All around Lanarkshire @lanlivesport
Lanarkshire boxing clubs have been advised that Boxing Scotland’s Elite and Youth Championships preliminaries will take place behind closed doors at the organisation’s High Performance Centre in Bridgeton on the weekend of March 21 and 22.
The championships were to take place at Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility in Motherwell last weekend, but due to several events they couldn’t guarantee a gathering of under 500 people.
Boxing Scotland’s guidance currently is that they will support and give an informed view for clubs to make their own decisions as to whether shows and activities should run, but looking at ‘the local situation and the planned conditions’ of an event.
The governing body does suggest taking precautions against the Coronavirus, and for boxers to use their own bandages, head guards and gloves.
Rutherglen’s Southside Boxing Club achieved a record six gold medals at the Scottish National Championships, and could add to that next weekend at the Elite Championships.
From nine boxers, Zain Iqbal (11), Ava Allison (10), Culloch Gibson (12), Tyler Simpson (15), Paul Green (13) and Aiden Rodger (15) took gold, while Kaleb Ponsonby (12) and Anna Siddique (15) won silver.
Seventeen-year-old Elliott Dunn hopes to bag another gold at Boxing Scotland’s High Performance Centre this weekend.
Head coach Anthony Quayle said: “I’m pleased that it’s a record, and very happy with the performance of the young boxers.
“A few of them have come through the club since they were five years old, so I was expecting them to do well, but the result was amazing, considering they’re all local kids.
“We always seem to be bringing good kids through, here.”
Struggling Lanarkshire rugby clubs will be offered assistance by Scottish Rugby after they set up a new £500,000 Club Hardship Fund (CHF).
The fund is to offer financial assistance to grassroots clubs facing cashflow and immediate financial challenges through the impact of Coronavirus.
Scottish Rugby have suspended all rugby action until at least the end of March, and the fund is designed to help clubs through the period of uncertainty, supporting identified financial issues caused by a lack of fixtures or pressures on other revenue streams.
Several Lanarkshire clubs are already facing a backlog of fixtures due to harsh winter weather forcing postponement of several games.
In addition to the £500k CHF, Scottish Rugby is also accelerating its collective club support payments by a month, from April to May, which will exceed £500,000 in funding to ease the financial burden.
Scottish Rugby chief executive Mark Dodson said: “These are unprecedented times and we are acutely aware of the significant day to day financial challenges our member clubs will face in the coming weeks if fixtures cannot be resumed in the mid to long term, and other planned fundraising initiatives are curtailed.
“We are creating the £500K Club Hardship Fund to provide clubs with the reassurance there is financial assistance available to the dedicated volunteers and staff who deliver our game in their local communities.
“It is important we act now and provide tangible, practical support during these unsettling times.
“I also want to offer, on behalf of everyone at Scottish Rugby, our very best wishes to everyone across the country at this extremely difficult time.”
Clubs will be invited to apply by completing and returning a CHF claim application, which will be posted on the Scottish Rugby website, and will contain details of the necessary criteria. Scottish Rugby will look to release funds in a timely manner as appropriate.
Work will also go into helping clubs apply for wider business support, after Scottish Government announced a £320m fund for businesses affected.
Brankin says their membership fees and subscriptions come through standing orders that will still come in, but he says the knock-on effect of not having games, or rugby on TV, means the clubhouse isn’t bringing in money.
He said: “On the playing side it could have a huge impact, because we have no games for the foreseeable future, and our next scheduled game isn’t going to be until at least April.
“We still have league fixtures to fulfil, and that is now going to go into May. Part of the problem we have is that we share our facilities and Drumpellier Cricket Club take priority, so we’re going to struggle facilities-wise and rugby-wise.
“Our clubhouse is also not being used and that is going to take its toll, with a knock-on for various staff members.
“The SRU announced an emergency fund of £500,000, which I’m told is from Mark Dodson, and that is a fantastic gesture.
“That means there will be a pot, there will be a lot of clubs who will be struggling, and we will probably come into that.”
Brankin added: “There was to be a Super Saturday at the weekend there where it was one international after another and we would have taken a couple of thousand over the bar, but we didn’t have a single person come in. We were banking on that.
“On the playing side we will struggle to fulfill our fixtures, fitness levels will probably drop off even further.
“We can survive as a club because the way we do membership fees and subscriptions is through standing orders, so that money will still come in, but there is still a knock-on effect, because we could have guys finding other things to do on a Saturday, meaning we lose players.
“Public health is the number one priority, and everybody needs to take precautions, which we are doing, but the pot will be bare at some point.
“We won’t know how much of an impact this will have until it’s over, and it will be difficult, but we can’t do anything about it.” and there will be a fundraising raffle.
Tickets cost £5 each and are on sale now, and can be obtained from Colin Dalgarno or Simon Cameron at Strathaven Rugby Club, or Willie Cooper or Hazel Devlin at Strathaven Dynamos.
East Kilbride’s All Star Elite Trampoline and DMT Team returned from Perth with seven medals and qualifying places for the Scottish National Championships.
The club won two gold, two silver and three bronze medals at the event at
Bell’s Sports Centre, which was a second regional qualifier.
Medalists were:
Nicolle Mcewan (NDP1 9-10 silver DMT, bronze trampoline); Gracie Robertson (NDP1 13-17 gold trampoline); Evie Williamson (NDP 3 11-12 bronze trampoline, bronze DMT); Jenna Welsh (NDP 3 13+ gold DMT) and Jodie Morrison (NDP 4 13-17 silver trampoline).
Coaches Leigh Mcmeekin, Amanda Daley and Nicola Grassom are all delighted with their performances in some exceptionally large qualifying groups.
Uddingston Bowling and Tennis Club have appointed Alison Sharp as head tennis coach.
A club spokesperson said: “Alison excelled during the interview process and impressed the panel with her extensive experience, enthusiasm and her progressive plans to develop the club’s coaching programme to its best yet.”
Roughrigg fishing loch will be open as usual.
The Angling Club are aware of rumours going about stating that the loch will be closed this season.
The club are delighted to advise that this is incorrect and we will be open as usual on March 15, 2020.