Rugby by John Preece
Scotland’s Seven-a-Side team won the Bowl final in the Hong Kong round of the HSBC World Sevens Series by beating France 31-5 in the final. On their way to the final, they beat Kenya 26-12 and Argentina 24-12 in the preceding knockout rounds. (Library image from Murrayfield 7s)
At the next round, in Glasgow, Scotland play Australia, USA and Spain on the opening, round-robin day.
Edinburgh were beaten by Treviso in the latest round of the RaboDirect PRO12 League in Italy on Friday night. Leading 9-3 at half time, the Edinburgh side were barely able to get out of their own territory for much of the second half, conceding two tries in quick succession. It looked like a no points game for the visitors until Cornell Du Preez – who had blown a three-on-two overlap in the first half by choosing to take on ‘the two’ – galloped in from half way to secure a losing bonus point in the 20-16 defeat.
Heriots beat Aberdeen Grammar to qualify for the RBS Cup Final, which will take place at Cumbernauld’s Broadwood Stadium on the 19th April. Leading 13-10 at half time, a try in the second half gave them enough of a gap to take the win 20-10.
The women’s Sarah Beannie Cup Final will be contested on the same day between Murrayfield Wanderers and Melrose.
In the Under-18 Brewin Dolphin Girls’ Cup final, Murrayfield Wanderers were triumphant 70-29 against Ayr.
There were three outstanding individual performances in this game. Wandies’ Scotland under-20 cap, full-back Rhona Lloyd (pictured above), the capital side’s captain scored five tries; her colleague in the centre, Lisa Thomson, from Hawick, a try hat-trick; and Ayr’s stand-off Emily Irving, already a full Scotland cap, had a try brace. Lloyd, a 17-year-old pupil at Tynecastle High School in Edinburgh who is a keen sprinter with Corstorphine Athletic Club, has been playing rugby since first year at secondary school.
She has her sights set on international honours. “Scotland are an up and coming team in women’s rugby. The points margins will get smaller and very soon we’ll be competing with the big guns. I want to be there when they do,” she asserted.
Murrayfield Wanderers’ other tries came from Coreen Grant and a penalty try. Thomson kicked two conversions and Lucy Park – who had a spell in the sin-bin – landed the other eight.
Ayr’s additional tries came from No 8 Lisa Croniken (2) and her fellow back-rower Phoebe McDowall. Irving added two conversions. (report courtesy of Scottish Rugby)
Football
SPFL
Hearts staved off the threat of relegation for three days at least with a 2-0 win over rivals Hibs at Tynecastle on Sunday.
Dale Carrick opened the scoring in the 5th minute after latching onto a Ryan Stevenson knock down from a Calum Patterson cross.
Hibs should have had an equaliser eight minutes from the end when Jordon Forster headed the ball past Jamie MacDonald only to be wrongly ruled offside.
Alan Maybury was sent off in the 89th minute before Billy King secured the points with a well taken goal.
Hearts face Aberdeen on Wednesday knowing that defeat will spell relegation and Hibs face the same opposition next Monday.
Scottish Sun Lowland League
Spartans secured a fine 4-0 win against Gretna to secure another vital three points in the race for the Lowland League title.
Goals from Jack Beesley and Motion in a three minute spell gave the Ainslie Park outfit a half time lead.
Beesley made it 3-0 in the 65th minute and completed his hat-trick five minutes later.
After the game he told the club website: “I think it’s probably my first hat-trick in about 6 years! I’ve had a few chances with free-kicks recently, all pretty much from the same spot on the park so it’s given me plenty of practice and I’ve just managed to get it over the wall and into the net to pretty much seal the game for us with 20 minutes to go.”
“You could say that with the way today’s results have gone and the way we are playing but the games that we have got left, Whitehill, Dalbeattie and Stirling, are all tough ones and to use an old cliché, we’re definitely not taking anything for granted. We’ll just go out every Saturday and look to pick up 3 points if we can.”
Elsewhere
Gala Fairydean Rovers 4-0 Threave Rovers
Selkirk 2-4 Dalbeattie Star
University of Stirling 0-2 Whitehill Welfare
Vale of Leithen 2-0 Preston Athletic
Central Taxis East of Scotland League, Premier Division
Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale P-P Spartans EOS
Stirling University EOS 1-4 Leith Athletic FT
Tynecastle 6-3 Civil Service Strollers FT
Coldstream 0-2 Craigroyston FT
Heriot-Watt University 0-0 Edinburgh University
Central Taxis East of Scotland League, First Division
Burntisland Shipyard 3-1 Eyemouth United
Duns 2-1 Hawick Royal Albert
Easthouses Lily 3-0 Peebles Rovers
Kelso United 0-1 Ormiston
Women’s Football
A headed goal by Caroline Heron was enough to secure the three points against Aberdeen on Sunday. Elsewhere..
Rangers 2-1 Celtic
Hutchie Vale 2-1 Buchan
Farmington 1-7 Hamilton
Inverness 3-0 Queens Park
Spartans 1-3 City
Speedway
The Scotwaste Monarchs beat Glasgow by 52-38 to win the Air Fence Challenge 1st leg at Armadale on Friday night.
Star man was Craig Cook on a paid maximum 14.
With a big crowd in the stadium and a good atmosphere, it was a pleasing start to the new campaign Monarchs head for Ashfield at 3pm on Sunday for the second leg.
Volleyball
Men’s Scottish Plate
Edinburgh Jets III 0 3 University of Edinburgh
Women’s Scottish Plate
Perth 3 0 Edinburgh Jets III
North Grampian 3 1 University of Edinburgh
Men’s Thistle Bowl
Bellshill Cardinals 1 3 South Ayrshire
Dundee 3 0 Su Ragazzi II
Women’s Thistle Bowl
University of Dundee 3 0 NUVOC
Boxing
Amateur Boxing Association Scotland presents Edinburgh V Manchester
Friday 4 April | Doors 6.30pm
An evening of sporting entertainment sponsored by McEwan Fraser Legal
6.30pm Doors Open
7.00pm Boxing Undercard – 6 amateur boxing contests
8.00pm Main Event Video presentation and Ring Walks
8.20pm 10 Elite Amateur Boxing Contests
£22 | £16.50 | £11 | Includes 10% booking fee
£1 transaction fee when booking online / phone
Hockey
Men
Grange 1-0 Western Wildcats
Edinburgh University 2-1Grove Menzieshill .
Pool A, AAM Gordonians 4-2 over Watsonians
Pool B PSL Team Sport Clydesdale 7-3 Dundee Wanderers 7-3
Inverleith 4-0 win Uddingston.
On Sunday, Glynhill Kelburne won the Aberdeen Asset Management National League Division 1 title for a tenth year running after a 2-1 victory over Grange in the Grand Final at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre
Women
Milne Craig Clydesdale Western 3-0 Edinburgh University
Pool A Glynhill Kelburne 3-2 GHK Ladies.
Western Wildcats’ 5-3 AAM Merlins Gordonians
In Pool B, CALA 2-0 Grange EL
Glynhill Kelburne 3-2 GHK Ladies.
On Sunday Milne Craig Clydesdale Western were crowned champions of Aberdeen Asset Management Women’s National League Division 1 after a dramatic 4-3 win over Grove Menzieshill in the Grand Final at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre.
Photograph by John Preece
http://www.photoboxgallery.com/jlp-photography
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.
