Friday night saw a historic win for district side Glasgow & the West who came home from Malleny Park with an incredible 50-7 victory over Edinburgh District, and the Inter District Championship trophy- the first in over 40 years for the side.
Friday’s game, rearranged to accommodate the Scotland Club XV fixture last month, faced difficulties after clashing with preparations for some of the players involved in the Premiership play-offs. Several new faces from across Glasgow & the West’s teams put their hands up to represent their clubs and district, along with a number of GHA 1XV players, to ensure the game went ahead as planned.
Friday night’s game saw Glasgow head into the final round against Edinburgh with 1 win and 1 loss from their earlier rounds, with fellow district team Caledonia Reds (featuring GHA 1XV player Struan White) on track to win the tournament with 2 wins in place ahead of their own final round fixture against The South- taking place at the same time in Jedburgh. A win for Caledonia Reds would secure their trophy win, but a win from The South would also put them in the running for the top spot in the table.
The Glasgow and the West team were Captained on Friday by Andrew Goudie- named by Head Coach Andy Hill as a Vice-Captain earlier in the season- and included GHA 1XV players Ruari Campbell, Luke McCutcheon, Euan McKirdy, Glen Little, Nicky Thompson and former player Jack Craig all representing.
The game at Malleny Park got off to a swift start with early tries from Ruari Campbell, Jake Jacobson (Marr) and Euan McKirdy- giving Glasgow a 19-7 lead at half-time. The pace continued throughout the second half, alongside a fantastic defensive effort from the squad to keep Edinburgh scoreless. Tries from James Couper (Hawks), Ali Rogers (Marr), Luke McCutcheon, Glen Little and Craig Nolan (Hawks) were backed up by added points from the boot of Andrew Goudie- securing the teams brilliant bonus-point win.
As the dust settled after the final whistle, news came through from Jedburgh of the South’s 28-21 win over Caledonia Reds meaning Glasgow, The South and Cale had ended the tournament with 2 wins each, and levelling The South and Glasgow at the top of the table with 11 points. But it was Glasgow fantastic run of form at Malleny Park, and a points difference of 40, that would crown Glasgow & the West Inter District Champions for the 25/26 season.
GHA has been the home base for Glasgow & the West since the Inter District Championship was reintroduced, holding training and home games for the district side. The return of the Scottish Club XV this season saw Adam Kerr, Andrew Goudie and Euan McKirdy selected for training camp for the highest tier of amateur rugby in Scotland- with Euan McKirdy making the journey to face Ireland XV with the team back in February.
We would like to congratulate all of the GHA players and staff selected this season to represent across the Inter District Championship and the Glasgow and West team on their fantastic achievement- bolstering the importance for the district competition for senior Scottish Rugby:
Glasgow & the West 25/26
Adam Kerr
Aminio Bogidrau
Andrew Goudie
Euan McGovern
Euan McKirdy
Glen Little
Gregor Drummond
Luke McCutcheon
Nicky Thompson
Oscar-Lonergan Black
Sean Callaghan
Ruari Campbell
Marcin Glowka – Medical Staff
Dr Akin Rae – Medical Staff
Caledonia Reds 25/26
Ben Curtis
Lochlan Hodge
Struan White
Kev Wyness – Coach
