THIS new season 2022-23 will be my 61st in club rugby, as a player or, for most of them, as a rugby writer. My first, season 1962-63, began with a game for Cumnock Rugby Club 2nd XV, away to Dalry High School FP, on that mud-heap of a pitch behind what was then Dalry High School.
I formed a teenaged second row pairing with Jim Yates, then a teenaged apprentice mechanic, talked-into playing by his boss and Cumnock co-founder Ronnie Houston. That was Yatesie's only game of rugby – he immediately reverted to football, where, as a millionaire haulage company boss, he was a generous and dedicated fan and sponsor of Cumnock Juniors, before his untimely, early death.
The wheel of history has turned nicely, since, this afternoon, Cumnock will open their new season with a National Shield, first round meeting with Garnock, a club formed by the merger of Dalry HSFP and Old Speirians, at Lochshore. This is the first in a pair of back-to-back meetings of the two clubs, they open their West Region Division One campaign at Broomfield next Saturday.
This opening fixture will allow Garnock to pay tribute to two stalwarts whom they lost recently – the great Niven Rose, whose early representative honours were won with Dalry, and former Old Speirians legend Jock Clark. We too at Cumnock are mourning a couple of heavy losses, club co-founder Alan Davidson and Billy Jolly.
Meanwhile, I will be at Fullarton, covering Marr v Musselburgh. And looking forward to the usual banter with new Marr President Tony Peters and his co-conspiritor, Glenn Davis – Scottish Rugby's answer to Jack and Victor. That's another nice wee reminder of times past. My first game of rugby was for Cumnock Academy v Marr College, at the College grounds in Troon. Needless to say I scored, using my searing pace from full-back to be first to and touch down a box kick from Rab McSeveney, a team mate since Lugar Primary School football days.
I later partnered Rab's younger brother Donald, (known to all as Duck) in the Academy second row. Duck was some man, acquaintances from West Region rugby may not believe this, but, compared to Duck, Robert Dale was a quiet, clean-playing, law-abiding paragon!!
I remember, being sent to The Rector one school day, for some breach of discipline, to be joined outside his office by Duck and his wing-man, Raymond Bunting, an immensely-gifted but daft as a brush midfielder in a great Academy football team.
The three of us were ushered into the inner sanctum together, to be informed in The Rector's nasal tones: “We have 1500 pupils in this school, 1500, 1497 can behave themselves, then there are you three.” Since he already knew, all three of us would be leaving at the rapidly-arriving summer break, we were advised not to bother him again; a get out of jail card we gladly pocketed.
If we were the three worst-behaved pupils at The Academy, next-worst was probably Ayr legend Jock Craig – ours was a vintage year.
Enough of this nostalgia pish – what about the new season. Well, like everyone in Ayrshire, while hoping that Marr can do the hard bit and successfully defend their Premiership title; for me the big question is who will come out on top in West Division One, where half of the clubs are from God's County.
I expect Marr to be too-strong for visitors Musselburgh this afternoon, the question for the Fullarton Faithful who will crowd 'Hecklers' Hill' being, how will our scrum stand up to the loss of most of the front five from last season?
Props William Farquhar, Brandon Sweet and Calvin Henderson having been snapped-up by the Bulls and the Bears for Super6 of late, and promising lock Harry Murray's future in doubt due to a long-term injury; so they have lost some forward fire-power. Add the departure of Mackenzie Pearce and the Marr pack which was such a weapon in last season's title win, is carrying a bit less oomph.
But, Gordy Reid is back for another campaign and he will hopefully bring the best out of the new boys.
Elsewhere in the top flight, I will be interested in how Heriot's Blues go after their promotion last season. There are few cannier coaches than Phil Smith, who will have his side well-prepared for this new challenge. I also expect Currie Chieftains, having led the league at the end of the regular season, before falling to an inspired Marr in the title game, to be once more involved at the sharp end of the season, while, don't write-off a Hawick side boosted by the return from S6 of Dalton Redpath.
Heriot's kick-off with a visit to Glasgow Hawks, who have recruited some exciting youngsters in the close season, but might be light on street-wise experience, while Hawick start with a home Borders Battle against Selkirk, with, as an added bonus – the Bill McLaren Shield up for grabs and Currie entertain Jed-forest. The final match sees Edinburgh Academical entertaining GHA.
LAST NIGHT'S FOSROC Super6 clash between Ayrshire Bulls and Watsonians was a game which had everything you would expect from the clash of the two best sides in the competition.
Bulls deservedly won 24-17, because I feel, they wanted it more. This was one the home team had to win, a Watsonians' victory would, I feel, have made them extremely-difficult to stop from taking the title.
Bulls also banished any carry-over from those really-poor 15 minutes or so which cost them so dearly against the same opponents a couple of games ago.
Both sides played some good stuff, the defences were excellent on both sides and in the end, it was the impact of the Bulls' bench which made the difference.
Big Bulls' centre Jamie Shedden's two tries earned him the Man-of-the Matcfh accolade, deservedly so. However, another big shift from Rory Jackson of the Bulls, again had me questioning who makes the keep them or release them decisions at Glasgow Warriors.
Pleasing too to see Watsonians giving some very-promising young players game time off the bench. S6 is maturing.
Finally, for an hour or so, I thought referee David Sutherland was excellent; then I think he maybe got a bet on, that the visitors could salvage a losing bonus point, and, starting with one absolute howler at the break-down, when he wrongly penalised the Bulls, I felt he lost the plot. He seemed to me too, determined to find some means of yellow carding Bulls' skipper Blair Macpherson.
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