Rugby: Hamilton disappointed as bowl final postponed

Feb 25 2010 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

HARSH winter weather at the weekend didn’t just deprive the county’s senior sides of action – it may have cost Hamilton’s Under-16s their day at Murrayfield.

Hamilton were due to face Howe of Fife in the Bowl Final at Murrayfield, but as the young Bulls woke on Sunday morning, heavy frost raised immediate concern.

With the team bus due to leave just after 9am and two supporters’ buses following an hour later, plans were thrown into disarray when coach Ross Whiteside received a call to tell him the game was off.

With two cup finals already scheduled for the main pitch at Murrayfield and the 4GL surface in use by Scotland for training, there was no room to accommodate the youngsters from Hamilton and Howe of Fife.

While recognising the Scottish Rugby Union’s difficulty in playing additional games on the main pitch, particularly during the Six Nations, Whiteside couldn’t hide his disappointment.

He said: “As well as the squad of players, there were over 200 disappointed youngsters and adults who planned to travel through and support our young team, and I’m sure Howe would also have brought a number of supporters with them from Coupar.

“As you would expect, the team had been building up to this all week, looking forward to playing at the national stadium – all be it on the back pitches – and it was just a pity that we couldn’t have been allowed to use the 4GL park before Scotland’s training session.”

While the Bowl Final will be rescheduled, the disappointment for the youngsters is that there is no guarantee that it will be staged at Murrayfield.