Saturday 28th January

Biggar RFC (in common with most rugby clubs in Scotland) were frustrated on Saturday after Friday nights frost put paid to any hopes of play. Biggar were scheduled to meet Border side Selkirk in what was likely to be a very entertaining Premier C league match, but although the day started out bright, the sun quickly disappeared and there was insufficient heat to trouble the hard ground.
Obvious apologies but at the same time many thanks to the Lanarkshire and Peebleshire Branch of the Blackface Breeders Association who continued with their sponsorship lunch but without the attraction of the game.
There is no date confirmed as yet for the replay. The next scheduled game for the 1st XV is on the 11th February when they travel to take on Whitecraigs who managed a good win over Hillhead Jordanhill on Saturday, this being one of only a handful of fixtures to escape the frost on Saturday.
The frost put paid to for all Biggar games at the weekend – both Saturday and Sunday - with the Colts the closest to playing, but their journey on Saturday to Portobello was a wasted one as the pitch, despite earlier optimism, proved to be too hard for anything other than a game of touch.

This weekend the focus shifts to the 6-Nations and the always eagerly awaited Calcutta Cup match between Scotland and England. There is a good deal of speculation as usual about the result with both sides having made many changes since their return from the World Cup last autumn.
Ex-Biggar man Scott Lawson is part of the Scotland squad and he is hopeful of being involved on Saturday although with hooker Ross Ford named as Scotland captain a starting place is unlikely.

There is still some action scheduled however with the S1 section managing to arrange an away fixture with Currie  and the U-15 section travelling on Sunday to play Portobello in the Edinburgh league.

EGM Update

At the EGM held last Monday, details of the minor additions and amendments to the constitution were provided to the members and were approved unanimously.
In addition Opportunity was taken to update members on the current situation with regard to grant applications and the proposed developments at Hartree Mill.
SportScotland: A Grant of £50k is currently in course from SportScotland. These funds will be used to create 4 new changing rooms and thus improve the facilities at the club, particularly with respect to the junior members in the Mini, Midi and Ladies sections by create individual changing rooms with dedicated showering facilities. The are several requirements attached to the grant before SportScotland will release funds which include a requirement to raise £20k in cash. In addition the members own time and expertise is recognised as providing some £40k of ‘input’ to the development giving a total of some £110k in all.
The next stage of the developments at Hartree Mill comprises converting the 3 existing changing rooms to 2 with their own dedicated showering, new toilets, improved disabled access to Clubhouse, improved car parking and improved drainage for pitches allowing for more use of the facilities at Hartree Mill particularly the need to use the Showfield and travel back to clubhouse for showers etc.
All the members present expressed their approval of these great opportunities for Biggar RFC and the whole community of Biggar and the surrounding area, recognizing that the raising of the initial £20k by April was key to the initial stage of the works proposed.

Match report 22nd January 2012

There was no 1st XV game on Saturday and so the spotlight fell on the 2nds and Colts XV’s both of whom were in action at the Showfield.
In bitterly cold and windy conditions all players and match officials deserve great credit for their efforts. The wind was so strong and biting that the Colts referee was unable to record the last two Biggar scores as his hands were numb and virtually unworkable!
The 2nd XV managed to get the better of their visitors from Musselburgh. In a close fought contest Biggar opened with an early score but couldn’t make their pressure tell, Musselburgh coming back to tie the scores with a first half try of their own.
The 7-7 score lasted until almost the death when, after both sides had kicked and missed penalties, Richard Peacock eventually notched the score which put Biggar ahead at 10-7. This was just enough and the win pushes the Biggar side into joint 4th spot in the RBS Reserve League Division 2. There are still 6 games to go however so things could get better still. Clear at the top and uncatchable are Aberdeen and Selkirk A who will deserve their promotion to Division 1.
The colts hosted Livingston U-18’s in the Edinburgh Regional Cup. Having put Ross High to the sword last week the boys were keen to maintain their top spot with a second victory. That they achieved with some ease, Livingston having a really difficult task in attempting to stem the tide as the wind swept play downfield in the first half. Things didn’t improve much after the break as Livi turned to get the benefit of the gale but by that time the home side were in control of proceedings and resolute in defence.
The Colts travel to face Portobello next week for what is their last cup game and with both the U-15’s and U-16’s also in action against the Edinburgh club on Sunday it will be interesting to see which club has the bragging rights come Sunday evening.

