Grange hold slender lead at the mid-season break

Premiership: men: Clydesdale 5, Dunfermline Carnegie 3; Erskine Stewart’s Melville 1, Inverleith 4; FMGM Monarchs 2, Grange 5; Edinburgh University 2, Watsonians 2; Kelburne 0, Western Wildcats 12; Hillhead 7, Uddingston 0.

Women: Edinburgh University 5, Hillhead 0; GHK 1, Clydesdale Western 0; Inverleith 0, Glasgow University 3; Gordonians 0, Western Wildcats 5; Watsonians 11, Dundee Wanderers 0; Uddingston 1, Grange Edinburgh Ladies 2.

Grange enter the mid-season shutdown with a slender one-point lead at the summit of the men’s Premiership following their 5-2 win at bottom club FMGM Monarchs.

They have 25 points but defending champions, Western Wildcats, are breathing down their necks after their 12-0 demolition of Glasgow rivals Kelburne and the Auchenhowie men have a much superior goal difference.

Grange, who are unbeaten in their nine matches so far this term, can’t afford any mistakes when they league resumes as Western have a goal difference of plus 53 against the Edinburgh side’s plus 36.

Edinburgh University are third on 21 points after being held 2-2 at Peffermill by a Watsonians side which contained three schoolboys and the students have a goal difference of plus 39.

Clydesdale have impressed this season and they are fourth with 17 points after their 5-3 victory over Dunfermline Carnegie in Glasgow and Watsonians are fifth with 16 points.

Inverleith sneak into the top six on goal difference – plus eight – as they have 15 points after their 4-1 win over second-bottom Erskine Stewart’s Melville (ESM).

The bottom six is headed by Hillhead also on 15 points and the Glasgow side thrashed Uddingston, who are eighth with ten points, 7-0. Next come Kelburne on six points followed by Dunfermline Carnegie on four, ESM with three and FMGM Monarchs on one. All the teams have played nine fixtures.

Watsonian women, meanwhile, hold a six-point lead at the top of the Premiership having completed the first part of the season with an unblemished record and an astonishing goal difference of plus 68.

Coach Keith Smith has guided the defending champions to nine straight wins, scoring 72 goals and letting in just four, and they thrashed bottom club Dundee Wanderers 11-0 at Peffermill on Saturday to coast on to 27 points.

Western Wildcats lead the chasing pack on 21 points having won seven and lost two of their fixtures so far and they stayed in the hunt with a 5-0 win at Gordonians, but Clydesdale Western lost ground and slip to fourth on 19 points after a 1-0 defeat at GHK.

Edinburgh University, who have only played eight games so far, are third on goal difference over Clydesdale Western, plus 37 against plus 21 – after their comfortable 5-0 win at Peffermill against a doggedly-determined and hard-working Hilhead side.

GHK are also on 19 points and in fifth spot with Hillhead sixth, four points adrift.

Grange Edinburgh Ladies, who were promoted last season, top the bottom six and are in seventh position on ten points after their 2-1 win at Uddingston.

Glasgow University are a point adrift in eighth position after they beat Inverleith 3-0 while Uddingston are ninth with six points, Gordonians are on five points while Inverleith are 11th on three points. Wanderers prop up the rest with one point.

PICTURE: Goalmouth action Edinburgh University v Watsonians at Peffermill by Nigel Duncan