 |
JED-FOREST R.F.C |
|
|
2003-2004 News_________________________________________________________________________________9th May Jed pipped at the postJed reached the final of our own 7s yesterday but were eventually beaten 29 - 12 in the final by the very classy Watsonians. Jed actually scored first, when Chris Richards clever cross field kick was gathered by Kevin Amos and he slid across the rain soaked turf for the first try. This was the cue for Watsonians to up the pace and they scored 3 quick tries to make sure of the cup. Jason Gill did score again for Jed but it was to late and man of the tournament Jamie Blackwood scored the last try and in doing so completed his hat trick of tries in the final. Earlier in the day Jed saw off a very strong Boroughmuir team 14 - 5 in the first round, then they beat Hawick 19 - 0 before seeing of the surprise package of the day, Berwick 34 - 0, in the semi final with Jason Gill and Ross Goodfellow scoring 2 tries each. Jed did have the consolation of finishing second in the Kings of the sevens tournament courtesy of their good showing in this tournament. Ross Goodfellow scoring against Berwick |
|
Hawick Lindeen |
v |
Peebles A |
|
Duns |
v |
Gala YM |
|
St Boswells |
v |
Selkirk A |
|
Earlston |
v |
Hawick Quins |
|
Hawick YM |
v |
Melrose A |
|
Hawick Trades |
v |
Hawick A |
|
Jed-Forest A |
v |
Kelso A |
|
Eyemouth White Horses |
v |
Berwick A |
Jed have been given a nightmare draw for Sundays Peebles 7s. We were 1st out of the hat and play Watsonians in the 1st round who beat us in the Hawick final, then if we get through that we play the winners of Boroughmuir and the Royal Scots. The full draw is on the sevens page.
Jed reached the semi final of Berwick 7s today and moved into 2nd place in the Kings of the 7s race in doing so. Despite missing Jason Gill, Davie Forster and Chris Richards who all picked knocks at Hawick yesterday, Jed were able to call Mark Fitzgerald, Donald Grieve and Donald Galbraith into the squad. A gentle opener against Eyemouth saw Jed coast to a 39 - 5 victory. The second round was tougher against Peebles who had done so well at Melrose but Jed did brilliantly to gain a 21 - 5 victory. The semi final was a different story though as Jed ran into a Gala tornado. Gala were on fire and they scored 3 tries in the first 3 minutes and Jed were shell shocked with yesterdays exploits at Hawick probably taking there toll Jed did well to come back a little in the second half but Gala were cruising by then and the final score was 29 - 12.
The final saw Gala play Haddington who had surprised everyone by beating Watsonians, Melrose and Kelso en route to the final. Gala however were on top form and the absolutely blew Haddington apart. In a one sided game they triumphed by 57 points to 19 and in doing so they go 8 points clear in the Kings of the 7s.
Jed Squad
| D. Galbraith | S. Laidlaw |
| J. McCraw | M. Fitzgerald |
| M. Lee | Don Grieve |
| R. McFarlane | R. Goodfellow |
| K. Amos | B. Graham |
Jed held there annual dinner on Friday night at Riverside and it was announced that Neil Cook was Jed's player of the year. Donald Grieve was also rewarded for a fine season by being named young player of the year. Attended by around 80 guests and players, the speakers were Ronnie Kirkpatrick, Terrence Froud, Jake Whillans, Gary Hill, Ian Goodall (referee's boss) and Norman Douglas who was told at 7.30 when he arrived that he was speaking.
A scratch Jed side with several regulars missing and players playing out of position including team manager Ali Campbell, who played for an hour at wing forward, lost 26 - 14 to a near full strength Grangemouth yesterday. Not much to report except Grangemouth lead 19 - 0 at half time but Jed did stick in and had a huge advantage in the scrum. So much so it was from the scrum that Jed's points came from when Euan Kelly controlled the ball well from a huge scrum to touch down for a push over try. Jed's other try came from another huge scrum but this time it was ruled that Grangemouth had collapsed it and Jed were awarded a penalty try, both tries were converted by Mark Fitzgerald. No match report this week but see the match report page for the man of the match points.
Jed reached the final of Hawick 7s at a bitterly cold Mansfield today only to lose 20 - 14 to Watsonians in a close encounter. Jed playing with Mark Lee at centre got underway with a 24 - 12 win over Heriots who had knocked Jed out of the Gala tournament. The second round saw a scrappy game against Peebles with Jed scrapping through 12 - 7. The 14 - 7 semi-final victory against the massive Royal Scots was Jed's toughest game and was maybe the cause of our eventual downfall in the final. The semi-final victory though was perhaps a little fortunate as Jed seemed to benefit from some bizarre decisions from the referee but saying that the Jed boys were always in the Royal Scots faces and they don't seem to like that. The final seemed to be going to plan and we were 14 -5 up at half with Jason Gill in outstanding form scoring both of Jed's tries. Chris Richards pulled a hamstring just before half time and he was replaced by Jamie McCraw and it was possibly an unlucky mistake by Jamie that turned the game. Jamie went to clear a kick by Watsonians and it came of the side of his boot and into Watsonians hands and they scored from it. 2 more Watsonians tries followed and a try count of 4 - 2 was too much for Jed.
Some consolation for Jed was the fact that we are now only 4 points off the lead of the Kings of the 7s tournament and on a personal note Jason Gill was named man of the tournament.
The meaningless league fixture saw the scratch Jed side lose 26 - 14 at Grangemouth, scorers will follow.
Mark Lee is set to play sevens for Jed for the rest of this season. Having just graduated from his Army training last week, Mark is keen to keep his fitness up and enjoy some club sevens away from the pressure of the IRB sevens circuit. Mark is in much demand, so much so that he has been called up by the Borders for tomorrow nights trip to Wales to play in the Celtic League. Therefore it is a real coup for Jed to have him back.
With Mark being available he goes into the squad for Hawick 7s and he takes Simon Lightbody's place. Simon is struggling with a back injury and he has decided to sit out the rest of the season.
Because of postponed games and an SRU ruling Jed are forced to travel to Grangemouth for a meaningless league game. With Hawick 7s also on and Jed in running for the Kings of the 7s the Grangemouth game takes 2nd place and the team selection shows this. Unfortunately the 2nds have have to call off from Selkirk Junior 7s due to the lack of backs. For both squads see the Team News page.