Sunday should have seen the S1 and U-16 sides in action at Dunfermline and Biggar respectively but with waterlogged pitches in Fife making play impossible and Cambuslang short of players neither game went ahead. Training was the order of the day instead.

Selkirk preview

This weekend sees the return of RBS Premier league C rugby with a visit from Border side Selkirk.
The game in September at Philliphaugh saw the Borderers triumph by the narrowest of margins at 23-22. The game this time round will see new coach Derek Armstrong in sole charge after taking over from Oz-bound Gary Parker.
Selkirk are virtually ‘safe’ as they currently lead the Premier C table and are clear of both 3rd and 2nd places. They will, nevertheless, be taking this game very seriously and as Biggar are in real need of points to ensure they play in the National league next season this promises to be a tough contest.
Kick off is 2pm and a large turnout would be very much appreciated.

Biggar Colts Report 21st January 2012

Biggar 46              Livingston 0

On a cold, wet and windy Showfield, the Colts played some excellent rugby to defeat Livinston by eight unanswered tries. It took just 10 minutes for them break through following an excellent burst into the line by full back Peter Millar. He drew the last man and with a well timed  pass to Graham Jamieson, put the winger in for a score in the corner. Five minutes later the ball was worked out to Graham Jamieson who made a great break up the wing before being tackled only 15m out from the line. The ball was recycled and after a couple of pick and go drives, Robbie Swan crashed over from 5 meters out. The third came from Paul  Davidson who took a pop pass at pace from Danny McGinn on the 22. He powered through a couple of would be tacklers for a good solo try. Just before half time Biggar were again pressing the Livingston line. When the ball popped out of the ruck, the ever alert Danny McGinn was first to react and scrambled over the line to give Biggar a 22-0 lead at half-time.

After 10 minutes, Biggar were again camped on the Livingston line, when eventually Zander Lyon picked up from the base of the ruck to drive over. Within a couple of minutes of that score, Mark Bertram beat two men in the centre and passed to Andrew Fleming on the wing who outpaced the cover to run in under the posts from 40m out. The wind and rain took a turn for the worse for a period of 10 minutes during which very little rugby was able to be played, but credit to the boys because when it eased back down they ran in two further tries. The first was a crash ball to Craig McDonald from the base of a ruck 5 meters out. Paul Davidson was then sin-brinned for a late tackle and despite being down to 14 men, they  were still able to score the final try of the game. Some good handling by the backs, released Andrew Fleming to score in the corer from 25 meters out. Craig McDonald converted two of the tries.

Another good day out by the Colts who are looking to beat Portobello next week which will see them progress into the Shield section of the Edinburgh Cup.

Biggar Colts Report 21st January 2012

Biggar 46              Livingston 0

On a cold, wet and windy Showfield, the Colts played some excellent rugby to defeat Livinston by eight unanswered tries. It took just 10 minutes for them break through following an excellent burst into the line by full back Peter Millar. He drew the last man and with a well timed  pass to Graham Jamieson, put the winger in for a score in the corner. Five minutes later the ball was worked out to Graham Jamieson who made a great break up the wing before being tackled only 15m out from the line. The ball was recycled and after a couple of pick and go drives, Robbie Swan crashed over from 5 meters out. The third came from Paul  Davidson who took a pop pass at pace from Danny McGinn on the 22. He powered through a couple of would be tacklers for a good solo try. Just before half time Biggar were again pressing the Livingston line. When the ball popped out of the ruck, the ever alert Danny McGinn was first to react and scrambled over the line to give Biggar a 22-0 lead at half-time.

