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Having suffered a resounding defeat against
Edinburgh Rugby at the same stage of the Capital 7s in its
inaugural year, Boroughmuir were delighted to be able to
avenge the defeat an, in doing so, claim their first triumph
in their newly established 7s tournament. The tournament,
organised in association with the Princess Royal Trust for
Carers and main sponsors Laing the Jewellers was a huge
success throughout the day. From the youth tournament in the
morning - helpfully won by the Boroughmuir side - to the fun
and games on the back pitch and the main event of some
quality sevens rugby, a large crowd was kept thoroughly
entertained.
'Muir's quest to win the tournament began
against a strong Stewarts Melville side and it took a try
from substitute Ed Mills and subsequent conversion by Matt
Cannon with the last move of the match to stop the hosts
from sliding to a first round exit. Their opponents in the
quarter finals were Premier One rivals Edinburgh Academicals
who, despite comfortably dispatching Preston Lodge in Round
One, provided a less stringent challenge with Boroughmuir
running out 46-0 winners, scoring eight tries in the
process. Joni Hare, Charlie Keenan, Malcolm Clapperton and
Matt Cannon chipped in with scores whilst both Rory Couper
and Ed Mills bagged doubles.
The semi finals saw Boroughmuir take on
Biggar, who had overcome a red card in the first half to
beat Meggetland 24-10 in the previous round. They never
looked like denying 'Muir a place in the final, however, and
the hosts ran in another six tries to add to their tally.
Calum Cusiter grabbed two, Keenan, Couper and Mills all
maintained their scoring form with touch downs and were
joined on the list by Greg Cottrell.
Their opponents in the final would, as in
2007, be Edinburgh Rugby. Having soundly beaten the Bruce
Hay Chiefs in Round One, Edinburgh were shocked by the
quick-starting Currie in the Quarter Finals. Despite losing
the opening score, however, thirty-nine unanswered points
ensured their place in the semi final against Edinburgh
University. The students had been the surprise package of
the tournament, particularly winger Kelichi Eseonu, whose
scintillating runs had certainly won over the vociferous
crowd. Most expected the game to be a procession for the
professionals, but though they triumphed 29-17, it was by no
means a comfortable victory over a University side who
caused them plenty of problems.
The final began in cagey fashion with both
sides respecting the other's abilities. Edinburgh had most
of the early possession but found a resolute wall of
Boroughmuir defence who pushed them back at every
opportunity. The home crowd thought 'Muir were about to take
the lead when captain Rory Couper burst down the left wing
but the Edinburgh defence just covered across in time and
indeed it was the defending champions who struck first. Mark
Robertson, who had impressed in the earlier rounds, broke
the Boroughmuir defence with a searing run and danced in
under the posts. Ally Warnock converted. That score was
quickly cancelled out, however, Couper this time making it
all the way to the try line with a brilliant break from his
own half. Elgan O'Donnell added the conversion.
The second half began in much the same way as
the first and 'Muir sniffed the first chance of a try when
Malcolm Clapperton went to pick up a bouncing ball with only
the line ahead of him but knocked on. It was clearly the
hosts who had the upper hand though, putting pressure on
every Edinburgh move and eventually getting the score they
deserved when Cottrell jinked through the Edinburgh defence
to touch down. Matt Cannon converted his score, as he did
when flying winger Charlie Keenan broke free of Warnock's
tackle and raced in for the game-clinching score with less
than two minutes left on the clock. 'Muir saw out the
remaining time without too much trouble and after the final
whistle, Couper climbed the steps to collect the Pug Webster
Quaich from Michael Laing.
It was a fitting way for Boroughmuir to draw
the curtain on what has been a wonderful season. From the
continued excellence of the youth teams to affiliate club
Meggetland winning the SHE East Division 2 title and the 1st
XV romping away with the SHE Premiership One crown, success
has not been hard to find at Meggetland this season and one
hopes that it sets a trend that continues long into the
future.
Boroughmuir: Olly Brown, Matt
Cannon, Malcolm Clapperton, Greg Cottrell, Rory Couper,
Calum Cusiter, Joni Hare, Charlie Keenan, Ed Mills, Elgan
O'Donnell |