Jed failed to progress past the 2nd round of the Melrose 7s on Saturday. After getting a bye into the 2nd round the came up against the fancied Boroughmuir and got off to the dream start, Jason Gill broke through some sloppy defence and charged to the try line, the Boroughmuir defence had turned and was forcing Jason out but some great strength and a clever pass inside to Billy Graham was enough to see Jed go 5 - 0 up. This seemed to waken up Boroughmuir and they stepped up a gear and were just too good for us and they ran in 4 unanswered tries to win 26 - 5.
For the record Boroughmuir were eventually beaten 19 - 17 in a great semi final battle with eventual winners Stellenbosch University from South Africa who beat Ponsonby from New Zealand 36 - 35 in another great game in the final.
Remember all the latest standings on the Kings of the 7s can be found on the 7s page.
Please take some time to read this years update to the Mini Rugby page. You can go straight to it by clicking HERE.
I've also posted the draw for Saturdays Melrose 7s on the Sevens page. Just scroll down the page to find it and all the results etc from the other tournaments already finished this season.
Jed reached the second round of Gala 7s this afternoon. The first round match with London Scottish saw a very encouraging performance from Jed, who had to come from behind to win 17 - 7. Jed's scorers were Ross Goodfellow 2 and Jamie McCraw, Amo kicked 1 conversion.
The Second round saw a completely different performance against Heriots, who ran out 28 - 0 victors in a one sided match. True we didn't get the bounce of the ball at some crucial times but we never pressed them and some of the players admitted they possibly took Heriots too lightly.
Heriots were eventually stuffed 43 - 5 by a very big Royal Scots side in the final. See the 7s page for the rest of the results.
Jed fielded a weekend team at Riverside yesterday and Murrayfield took full advantage to run out 24 - 5 victors. In a disappointing match for Jed where several of the fringe players failed to impress Murrayfield were always in front. For the record, Murrayfield kicked 4 penalties in the first half to lead 12 - 0. They then scored 2 tries, with 1 conversion before second row forward Paul Hill crossed for a consolation try for Jed.
The 2nds also had a disappointing day a Langholm Junior 7s. After getting a bye in the 1st round the were beaten 7 - 5 by Dumfries who scored a scrappy late try. Hawick 2nds were eventual winners.
This weekends team news for Saturday and Sunday has been posted on the team news page.
Borders pro Paul Thompson is on the comeback trail after months out with a serious knee injury and he is being allowed to play for 20 mins this week so he is on the bench for us this week. Chris Shaw is not available so Robert Ferguson starts.
Jed missed out on a place in the semi-final of the BT Cup after going down 16 - 6 to Dundee yesterday. Jed did have an opportunity to take the lead when Jason Gill intercepted in our own 22 but by the time he fed Jamie McCraw who was jogging beside him it was too late as the Dundee defence had recovered. Dundee opened the scoring with an unconverted try and the big Dundee pack was starting to dominate. Jamie McCraw did have another chance but Jed could not cross the line and Dundee added a penalty to make it 8 - 0 at half time.
Dundee scored another unconverted try to stretch their lead, but 2 Kevin Amos penalties brought Jed back into the game. The score stayed like that for a while but a late Dundee drop goal put them out of touch and put Jed out of the Cup for another year.
Jed 2nds secured promotion with a 70 - 5 win over Greenock Wands with 10 tries and an outstanding display of kicking from Nod Laing who slotted 10 conversions from all over the place. It was a very different story from the away match at Fort Matilda when Jed could only manage 1 try on a terrible pitch which was a far cry from a firm Riverside Park with dry ball, and with only 4 players who made the away trip playing today it was a much stronger line up. Scorers for Jed were Stephen Dickson with 4 tries, Fraser Mortimer, Nod Laing, Michael Graham, Billy Graham, Murray Brown and Gareth Scott. Nod Laing was instrumental in most off the scores with a fine performance at scrum half well supported by the back row, Michael Graham and Gareth Scott also put in good games.
SUNDAY 4TH APRIL
|
LOUGHBOROUGH |
V | BIGGAR |
| BOROUGHMUIR | V | ROYAL SCOTS |
| GLASGOW HAWKS | V | KELSO |
| GALA | V | LANGHOLM |
| JED-FOREST | V | LONDON SCOTTISH |
| HERIOTS | V | HAWICK |
| MELROSE | V | PEEBLES |
|
WATSONIANS |
V |
SELKIRK |
Robert Ferguson has been selected for the Scotland U19s squad to play Spain U18s at Meggetland tonight, K.O 7:30pm.
Jed were beaten 34 - 29 by a bigger, more street wise Hawick at Mansfield Park on Saturday. Jed got of to a dream start and were 9 - 0 up from 3 drop goals (2 from Amo, 1 from each foot & 1 from Robin Laing) and Jed had all the pressure. Hawick got back into the game and took the lead with 2 quick tries but Amo kicked a penalty and Jed went into half time 12 - 10 up.
Hawick scored a try when Kevin Reed went down the blind side taking advantage of Scott Laidlaw being impeded by the Hawick flanker, they added the conversion. In a see saw game Jed score a great try when Clark Laidlaw broke through and fed Amo who then wrong footed the defence to go under the posts, Laing converted. This sprung Hawick into life and they scored another 2 quick tries to kill of any hopes of a Jed win. Amo kicked a penalty but Hawick scored another try just before Mark Fitzgerald blasted over for a great consolation try.
Although there was only 5 points between the teams if truth be told the score flattered Jed and the 6 tries to 2 would give you a more accurate account of the game. Hawick were much bigger up front and they dominated the scrums and some very sloppy defending by Jed were major factors in Jed's defeat.
Saturday is the 1st of 2 big games in successive weeks for Jed. If we beat Hawick and get a bonus point, we will go into the final of the Border League. Clark Laidlaw is available for Jed for the 1st time this year and he replaces bad back victim Simon Lightbody at centre. For the rest of the team news see the team news page. The Hawick game kicks off at 12pm to avoid clashing with the Italy v Scotland game.
1st; £100 D. Campbell
2nd; £50 J. Spence & H. Wright
3rd; £25 R. Wilson
There are a few places available in the 200 Club. The 200 Club costs £60 per year and can be paid by direct debit at £5 per month. There is a draw every month with 2 super draws a year with a first prize of £1000 and there are bonus months throughout the year where the prizes are doubled. So anyone interested in joining please ask anybody from Jed-Forest or contact the organizer David Hynd on 01835 862178.
