Memories group looks back with Matt

Stirling County’s rugby memories group welcomed another hero from the club’s 1995 Scottish champinship squad at its latest meeting last week.

Matt McGrandles spoke about his time at the club - from his days as a youngsters through to playing at Twickenham and against the Barbarians at Forthbank.

He quizzed the group on their own memories of playing rugby at Stirling County and many of the memories were about particular characters in the club or games

played, passes made, kicks gathered while Roger Brewster mentioned “Knox the Box”who always arrived without a kit bag but with his rugby gear in a box – no further explanation, just an observation.

Matt spoke about the success of women’s rugby at the club from the days when they had to stop playing at 12 because there was nowhere to play even though some of the girls were the stars of the teams at that point. He said it was changed days at County but asked if the women get the recognition they deserve for the success they achieve?

Like many of his era, Matt dabbled in professional rugby by moving to Glasgow Hawks and he showed a promotional video of his playing exploits of that period.

A highlight was playing at the

Twickenham Sevens as an invitation side for winning the Scottish Championship with Stirling.

He then returned to coach the nder 18s to success and noted that four of the boys in a Stirling County youth team went on to be Internationalists and two of them British Lions.

Success breeds success and Matt emphasised the work of all the coaches, parents, assistants and club supporters in making such dreams come true.