David Forrester has won over 50 Scotland caps for hockey but the Grange skipper can now add his first men’s crown to his glittering career thanks to a come-from-behind 4-1 victory over Capital rivals Watsonians at wind-blown Fettes.
Former Great Britain squad player Dan Coultas had fired Watsonians ahead following a penalty corner near the end of the first-half to add to the tension as Grange struggled to find any real rhythm.
The nearest they came was when David Nairn rattled the Watsonians post after a break down the left, but three goals in a devastating five-minute spell in the third quarter took the silverware to Edinburgh and end Western Wildcats hopes to retaining the title.
Albert Rowling sparked the comeback and his goal mid-way through the period was followed by strikes from Zach Talbot and Jamie Nairn.
Jacob Tweedie added a fourth at the mid-way point in the final session and Calum Lothian could have added a fifth when he powered through the Watsonian rearguard late on only to blast the ball over the bar.
Grange’s seventh title win was set-up by victory over Western in Edinburgh earlier in the campaign followed by a 1-1 draw against the same opposition at Auchenhowie in the second last game of the regular season.
Forrester said: “I believe this is my first ever league title and I think the secret was consistency throughout the season. We have got the best of a bad performance at times.
“The win against Western was crucial and last week, when we played them in Glasgow, we weren’t at our best but we got the result we needed.
“We had the title in our own hands coming into this game and Watsonians scored with their only chance but we played well in the second-half.”
Elsewhere, striker Andrew McConnell fired four goals (three corners and one a penalty flick) as Western beat Edinburgh University 6-4 at Auchenhowie to be runners-up.
Fraser Moran added a corner and Rob Harwood claimed one from open play despite the students having the best possible start with a goal after 30 seconds.
Gavin Sommervle, Western’s experienced goalkeeper, said it was an open game with plenty of chances at both ends and the spirited students pulled the scoreline back to 4-3 at one point.
He added: “We stretched ahead to see the game out and they scored a fourth on the final whistle. Overall, we were pleased that our set-piece was firing and we continue to look dangerous in attack.
“However, we need to be much more disciplined defensively if we are to succeed in the play-offs.”
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