Jed 2nds won 23-20 against a well drilled and spirited Preston Lodge side through at Pennypit on Friday night. It was a cracking match played at a fast pace on a good surface. Scott MacDonald scored Jed's try in the first half , Gary Hughes added a conversion and penalty but PL hit back with a 30m drive from the forwards bringing them back into the game after Jed had threatened to run away with it. Jed struck first in the second half with a superb team try finished off by the impressive Scott Laidlaw. This however brought the start of a long period of domination from PL and eventually level the game at 20-20. Jed then applied pressure in the PL half and Gary Hughes slotted the decisive penalty with a couple of minutes to go.
Scott MacDonald got the Jed man of the match with a fine display of strong running in the first half and some solid defence throughout .Close contenders for the man of the match were Scott Laidlaw and David Grieve, the latter however spoiled an impressive display with a crazy quick 22 drop-out, that was enough to clinch "dick of the day" award although sub Ian Hedley pushed him close after being locked in the dressing rooms for the first 5 minutes of the game.
The win leaves Jed certainties to earn promotion to Division 2 as runners up to GHA 2nds who are unbeaten in the League, so a good effort from the 2nds who have used an amazing 63 different players over the season.
| 15. C.Goodfellow | 8. B. Graham |
| 14. S. Dickson | 7. S. Laidlaw |
| 13. S. MacDonald | 6. D.Grieve |
| 12. A.McIlroy | 5. P.Hill |
| 11. F.Mortimar | 4. E.Kelly |
| 10. G.Hughes | 3. C. Shaw |
| 9. J.Hogg | 2. P.Cranston |
| 1. R. Ferguson | |
| Subs : | |
| M.Graham | K.Liddle |
| I.Hedley |
Jed have been given the tough task of playing Dundee away in the last eight of the BT cup. Jed suffered a 25 - 13 defeat up there in the league but completely turned that around with a superb 38 - 8 win down here, so it will be a hard game but it is certainly a game we can win if we play well. The whole draw can be found here. http://www.scottishrugby.org/srunews.cfm?newsid=106
Jed are through to the last eight of the BT Cup after coming from behind to beat local rivals Selkirk 30 - 20 in the 5th round. Playing against the bitterly cold wind Jed were soon 6 - 0 down from 2 Guy Blair penalties. Davie Forster got Jed back in the game after being driven over the line but that seemed to spur Selkirk on and they were soon 20 - 5 up after 2 converted tries. Jed looked to be in trouble and nothing was going right until Mark Fitzgerald broke from his own 10 yard line to score a brilliant try right on the verge of half time, Kevin Amos converted and it was 20 - 12 to Selkirk at half time.
Now playing with the wind and it was the proverbial game of 2 halves and Kevin Amos slotted 2 penalties to bring Jed within 2 points. Just as it looked like being another nail biting finish Jed had a spell of pressure on the Selkirk line and Robin Laing (on for the injured Graeme Renwick, who suffered a not too serious compressed neck injury ) at scrum half threw an outrageous dummy and he wriggled over near the posts and Amo converted. With time now running out Jed turned down a long range penalty chance to kick into the corner. From the resulting line out Jed secure the ball and drove towards the line and you've guessed it, yes it was Davie Forster who forced the ball down to send an excited cop into a frenzy.
This is a great result for Jed and we eagerly await tomorrows draw.
The seconds lost out narrowly to Hawick Harlequins 12 - 11 despite playing a lot of the second half with out Gary Douglas who was sin binned then sent off. Coach Glen Gibson said they had plenty of chances to win the game but just couldn't convert any of the pressure into points. He also picked out Scott Laidlaw and David Grieve (who came on in the second half for his first game in several weeks after being out with a shoulder injury) for praise. Jed's points came from a Scott Laidlaw try and 2 Gary Hughes penalties.
The selectors have sprung 2 major surprises for the huge Cup game against Selkirk on Sunday. See the Team News page for details.
Jed had a morale boosting 50 - 0 victory over Langholm tonight, to set us up nicely for next weeks big cup game. Jed scored 8 tries in all from Simon Lightbody (4), Mark Fitzgerald, Davie Forster, Roy McFarlane & Euan Kelly. Kevin Amos kicked 4 conversions and Robin Laing got the other one. Plus points for Jed were the return to form of Simon Lightbody and the way Neil Cook lasted the full game. Neil has been in Romania for work commitments but he is back for this week to prepare for next weeks game against Selkirk.
Jed recorded a great victory when they beat Stew Mel 25 - 16 in Edinburgh this afternoon. Chris Richards got the ball rolling with a try after 13 minutes but Stew Mel hit back with 2 penalties to take a narrow lead. Davie Forster put Jed back in front when he emerged with the ball after being driven over by his forwards and it was 10 - 6 to Jed at half time.
Stew Mel then scored 2 tries before Davie Forster scored his second try, after being driven over again from a lineout. Brian McDonnell then scored Jed's 4th try to secure their bonus point when he sneaked over between the posts from a ruck, Kevin Amos converted. Kevin Amos also kicked a penalty to take Jed out of harms way and the final score was 25 - 16.
This result moves Jed back up to the top half of the league in 6th place and Ali Campbell said it was an outstanding team performance especially from the boys who have not been regular 1st team players and selection should be interesting for the rest of the season.
The 2nds also had a good win when they beat Haddington 2nds 3 - 0. This result came from another outstanding defensive display which for the 3rd game running stopped the opposition from scoring a single point. Special mentions go to Eric Wright who had a great game in the 2nd row, Gary Douglas and number 8 Kevin Liddle who showed promise. Gary Hughes Kicked Jed's points.
Donald Grieve has been selected to sit on the bench for the Scotland U19 team, who travel to Aberavon to play their Welsh counterparts next week.
Simon Lightbody has been selected for the Scotland 7s training squad next week, which is preparing for the four IRB tournaments to which Scotland are committed this year.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jed were comprehensively beaten 41 - 15 by local rivals and league leaders Gala yesterday. Gala were 10 - 0 after a converted try and a penalty up inside the first 5 minutes and the writing was on the wall. Jed did get into the game with a try from James Hogg but Gala scored again to stretch away again. Jed's best spell of the game came after 20 mins but we only got a penalty from it. Gala then scored a soft try before half time to lead 22 - 8 at the break.
The second half looked like turning into a real rout when injuries to Davie Forster, Chris Richards and Robin Laing started to take there toll and Gala romped to a 41 - 8 lead but a late rally brought a converted try by Mark Fitzgerald and the final score was 41 - 15.
