Hamilton rugby coach Ian Morrison quits after nine years

Nov 5 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

HAMILTON Rugby Club coach Ian Morrison has resigned after nine years at the helm of the Laigh Bent club.

Arriving in 2000, Morrison steered the Bulls from West Division Five to the heady heights of Premier 2 in successive years, a feat which was the envy of many within the Scottish game.

But Hamilton were relegated to Premier 3 at the end of last season and have had a fairly indifferent start to their campaign, sitting fifth in the table after 10 games.

Club president Donald Woodrow said the club had reluctantly accepted Ian’s resignation.

In a statement, he said: “Ian felt that the time was now right for him to stand down from his role as head coach.

“It was with no little sorrow on the part of the committee that, after lengthy discussions, his resignation was accepted.

“The committee would like to express our sincere gratitude to Ian for everything that he has done for the club over his many years at the helm and, on behalf of the membership as a whole, we wish him every success in the future.”

Craig Sangster, Richie Maxton, John Lindsay and Stuart Eynon will be responsible for coaching and team selection at Garnock on Saturday, while the club look for a replacement.

Ian said: “After nine or 10 years, I felt that maybe it’s time somebody else has a go.

“I’ve had a fantastic time at Hamilton as we moved up through the leagues but the higher the level you go things get tougher and harder to maintain.

“I think Hamilton are relatively safe in Premier 3 and will be if we can hit the 40 points mark so I feel that I’m leaving the club in a good state.

“They have a healthy future ahead and maybe it was just time for me to get out of the way.”