After 10 minutes, Biggar were again camped on the Livingston line, when eventually Zander Lyon picked up from the base of the ruck to drive over. Within a couple of minutes of that score, Mark Bertram beat two men in the centre and passed to Andrew Fleming on the wing who outpaced the cover to run in under the posts from 40m out. The wind and rain took a turn for the worse for a period of 10 minutes during which very little rugby was able to be played, but credit to the boys because when it eased back down they ran in two further tries. The first was a crash ball to Craig McDonald from the base of a ruck 5 meters out. Paul Davidson was then sin-brinned for a late tackle and despite being down to 14 men, they  were still able to score the final try of the game. Some good handling by the backs, released Andrew Fleming to score in the corer from 25 meters out. Craig McDonald converted two of the tries.

Another good day out by the Colts who are looking to beat Portobello next week which will see them progress into the Shield section of the Edinburgh Cup.

2nds v musselburgh

The seconds are playing musselburgh at the showfield today. 2pm kick-off so come down to offer your support!

Also, due to Perthshire pulling out of the league, the seconds game against them next week has been cancelled.

2nds XV defeat Dalziel

Biggar 20 Dalziel 12 (check that score line for what was the 2nd XV's first game in 2012!!!)

It was a fine January day on Saturday when the 2nd XV re-started their league campaign. The game was a re-scheduled fixture with Dalziel, our local rivals. The league points were important but the bragging rights were equally important.
Dalziel kicked off playing towards the road; the ball was caught and immediately driven straight into the heart of the Dalziel defence. Biggar worked hard up the hill, attack after attack being thwarted by resilient Dalziel defence. The turning point was the continual infringements by the visitors around the breakdown, the referee eventually penalising Dalziel. Ali Dow stepped up to land the penalty but the ball slid past the upright and the chance of a lead was gone. Biggar were galvanised by their near miss and continued to pressure Dalziel, it became obvious that the referee would run out of patience and he did, one of the visitors was yellow carded. He was probably not the perpetrator but it was an accumulation of offences.
The penalty was 5 yards inside the Biggar half, up stepped, the returning Scott Watson, who coolly stroked the ball over the bar. Biggar 3, Dalziel 0 That was how the half would end. It looks on paper to have been a poor half but the endeavour and commitment shown by both sides made for excellent entertainment.
The second half kicked off with the same vim and vigour as had been shown in the first half both sides going at each other with gusto! It was Biggar who shone first with a confident switch move the ball passing through numerous pairs of hands for the flying winger Ali Dow to dive over in the corner, it was a brave decision as he dived the two covering defenders both tried to carry him down the high street. The try went un-converted.
Biggar again took the upper hand and again the referee felt the need to go to his pocket and card another Dalziel player. Biggar showed control and patience and then Stuart Moffat, playing with authority ghosted past the defence to score un-opposed, the conversion was missed, Biggar 13, Dalziel nil. Biggar were not done yet and the home side again pounded away at the Dalziel line and then Biggar un-leashed the flying winger again, when Ali Dow was on the end of great work from the whole team to dot down close to the posts. This time Scott Watson added the conversion Biggar 20 – Dalziel nil.
Dalziel were not going down easily, back to fifteen players and a couple of sage subs of a vintage that would suit a good Claret, Dalziel grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and went after a bonus point or maybe the game that was the grit and determination they applied to their game. It has to be said that Biggar took their foot off the gas a bit! That does not detract from the Dalziel application; they drove straight at Biggar and found a weakness. The home side’s inability to go down on the ball when covering back, attempted one handed pick-ups, guddled snatches meant Dalziel capitalised on these mistakes and scored two quick fire tries and one conversion. The second try was well into stoppage time and the conversion would mean a bonus point for the visitors…… The kicker stepped up, made clean contact, Biggar had let the point slip….but no, the ball narrowly missing the upright, no bonus point for the visitors.
This was a creditable display for the first game of 2012 and would you believe it the score Biggar 20 Dalziel 12! An omen for the remainder of the season! The second team were a credit to themselves but they all agreed there was work to do during the week. The 2nd XV travel to Hamilton for another local derby this week, the hosts took the points at Hartreemill when the sides met earlier on in the season. It is up to Biggar to return the compliment down at Leigh Bent.