The seconds recorded another good result when they beat Dunfermline 2nds (coached by former Jed coach Barry Hughes) 11 - 0. The result was especially satisfying because Jed had 4 thistle boys (Gary Elder, Nick Burt, and Michael and Steen Weekley) playing for us. In a scrappy game Jed's points came from a try by Nick Burt who was named man of the match and was the 31st player to score a try for the 2nds this year and 2 Gary Hughes penalties.
The 3rds also had a very creditable result when they drew 5 - 5 with Berwick 2nds. Craig Tibbets was Jed's try scorer.
Jed suffered some last gasp despair when Haddington kicked a very late penalty to clinch a very close game 18 - 17 this afternoon. Jed started poorly and were missing tackles in the midfield and Haddington scored an unconverted try. Jed hit back with a Davie Forster try converted by Robin Laing but Haddington scored another unconverted try to make it 10 - 7 at half time.
The second half was better and Jamie McCraw put Jed in front with a try, again converted by Laing but Haddington scored another unconverted try to once again take the lead. Robin Laing then landed a drop goal and Jed looked good but going into the last minute Haddington were awarded a penalty witch they duly landed and it was heartbreak for Jed.
Jed's Ali Campbell said even though we were without 3 of our most influential players (Gill, Goodfellow & Hill) the boys played well and gave 100% and we had plenty of chances to win the game but it was not our day.
The 2nds and thirds games were off because of Ice and lack of players.
Jed were dealt a major blow this week with the news that Ross Goodfellow's knee injury sustained in the Dundee game is more serious than first thought and he is ruled out for the rest of this season. He is expected to go for a scan soon to see what the next step is. James Hogg takes his place once again this week and will probably do so for the rest of the season.
Jed returned to winning ways yesterday with a 29 - 20 victory over Kirkcaldy at Riverside. Playing against a strong wind Jed fell behind to a Kirkcaldy penalty but Robin Laing soon equalized, Laing then score a nice solo try, when he jinked past the Kirkcaldy defence to touch down under the posts, he converted. This opened the floodgates and tries by Davie Forster (con) and Mark Fitzgerald gave Jed a 22 - 3 half time lead.
With the advantage of the wind, many thought Jed would run away with it but it was Kirkcaldy who struck first with an unconverted try. Jed hit back with a try from Neil Tunnah, Laing converted. That was the end of Jed's points and they seemed to lose concentration. This allowed Kirkcaldy to score 2 more tries but Jed never really looked in any danger and the final score was 29 - 20.
Brian McDonnel was sin binned and slight head knocks to Simon Lightbody and Scott MacDonald were slightly negative points but a victory with a bonus point is ample compensation.
The seconds were beaten 25 - 13 by Gala Juniors at Gala. Jed seemed to be suffering the after effects of the New Year and never got going in the 1st half. The second half was more encouraging though but Gala were too strong. Jed's points came a try finished off by Graeme Renwick following up a Craig Goodfellow interception converted by Gary Hughes, who also kicked 2 penalties. Scott Laidlaw was named man of the match and other notable performers were Billy Graham, Murray Brown and Frazer Mortimer who stuck in well.
The thirds also suffered at the hands of Hawick Harlequins going down 52 - 23. That was no disgrace though as Jed once again had a fairly scratch side playing. Jed's points came from tries by Kevin Liddle (who really held Jed together), Mark Cotgrave and Nikki Bates. Craig Tibbits kicked 2 penalties and Cotgrave landed a conversion.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Jed went down to Kelso 14-12 after conceding a close range penalty with 2 minutes to go. Jed players and management will be wondering how we let this one go, after dominating for long spells. In a dour first half Kelso held a 3-0 lead, Amos missing 2 chances at goal and Davie Forster losing the ball when being driven over from a line out.
Forster quick to make amends in the second half when he was driven over following Szkudro's line out take. Kelso kicked another penalty to lead 6-5 before Fitzgerald who was having a pretty poor game, produced a brilliant solo effort to regain the lead, Laing took over the kicking and slotted a beauty to give a 12-6 advantage with about 25 minutes to go. Jed failed to clear the kick off cleanly but eventually Nod Laing scrambled away a good clearance only to be taken out very late, Nod retaliated slightly as the Kelso player kept hold of his feet, the touch judge intervened and awarded the penalty to Kelso, much to the disbelief of a large traveling support. Kelso went for a scrum and were driven into touch for a Jed throw. The line out went wrong and Kelso spun it wide to score, they missed the conversion to keep it 12-11 in Jeds favour. Jed went on the attack again and spurned a chance goal to go for another line out drive, this time it didn't work and Kelso cleared up field then broke away to get their late penalty. Amos almost made for his penalty misses when his 40 metre drop goal fell inches short in Jeds last chance.
____________________________________________________ |
The 1sts team news is on the team news page.
The 2nds friendly against Hawick is off but the 3rds game is definitely on. The 3rds are taking cars and players should meet at the bus station at 12:30pm.
The 2nds enjoyed a great 21 - 15 victory over their Kelso counterparts this afternoon. Coach Glen Gibson was delighted by the performance, saying "the team battled and tackled magnificently against a good Kelso side". He singled out Paul Cranston for particular praise and he also said new recruit, centre Donald Galbraith (a student working on a farm outside Ancrum) had played well. Jeds points came from tries from Donald Galbraith and Gary Hughes, Hughes also kicked 3 penalties and a conversion.
The good news did not stop at the win either, as John Szkudro made a come back and he played the last 20 minutes, coming through unscathed. This comes at a perfect time because Neil Cook will become unavailable some weeks because of work commitments in Romania.
On a soaking wet dull afternoon Jed produced a dazzling display to completely overwhelm to of the table Dundee by 38 points to 8. Jed started brilliantly and Jamie McCraw scored in the corner after only 45 seconds, Amos converted. Dundee hit back with a penalty but that was cancelled by a drop goal from Robin Laing. With Jed playing superbly Jason Gill scored another try, converted by Amos again just before he succumbed to a hamstring injury (Chris Richards came on) Robin Laing then added a penalty and Davie Forster emerged from the bottom of a rolling maul to score and it was 25 - 3 at half time.
The second half again started well and it was Davie Forster who scored in almost identical fashion to his first try Laing hit the post with the kick. Jed then suffered a triple injury blow when Gary Hill (looks like a nasty knee injury) Ross Goodfellow (ankle) and Davie Forster (back) all had to be replaced, but David Grieve, Gary Young and Paul Cranston all came on and performed superbly. With jed at full stretch their defence was brilliant and time and time again they forced Dundee into a knock on or some other mistakes. Dundee did score a try after Robin Laing had kicked a penalty but that was again cancelled when Robin Laing rounded off a great performance when he went in at the corner and the final score was 38 - 8.
