Sam Judge celebrates a goal. Will she be celebrating victory on Sunday. Picture Nigel Duncan Media

Edinburgh University coach Sam Judge eyes a cup and league double this weekend but she warned her double-chasing squad to beware of Dundee-based Grove Menzieshill.

Matches between the pair have been close this season with the Tayside team coming out on top in one with the other match-up ending in a draw.

They square-up with the Scottish Cup at stake at Glasgowā€™s National Hockey Centre on Sunday.

And the newly-crowned Division One title holders, who are the current cup holders, should be almost at full-strength.

They claimed the league silverware last Sunday with 46 points from 18 games, a record which includes 15 wins, a draw and two defeats.

Itā€™s the fourth year in a row that Judge has led them to glory and Grove were third with 35 points from their 18 fixtures. They won ten, drew five and lost three.

Edinburgh scored 81 goals and let in 15 while Gove netted 51 and conceded 16 and Judge’s squad have picked up six victories since the league returned to action after the winter shutdown.

They dropped two points in a 0-0 draw with Grove Menzieshill and went down 2-0 to Milne Craig Clydesdale Western.

However, Sophie Maunder, Zara Malseed, Hanna McKie and Ella Watt have all been consistent goal scorers and they now have Commonwealth Games squad member Amy Brodie back from the Gold Coast.

The Tayside team have struggled to find consistency since the re-start after the Festive break with three wins, three defeats and a two draws in the mix.

However, Grove Menzieshill handed out the students first defeat of the season with a 3-1 win earlier in the campaign with the goals coming from Sarah Jamieson, Jude McMullan and Jenny Walls.

Commonwealth Games squad members Jamieson and Katie Robertson are also back in the mix.

Judge said: ā€œWeā€™re looking forward to the final and trying to retain the cup.
ā€œThe only player Iā€™m missing is Laura Swanson but thatā€™s just precautionary so sheā€™s fit for play-offs and Euros.

ā€œCompetition for places is really high at the moment because the girls all want to play in the Euros (later this month).

ā€œItā€™s good to have Becky (Merchant) and Amy (Brodie) back to strengthen the team.

ā€œSophie Maunder has been scoring a lot of goals for us so hopefully sheā€™ll continue to do that.ā€

Judge admitted: ā€œWe have struggled against Grove this season, losing and drawing with them, but weā€™ve never been nearly at full-strength when weā€™ve played them so Iā€™m confident we can win the game, but it wonā€™t be easy.ā€

Website | + posts

Experienced news, business, arts, sport and travel journalist. Food critic and managing editor of a well-established food and travel website. Also a magazine editor of publications with circulations of up to 200,000 and managing director of a long-established PR/marketing company with a string of blue-chip clients in its CV. Former communications lecturer at a Scottish university and social media specialist for a string of successful and busy SMEs.