2nds V Hamilton

The 2nd XV had an encouraging win by 30-8 over local rivals Hamilton. This was a good result end evens things up after Hamilton took the honours in the game at Hartreemill earlier this season.
Biggar move up to 6th spot in the Reserve League Div 2.
Report to follow

Biggar Colts Report 14th January 2012

Ross High 7               Biggar 74

The Colts got their Edinburgh Cup campaign off to a flier with a thumping win at Ross High, when they ran in  eleven tries to Ross High's one. This was their first game since the 3rd December, but there was very little rustiness in their play. The forwards dominated in the scrum  and line-out and made huge inroads with their driving mauls and secured a lot of ball at rucks. Not to be outdone, the backs ran most of the ball and showed good running lines and support play to make the most of the ball. The try scorers were A Fleming (3), J Muir (2), D Began (2), M Bertram (2), R Swan (1), J Orr (1), Paul Davidson (1). P Miller converted six tries and C McDonald converted one.  The team was delighted for J Orr, making his comeback following his injury earlier in the season.

Burns Supper

The next major event on the social calendar is the very successful Burns Supper. This is scheduled for January 21st at the Municipal Hall and is a very popular event. Tickets are always in high demand so if you wish to secure yours, please contact GY. Names please before 14th January. Tickets are £25 per person and include the traditional Burns Supper, speeches, entertainment and ceilidh.

U-16 v Penicuik

The Under 16’s were in action and again many thanks to Richard Adams for this report.
Biggar U16 61 Penicuik U16 7
After the festive break Biggar travelled away to Penicuik to complete the league season. All thought that it would take a while to get back into the flow of rugby after such a long break but Biggar were also looking to put things right after their last outing ended in defeat.
The worry of too much Christmas dinner causing a lack of fitness and skill within the Biggar team were brushed away within seconds as the Penicuik kick off went straight into the hands of Graig Stewart who ran all the way to the try line but knocked on. This was a clear sign of things to come as Pencuik simply could not get out of their twenty two. After doing everything but score, Biggar did finally cross their opponent’s line through Ryan Anderson. The visitors continued their dominance with Scott Graham scoring moments later and completed their impressive start after a surging run from Grant Hamilton, giving the away side an early 19 point lead with Jack Warnock again kicking well.
The points stopped flowing as Pencuik seemed to wake from their Christmas hangover and despite better play from the home side, Biggar added seven more points to their tally when Richard Adams scored and Warnock again converted.
The game then heated up a bit. Pencuik attacked Biggar and pushed them back, taking the spring out the visitors step. Penalty after penalty was given away by Biggar and they were pinned back and it allowed the home team to get on the scoreboard with a converted try from a long throw at a line out close to the line.
Biggar replied though with a try of their own from Danny McAllister after a back move worked perfectly. The first half ended as Biggar made the score 40-7 at the break with another try, this time from Warnock. However, Biggar were accused of chatting back to the ref and captain Anderson  was put in the sin bin before the interval.
The second half was much the same as the first with Biggar knocking hard at the Penicuik door in hope of more tries. McAllister scored again, Steven Campbell got a try and William Cooper got his first Biggar try with a fine run down the wing. Warnock continued his fine kicking from 2011 to make the score look even more emphatic.
A good, comfortable win for Biggar who will likely finish in the top four in the league, meaning there will be tougher games to come but, nevertheless, a very fine start to 2012 for the Under 16s.