The seconds also enjoyed success in their friendly, even though the game was only played for about half a hour each way they won 22 - 12. Jeds scorers were Gary Hughes, Ali McIlroy, James Hogg and Tim Van Vliet, Gary Hughes added 1 conversion.
The 3rds narrowly lost out to a last gasp try losing 19 - 14 to a Melrose 3rds containing 2 Jed men because they were short on numbers. The 3rds team also had 3 Thistle boys playing which can only be a good thing and it was one of them who scored a try, Rory White who normally plays at prop but was in the back row yesterday popped over and Scott MacDonald scored the other try which was a good effort considering he was that rough after mad Friday that he had to be sick at half time and full time. Craig Tibbets kicked both conversions.
Jed won their 4th league game in a row with a stirring 21 - 18 victory away at Biggar. The game was played in appalling conditions and the wind was very much against Jed in the first half. Despite the conditions Jed got off to the perfect start when Jamie McCraw scored in the corner after some great driving play by the forwards. The teams then kicked a penalty each before Biggar got into their stride and they scored 2 unconverted tries to go into half time 13 - 8 up.
Playing with the elements Jed again started well and scored a try under the posts when Gary Hill gathered a loose ball from a wild Biggar pass. Kevin Amos Added another penalty to give Jed a 5 point lead but Biggar hit back with a try to set up a tense finale. Kevin Amos seemed to be feeling the pressure and he missed a couple of penalties but he did not let that get to him and he held his nerve to land the decisive kick. Biggar did have a chance to equalize in the last few seconds and for the first time of the day the wind died right down but thankfully for Jed the kick went astray and Jed held on to inflict Biggars first home defeat this season.
Jed Team Manager Ali Campbell was absolutely delighted with the win, although he did say that we missed far to many first up tackles but the team is playing with so much more confidence and it is making a huge difference.
The 2nds beat Musselburgh 2nds 34 - 0 in a mixed performance, but they did score some decent tries along the way. Try scorers were Billy Graham, Steven Dickson, Craig Goodfellow, Robert Ferguson and Scott Laidlaw. Chris Richards kicked 3 conversions and a penalty. Both comeback men came through the entire game unscathed but they will need more matches to be fully fit.
The 3rds made it a hat trick of wins for Jed in their home game against Gala YM winning 42 - 12. The game was played as a friendly though because Jed were forced to pull out of the league in midweek because we could not guarantee to full fill every fixture (even the postponed ones from earlier in the season). Both teams were also short handed and Jed started with 14 and the YM had 13 but an injury to a YM player saw Vinny switching sides to make it 13 each. In a good natured game Jeds try scorers were. Scott MacDonald (3), Ali McIlroy (2), Iain Williams, Lindsay Dickson and Mark Cotgrave. Scott MacDonald kicked 1 conversion.
Jed won an amazing game of Rugby at Selkirk today 24-23. The game started pretty dourly with a lot of knock ons and only 3 points separating the teams at half time after 3 penalties and Jed lead 6-3.
Selkirk started the 2nd half the best and they scored an early try but Mark Fitzgeald cancelled that with a try for Jed. Selkirk then took the lead with a converted try before a pair of swapped penalties. Then the real drama started, Firstly Ross goodfellow was sin binned then Jason Gill and Selkirk scored a try when Jed were down to 13 men to go 23-14 up. But with Jed back to full strength Ross Goodfellow scored to set up a frantic last few minutes and with time running out Jamie McCraw went over in the corner and it was Jed's turn to win by a point.
Tomorrows 2nds game at Riverside has been cancelled after a very late call off by West of Scotland last night.
The team news is posted on the Team News page.
1st; £100 J. Ormiston
2nd; £50 S. Shaw
3rd; £25 R. Pringle
______________________________________________________________________________
Jed kept up their recent good run of form with a good 34 - 10 victory at West of Scotland. Jed were slightly hampered before the game even started when Paul Cranston called off after failing to recover from re injuring his neck in mid week, so we decided to go with only 3 subs but this worked out ok and was not a major hindrance.
The game started evenly and the teams swapped penalties but Jed soon got in front with a try from Roy McFarlane, Amo missed the kick. Jed scored another 2 tries through Gary Hill (Amo converted) and Kevin Amos (conversion missed) to make the half time score 3 - 23.
Even though West had most of the ball Jed always looked more dangerous and this was proved again when Mark Fitzgerald intercepted a pass on his own 22 and ran the length of the pitch to score, Amos converted. West did manage a try but it was to no avail and Ross Goodfellow was the last try scorer for Jed after a good period of driving play and again Amos converted. The final score was 10 - 34.
Coach Brian Hughes was delighted and suggested this was Jed's best performance of the year. He said "West probably had 60% of the ball but we always looked dangerous, especially through the centre.
The 2nds lost their crunch game at G.H.A 11 - 6 and that virtually gives G.H.A the league but we are still in pole position for promotion. The only try of the game came from a charged down kick and that proved to be the difference between the teams in a scrappy game played in difficult condions. Jed's points came from 2 Gary Hughes penalties.
Hamish Stewart has decided his time with Jed is finished. Hamish came to Jed in August from London where he had spent the summer as part of his travels from his native New Zealand. Hamish has been a regular in the firsts since his arrival and he has scored 2 tries, but he has decided to go back to London to spend Christmas with friends before continuing his travels. Gid luck Hamish.
The team news is up for the trip to Glasgow for both the 1sts and the 2nds crunch game against top of the table G.H.A on the Team News page.
Jed have been rewarded for Saturdays Cup victory against Duns with an attractive looking home game against local rivals Selkirk. Recent games against Selkirk have been unbelievably close and with Selkirk sure to bring a big support it should be an exciting afternoon. The game is scheduled for Sunday the 22nd of February. Anyone interested in corporate hospitality for this game or any other game please contact Eddie Renwick.
Jed are through to the last 16 of the BT Cup after a comfortable 69 - 7 victory over Duns this afternoon. Duns started the game well and Jed found it difficult to break though in the first 20 minutes. It was Roy McFarlane who appeared on his opposite wing and barged his way over who opened the flood gates, and Kevin Amos converted. 3 further tries from Jason Gill, Euan Kelly and Neil Tunnah and 2 Amo conversions gave Jed a 26 - 0 half time lead.
