Rugby by John Preece
A woeful performance from Edinburgh on Friday night at Ravenshill against an Ulster side who, in spite of International call-ups, could still field a team of very high quality with several non-selected Internationalist possibly out to show off their talents. However, it was Edinburgh who took an early lead with a try up the right touchline by Cornel du Preez. But it wasn’t to last and Ulster hit back to be 20-5 up at half time. Edinburgh kept them at bay for the first 20-odd minutes of the second half, but the floodgates opened and Ulster quickly took advantage of the 14-man visitors and ran in three more tries to put the game out of reach. Edinburgh rallied in the last few minutes with two tries of their own, but the final score of 41-17 made for grim reading.
Scotland ran Australia close in the last match of the viagogo Autumn Internationals, going down 21-15 to the Aussies. Greg Laidlaw scored all of Scotland’s points from the kicking tee against Australia’s two tries, one of which was converted and three penalties. The margin could have been greater, but Christian Lealiifano missed three penalties late on in the second half.
(Match report on the main site)
Happier news was to be had at Raeburn Place as Edinburgh Academy squeezed past Stirling County 31-30 as the RBS Premiership took a weekend out to allow the sides playing in the British and Irish Cup to catch up. This means that Accies climb a place to sixth with 28 points courtesy of their bonus point win. The teams in the division are now all on 12 matches, but that will be disrupted in the near future with the next two rounds of the B+I Cup on the 7th and 14th December when Accies will play away and home against London Welsh.
The National League had a week off from hostilities and action will be resumed next week when Boroughmuir, Watsonians and Stewarts-Melville will play Peebles, Hillhead/Jordanhill and Selkirk respectively.
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Football
A point apiece for the capital sides this weekend. Hearts fought back from 2-1 down to grab a late equaliser at Tynecastle whilst Hibs travelled to Paisley under new manager Terry Butcher and produced a fighting performance to keep a clean sheet against the Buddies.
Full match reports are available on the main website.
Scottish Youth Cup
Hibs Under 20s travelled to Ibrox but found Rangers too strong and lost 5-1.
Scottish Challenge Cup – North and East Zone
Spartans reached the 3rd round of the South Challenge Cup with a 3-2 victory at home to current cup holders Whitehill Welfare.
Spartans took the lead in the 21st a Danny Main effort from 3 yards out, but Welfare equalised a minute later through Andrew Kidd.
Whitehill then took the lead from a corner kick in the 42nd minute which was only partially cleared and the ball fell to Kerr Dodds whose shot took a slight deflection off Ally MacKinnon and flew into the net.
Spartans levelled in the 63rd minute when a Kevin Motion free-kick found Danny Main on the penalty spot and his looping header flew into the net.
Keith McLeod then scored the winner when Danny Main’s clearance was flicked on by Mark Whatley to set McLeod free. The striker rounded and stroked it into the net from an angle.
Malt & Hops Man of the Match: Kevin Motion.
Team: Bennett, Cennerazzo, Main, O’Donnell, MacKinnon, Motion, Grant, Whatley, Bremner (Anderson), McLeod, Brown Unused: Blaikie, Beacher, Beesley, Gilpin
Elsewhere
Lothian Thistle HV 4-2 Coldstream
Burntisland Shipyard 0-4 Leith Athletic
Vale of Leithen P Kelso United
Preston Athletic 3-0 Edinburgh City
Easthouses Lily 2-4 Gala Fairydean Rovers
Heriot-Watt University P Craigroyston
University of Stirling P Tynecastle
The King Cup, First Round
Selkirk P Ormiston
Peebles Rovers P Duns
Central Taxis East of Scotland League Premier Division
Spartans 6-2 Stirling University EOS
Civil Service Strollers 1-6 Edinburgh University
Central Taxis East of Scotland First Division
Eyemouth United 3-1 Berwick Rangers EOS
Hawick Royal Albert P Hibernian EOS
American Football by Peter Laird of the Edinburgh Napier Knights
A score line horror show disguised a gutsy outing against the league leading Clansmen by the Edinburgh Napier Knights as they were soundly beaten 93-7 in Stirling.
Things were not as bleak as the score would suggest as the Knights defence performed valiantly only to be undone by their special teams which led directly to 6 of Stirling’s 13 Touchdown scores.
For the Clansmen it was the elusive Grant Isdale to the fore again as he bagged 4 scores on the day. Quarterback Dutch Stevenson also completed 4 touchdown passes and the explosive pair were competing for the Clan right to the end chasing the elusive 100 point mark
For the Knights some great 2nd half ball control offence from Michael Onufer was undone by a fumble as the Knights threatened to be the first opponent to score on the Stirling all year. But it was the problematic special teams that ironically gave the Knights something to cheer about as Michael Gunn returned a late kick-off for a score.
Assistant Head Coach Matthew Davies was not overly despondent. ‘We didn’t look out of place today and I know we gave Stirling some problems at certain stages of the game. Our season won’t be decided by these games however and we have to look to next week as there were definite signs of an impressive team in the making’.
Ice Hockey by John Preece
Edinburgh Capitals couldn’t follow up their win against the Belfast Giants last Saturday as they were defeated away from home by the Dundee Stars. The Capitals were one goal up at the end of the first period, but two goals in the second period put the Stars in the lead going into the third. A third goal early in the final period stretched the Dundee lead to three, which increased to four in the last minute. Edinburgh pulled one back in the dying seconds, but the match finished 4-2 to the Dundee Stars.
On Sunday night the Caps beat Hull Stingrays 5-3 at Murrayfield.
Basketball
City of Edinburgh Kings SM 82-46 Dunfermline Reign SM
Glasgow University SM 78-61 Glasgow Storm
Glasgow Rocks SM 80-62 Stirling Knights SM
St Mirren West College Scotland SM 79-77 Boroughmuir Blaze SM
Clark Eriksson Fury SM 79-64 Troon Tornadoes SM
City of Edinburgh Kool Kats SW 64-25 Clark Eriksson Fury SW
St Mirren West College Scotland SW 63-53 Tayside Musketeers SW
Volleyball
Men’s Scottish Cup
City of Edinburgh II 1 3 Lenzie
University of Edinburgh 3 2 NUVOC
South Ayrshire II 1 3 Bellshill Cardinals
Team Fife 3 0 Edinburgh Jets III
University of Dundee 3 0 QTS Kilmarnock TA
Women’s Scottish Cup
Beacon Phoenix 0 3 NUVOC
University of Edinburgh 0 3 Dundee
Men’s John Syer Trophy
Beacon Fire 1 3 Bon Accord
Edinburgh Jets 3 2 Glasgow Mets
South Ayrshire 3 1 Dundee
City of Edinburgh 3 0 City of Glasgow Ragazzi
Women’s John Syer Trophy
North Lanarkshire 3 0 Edinburgh Jets II
City of Edinburgh 3 2 Su Ragazzi
QTS Troon Team Ayrshire 3 2 Edinburgh Jets
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
