few players who are staking a claim for a 1st XV place.

Tomorrow will see both 1sts and 2nds travelling to Musselburgh for a double header against the high-flying East Lothian outfit who have won their last four games.

The importance of this game cannot be over emphasised as a win would pull Shire clear of trouble but a defeat would drag them straight back into the bottom section of the league.

Shire have turned their season round in the last few weeks and are well on the way to meet coach Busby's target of winning all their games in November.

The team are firing on all cylinders at the moment and will travel in confidence after being put through the mill this week at their temporary training ground at Strathallan.

Gav Bloice and Craig Wallace are fit again for selection and if this did not make the coaches decision difficult enough, Shire are hoping that ex-star player David Rattray, currently with Edinburgh Accies, will be fit to make an appearance for his home club.

David is recovering from injury and, in a deal brokered by both clubs, he will play for Perthshire until he is fit enough to return to the top level.

Dave is one of the finest-ever players to have turned out for Perthshire before moving on to Premier 1.

Bob Lindsay said he was delighted with the new arrangement and has seen David in action a few times recently.

He was one of the best players on the field when Accies played the world-famous Barbarians and will be a huge asset to Shire.

He added that this move is akin to professional players being allocated to Premier 1 clubs and everyone at the club will benefit from Dave's tremendous attitude and knowledge of the game.

Dave himself is delighted to be back and will give his all for Shire until he is fit enough again to return to the rigours of a top Premier 1 side.

The bus for Musselburgh will leave at 9am for a noon kick-off so that both teams can conform to the recent edict issued by Murrayfield advising that all club matches must be finished before Scotland kick-off against Argentina.

If any Shire supporters are going to Murrayfield, they will be very welcome at Stoneyhill in Musselburgh where they will be sure to see a fascinating and hard-fought appetiser as the Eagles will do their best to halt the home team's resurgence.

Youth Rugby

THE Youth Section will be hosting a Race Night tomorrow at the clubhouse, with the first race starting at 7.30pm.

Entrance on the night will be £2.50, which will include a free race programme and one free bet on the first race.

There will be 10 races on the night and the highlights will be the wind-up races and the final Grand National auction race.

For those still wishing to purchase horses on the night, or for further information, contact Andy Cummins on 07835929954.

U15/16 training this Sunday will be indoors at the Perth Academy gymnasium, starting at 10am prompt. All those attending should bring both tarining shoes and boots for thetwo-hour session.

Last Sunday, the U15s, sponsored by Grassicks, lost away to Aberdeen Grammar 34-24.

Despite the loss, however, this was a very good performance, particularly by the forwards, with David Hill scoring his debut try.

The backs also performed well . With much to take from the game, training will focus on tackling by all team members.

This Sunday it’s at 10am at Perth Academy.