The second half was more one sided with Jed scoring another 7 tries through Jason Gill 2 (to complete his hat trick), Robin Laing, Neil Tunnah, David Forster 2 and Roy McFarlane, Kevin Amos converted 4 of them. Duns did get a consolation try but all in all a very satisfactory result for Jed and we can look to the draw for the next round with a deal of enthusiasm.
Jed Juniors lost out 34 - 31 in a close encounter with Gala YM.
The 2nds game scheduled for tomorrow night has once again been cancelled. A combined 2nds and 3rds will now play Gala YM on Saturday at Gala, kick off is 2pm. For the team check the Team News page.
Gareth Davies has played his last game for Jed-forest. Gareth played 6 games for Jed and scored 4 tries in that time so no one is complaining about his playing abilities, but Jed found it hard to obtain suitable employment for Gareth and it was felt best that we parted company. Everyone at Jed thanks Gareth and wishes him good luck in the future.
Norman Kerr has also played his last game for Jed. Norman or Nod as everyone calls him was a star or the Jed team in the 1980s and early 90s and he has been a 2nds and 3rds stalwart ever since. Nod, 42 on his next birthday has been struggling with hamstring injuries caused by a slight hip displacement in recent weeks and has decided enough is enough.
On a happier note Mark Fitzgerald has arrived back in Jed. Mark played for Jed in the 2001-2002 season along side Jason Gill when we won promotion and it was rumored that he was close to a contract with the Borders. Like Jason, Mark has agreed to stay till the end of next season.
Graeme (pip) Renwick has also returned to Jed after 2 seasons at St Boswells and a 6 month trip to New Zealand.
Jed secured a much needed win today with a 27 - 12 victory at Murrayfield Wanderers. I don't know much about the match but Jed's points came from 2 Jason Gill tries and a Robin Laing try, Kevin Amos converted all 3 tries and also landed 2 penalties. Team Manager Ali Campbell said the forwards did really well to stick in and compete against a huge pack. He was also delighted with the defence and the experiment of playing Ross Goodfellow at full back, he also singled out Gary Armstrong and the outstanding Jason Gill.
The seconds kept up their assault on promotion with a 13 - 0 win at Greenock Wanderers. Playing on an atrocious pitch Jed scored one try through Scott MacDonald, Gary Hughes kicked the conversion and added 2 penalties. Assistant coach Calum Brown was callec into action with the late call off from Scott Laidlaw because of the flu and he ended up playing the whole game.
Gary Armstrong is available to Jed for the first time this season because the Borders have a 2 week break and he will be a welcome sight for the traveling support in his familiar number 9 jersey up at Murrayfield on Saturday. For the rest of Saturdays team news remember to check the Team News page.
What the heck happened? That is what everybody at Riverside is asking after Today's game. The game started poorly and Stew Mel were 7-0 up after a soft try. Kevin Amos then Kicked a penalty just before Gareth Davies came up with the ball after a forward drive, Amo converted. Jed then scored the try of the day when Robin Laing threw a great long pass to put Roy McFarlane in at the corner, with Amo again converting and we were 17-7 up at half time.
The second half was going to plan and Jason Gill was sent into the corner by a Ross Goody pass. That was it though as far as the Jed scoring went and Jed seemed to relax. Jed also lost Tin Van Vliet who was struggling with a chest infection and at the same time the real Graham Sheil decided to turn up. With some great kicking he took control of the game and Jed had no answer and Stew Mel scored 3 unanswered tries to steal the game.
The 2nds had another good win today when they beat Preston Lodge 2nds 12-5 although it was a real struggle. They were 5-0 down at half time and some real graft was rewarded when Kevin Liddle drove over from a line out, Craig Tibbets converted. Jed's other try came from a Murray Brown strike against the head near their line and Eric Wright picked up and darted over. Assistant coach Calum Brown said it was great to see the boys come through a real test with sheer guts and determination. He was also pleased that the team had held their discipline in the face of some real povacation.
Kevin Liddle has answered an SOS with the injury crisis deepening and he will play for the 2nds this weekend against Preston Lodge 2nds. For all the team news see the team news page.
Jed have been given a home tie against Border rivals Duns who are currently 2nd Bottom of National League 3 in the 4th round of the B.T Cup. Duns had a great 33-23 win against Ross High Corstorphine in the last round and are clearly capable of defying their league position and causing a shock. To read the whole story of the 4th round draw CLICK HERE.
1st; £100 W. Stanners
2nd; £50 D. Campbell
3rd; £25 B. Hughes
The headline says it all, with Jed just scraping through to the next round of the cup after an unconvincing 25-22 win at Berwick. The game got off to a horrendous start for Jed and they were 10-0 down from a penalty and a converted try after only 10 minutes. Luckily for Jed, Berwick seemed to change tactics to a more conservative style of play and that allowed Jed back into the game and tries from Jason Gill and Roy McFarlane with Kevin Amos adding a conversion and a penalty gave Jed a 15-10 lead.
Gareth Davies gave Jed a good start to the second half with a try, again Amos converted. Berwick then scored a converted try to set up a tense finish. The tension was heightened with a lengthy break in play for an injury to Michael Graham which wasn't as serious as first though. Kevin Amos then kicked a good penalty to give Jed an 8 point gap. This proved enough but only just because Berwick scored a last gasp try but Jed held on.
The 2nds game is now off after Musselburgh failed to raise a team.
Jed 2nds have arranged to play Musselburgh 2nds on Saturday at Riverside following the collapse of the Woodend posts during their early season encounter. Jed were 16-0 up and playing well with about 50 minutes played so hopefully should secure a similar result, although Musselburgh have only lost 1 league match this season like ourselves, so it wont be easy.
The firsts are away at Berwick in the 3rd round of the B.T Cup and again we are struggling with injuries. Read about the changes on the Team News page.
Jed gained their 3rd win of the league campaign with a 20 - 6 victory over Grangemouth. In a very scrappy game and with Jed really struggling in the scrum after losing Ali Campbell after 20 minutes with what looks like a bad knee injury. Jed did just enough to win. Jed always had the upper hand and scored a very nice try in the first half when Gary Hill broke through and went wide, he slipped a great scissor pass inside to the ever present Jason Gill and he strolled in under the posts with Kevin Amos converting and Jed led 13-6 at half time.
Jed's other try was scored by Roy McFarlane who was fed a very simple blind side pass from a scrum and he went in unopposed, Kevin Amos landed the wide conversion. Amos also landed 2 first half penalties.
The cup takes precedent next week and Jed will have to improve to come away from Berwick with a win, Here's hoping.
The seconds had a great 20 -13 away win against Haddington to move into clear 2nd place in their league. Jed scored 2 tries through the rampaging David Grieve, who assures me they were both from runs outside the 22. Gary Hughes kicked the rest of the points with 2 penalties and 2 conversions. Tim Van Vliet was once again outstanding but he was also named numpty of the day when he turned up with 2 different boots instead of a pair and he ended up getting a spare pair from coach Glen Gibson.
Saturdays team news is on the Team news page.
Jed suffered a narrow defeat at Netherdale going down 19-14. No details of the game as yet but I believe the score was 14-9 to Gala at half time.
The 2nd XV had another good result with a 55-0 win against Corstorphine 2nds at Riverside in a game that was far tighter than the final scoreline. For the second week running Tim Van Vliet was man of the match with an outstanding display, well backed up by Donald Grieve and Murray Brown in the pack with Craig Goodfellow the pick of the backs. Scorers were Tim Van Vliet(2), Ian Williams(2), Steven Shaw(2) Ali McIlroy and Scott Martin with Craig Tibbits kicking a penalty and 6 conversions.
Jed make several changes after last weeks debacle against Haddington , as they travel to Netherdale looking to get back on track against the in form Gala side. Jason Gill goes straight into the side despite not arriving in Jed until Friday. Hopefully he can reproduce the form he showed on his last visit to the club 2 years ago. Also back in action is Gareth Scott who comes in for his first start of the season. In the pack team manager Alisdair Campbell joins Neil Cook in the middle row, the latter playing his last game before a trip to Oz for the world cup. Other changes see Gareth Davies return from injury, Scott Laidlaw replacing the injured Steven Dickson (broken bone in foot) and Chris Shaw starting at prop ahead of Robert Ferguson. Dale Roberson is a victim of the 2 foreigners in the squad rule and misses out as does Tim Van Vliet who was man of the match for the 2nds in their impressive display at Dunfermline last week.
Jed have been handed an extremely tricky draw for their opening tie in this seasons Cup with a trip away to Berwick, currently going well in Division 3 under the leadership of former Jed favourite Kevin Armstrong, who I'm pretty sure will be relishing the prospect of taking on Jed on Nov 1st down at Scremerston. Full draw can be found at http://www.scottishrugby.org/clubrugby/index.cfm?handler=roundup&action=detail&keyid=46
An under strength Jed team lost 27-6 to Haddington at Riverside and that is the third home loss already this year. Truth be told Jed were never in the game and really missed ball carrying forwards James Henderson, Davie Forster and late withdrawal Gareth Davies. With these players missing and Chris Richards only lasting 25 minutes with a recurrence of his ankle injury Jed really lacked penetration and never threatened. In the end Jed could only score 6 points through 2 Kevin Amos penalties and that's probably all we deserved.
The seconds fared much better and beat their Dunfermline counterparts 55-12. Coach Glen Gibson said a great 5 minutes in the dressing before kick off had the players eyeballs popping out and they produced a great performance. Jed's points came through trys from Iain Williams (3), N. Kerr, T. Van Vliet, M. Brown, N. Tunnah, T. Elliot and 6 Gary Hughes conversions and a penalty.
A much improved performance saw Jed run out comfortable 35-16 winners at Kirkcaldy yesterday. Jeds set piece play especially in the lineout was much improved (with Michael Graham only missing 1 throw) and the impact of Gareth Davies running from the base of the scrum proved decisive. Such was Gareths impact that he scored 2 tries even though he spent around 20 mins on the bench with a bleeding nose. Jeds other tries came from Gary Hill, Scott Laidlaw and Hamish Stewart. Kevin Amos kicked 2 penalties and 2 conversions.
The seconds also recorded a comfortable away win when they beat Kilmarnock 2nds 39-10. Jed scored 7 tries in all through Chris Shaw, Robin Laing, Paul Hill, Scott McDonald a Roy McFarlane hat trick. In very windy conditions only 2 conversions were landed with Gary Hughes and Robin Laing kicking one apiece.
The 3rds managed to get a team together for the 1st time this year but they were soundly beaten by Gala YM 38-0 at Gala. Things should improve though as injured players come back and 2nds coaches Glen Gibson and Calum Brown have decided to get fit and sit on the bench for the 2nds to free more players for the 3rds.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Saturdays first xv team news is on the Team News page.
1st; £100 Mr T. Spence
2nd; £50 Mr J. McKechnie
3rd; £25 Mr I. Tunnah
Jed failed to win for the fourth game in a row yesterday, when they lost 25-20 to local rivals Kelso at Riverside. Kelso dominate the first half and were 10-0 up after 25 minutes. It was only then that Jed got into the game and James Henderson squeezed over after a good rumble by the forwards and Ammo slotted the conversion but Kelso got a penalty and the half time score was 13-7.
Ammo landed a penalty early in the second half and Jed had a lot of ball but they could not break through, instead it was Kelso who scored to stretch the lead to 18-10. Just when time was running out Jed decided to play and Kevin Amos finished off a great move to give Jed hope. The hope was only short lived though because straight from the restart Graham Cowe dived in at the corner to kill off any hope. Jed did get the consolation of a bonus point when Jamie McGraw was sent in by Stephen Dickson for a very late try.
Seconds Game Abandoned
|
The seconds had to face the embarrassment of having their game abandoned midway through the second half of their encounter with Musselburgh 2nds after a set of posts collapsed. Jed had been playing really well and were actually 16-0 up through a great team try finished off by Michael Graham and 3 Gary Hughes penalties at the time of abandonment. The actual incident happened when a Musselburgh drive was halted when the maul hit the bottom of the post and play was moved to the side of the posts. Steven Shaw was lining up in defence and lent on the post waiting for play to restart when the post just collapsed, luckily no one was caught under them. Jed tried to get the referee to continue and take kicks at one end only but he and Musselburgh were having none of it and the game was abandoned. It is likely a replay will have to take place. |
|
Jed have signed Welshman Gareth Davis. Gareth is a 29 year old 6ft 4in, 17st No8. He is due to arrive tomorrow night from France where he has been playing professionally for the last 2 years. Gareth has also played for Aberavon and Pontypool in his native Wales before playing for Hawks Bay in New Zealand in 2000 for a year. He has also represented Wales at U19 & U21 and has had trials for the Welsh 7s squad.
Jed were beaten 25-13 at Dundee today. Team Manager Ali Campbell said 4 missed tackles cost Jed the four Dundee tries, Kevin Amos kicked a penalty in the first half and the half time score was 10-3. Jeds second half points came from Jamie McCraw and Kevin Amos tries.
West 2nds 0-91 Jed 2nds
Even with a scratch pack Jed 2nds scored an emphatic 91-0 win away at West of Scotland 2nds. Jeds points came from tries by Craig Goodfellow 3, Scott McDonald 2, Stephen Dickson2, Steven Shaw, Paul Cranston, Ian Williams, Tom Elliot, Eric Wright, and Michael Graham. Scott MacDonald landed 10 conversions and 2 penalties.
13 proved to be an unlucky number today after Jed drew 13-13 with Biggar. Jed again got off to a great start and were 10-0 up at half time through a Chris Richards penalty and a quick tap by James Hogg saw him wriggle over for a brilliant solo try, converted by Amo. Jed were unlucky not to be further ahead as Chris had a penalty attempt rebound off the post.
The second half saw a penalty apiece and with only 10 minutes to go Jed looked ok, but with Biggar down to 14 men they created an overlap and the winger scorched in and the conversion was easy. With only a couple of minutes left Jed conceded another penalty within range and it was another disappointing end to the game.
GHA 2nds Too Good For Jed 2nds
Jed 2nds are still looking for their first win of the season after being mostly outplayed by GHA. It looks that the jump in leagues for Jed will take a bit getting used to their new standard of opposition after going unbeaten in their 2 previous league campaigns. The large number of late cry offs certainly didn't help the Jed cause with the Half backs being worst affected. Tom Elliot and Scott McDonald did an admirable job standing in but the regulars were sorely missed. The game finished 2 tries a piece but Jed suffered at the hands of some pedantic refereeing from Jimmy Graham, resulting in GHA slotting 4 penalties from 4 attempts. Try scorers for Jed were Paul Cranston and reserve No 10 Greig Purdie , both converted by Craig Tibbits. It was certainly an improvement on the previous week but there is a lot of improvement needed if Jed are going to challenge for promotion again.
Saturdays teams are on the Team News page.
Jed were beaten 17-16 by a streetwise Selkirk at Riverside today. Jed actually got off to a dream start and Chris Richards put us ahead with a monster penalty. A superb flat pass by Kevin Amos sent Gary Hill scorching through the middle and a well timed pass sent Scott Laidlaw in at the Kelso end, Richards converted. A penalty each by Richards and Guy Blair made it 13-3 just before half time, but a good inter passing move by Selkirk saw Mike Jaffray score in the corner to make it 16-8 at half time.
That was the end of Jed's scoring and with Selkirk playing with the breeze, Scott Tomlinson's kicking and their bigger forwards the game was gradually slipping away from us. Guy Blair was finding his range with the boot, after missing a few earlier and he landed 3 penalties, the last just 5 minutes from time and that was that.
So all in all a very disappointing weekend for Jed that show just where our weaknesses lie. The lineouts were a shambles again and we lack over all size in the forwards, but as they say onwards and upwards.
Jed 2nds were beaten 31-0 by a much hungrier Hawick 2nds in a totally one sided game at Hawick today. A disappointing day was made worse when Graeme McIlroy suffered a suspected broken leg. Jed's only bright spots were James Henderson and Robert Ferguson.
James Hogg was pulled out of the game because Ross Goodfellow is set to miss tomorrows Selkirk game. Robin Laing moves onto the bench.
This weekends team news is now on the team news page. Remember the 1sts game is on Sunday as originally planned. The 3rds game is off after Peebles failed to raise a team.
Jed got off to the perfect start in their quest to bounce straight back into Premier Div 1, with a resounding 42-0 victory over West of Scotland today. Jed got off to a nice start and were rewarded with a Kevin Amos penalty. By now Jed had a good grip of the game and Hamish Stewart then broke through for a well deserved try, Amo converted. Amo also kicked another penalty, and Jed were 13-0 up at half time.
Jed then stepped up a gear, and after a fine run by Roy McFarlane, Donald Grieve was on hand to race in for the try, Amo missed the kick. Davie Forster was next on the score sheet after coming up with the ball following a line out drive, Amos converted. Davie Forster crossed again, with Amo again converting, and he then wriggled over at the far corner, after over powering their winger to complete his hat trick. Unbelievably it was Davie Forster who completed the scoring, once again emerging from a line out drive to score his 4th try.
This was undoubtedly a very good win for Jed, with young scrum half James Hogg showing great promise, and Hamish Stewart having a fine game at centre, but with West losing both their Scrum half and stand off, you wonder how much we were flattered by the final score. There will certainly be harder tests to come.
Jed 2nds 1st game of the season ended in an agonizing 17-20 defeat to their Selkirk counterparts. Jed started poorly and were 10-0 down very quickly, but 2 good tries from Michael Graham and Jamie McCraw, both were converted by Gary Hughes, gave jed a 14-10 lead. Selkirk then got a penalty and the score was 14-13 to Jed at 1/2 time. Gary Hughes stroked a fine penalty to extend Jed's lead, but some slack play in Jed's backs allowed Selkirk to score a try in the corner, which was duly converted. Jed did have chances to win the game at the death, but they could not squeeze the opening, and the game was lost.
Jed suffered another major injury blow when Ian Hedley dislocated his elbow, the only other injury news was Steven Shaw suffered a little cramp in his calf.
The latest team news is on the team news page.
Jed reached the semi final of Selkirk 7s for the second year running. Jed beat Ayr convincingly by 34-0 with Billy Graham, Ross Goodfellow, Gary Hill, and Simon Lighbody (2) amongst the tries. The second round was a hard fought 10-0 win over hosts Selkirk. The Semi was a step to far though as injuries to Simon Lightbody (back) Scott Laidlaw (Shoulder) and Billy Graham (wrist) took their toll and we were beaten 24-12 of the Royal Scots.
The Final was contested by Rotherham and the Royal Scots for the second year running, and once again Rotherham were convincing 61-12 winners in a one sided final.
Jed recorded a very encouraging 30 - 12 victory over Berwick yesterday, at a blisteringly hot Riverside. Jed got off to a good start and Chris Richards kicked 2 early penalties. Jed had control of the game by this point, despite being much smaller than Berwick, and having
