U16 Shield winners handed opening-round bye in National Youth League Cup

The Scottish Schools under-16 Shield winners Earlston High School/melrose Wasps have a further chance to add to their honours this season when the Borders club compete in the National Youth League Cup, the focus for age-grade rugby in the new year.

Earlston High School/melrose Wasps have been given a bye for the preliminary round of matches being played this coming weekend. While Earlston High School/melrose Wasps will sit out this opening round their fellow Borderers, Hawick Albion, who as Hawick High School won the Scottish Schools under-16 Plate competition, are involved and face Ayr in what will be a tough examination for the Hawick side.

Ayr, having finished second in the under-16 top-tier Shogun Conference behind winners Boroughmuir, will be favourites to win this match, but Albion, second in the Borders under-16 league, have home advantage for this game and that could be a significant factor.

Also involved in the preliminary round of matches are Highland, who travel to Fife to play Dunfermline, runners-up at under-16 level in the Galant Conference. The other preliminary match being played this Sunday is the Granite City v Peebles tie.

At under-18 level one Preliminary level match has already been played, resulting in a win for Ayr over Earlston High School/melrose Wasps. This Sunday the Border League champions, Hawick PSA, are at home to Allan Glens in a match that should give the Borderers passage to the next round.

Boroughmuir, who had an impressive run after a difficult start to their Shogun Conference campaign, travel to Aberdeenshire to play Ellon, second in the Lancer Conference under-18 table. The other Shogun Conference club involved in this weekend’s round of matches is Highland, who play Whitecraigs, the second finishers in the Galant Conference at under-18 level.

The clear favourites to win the under-18 Youth League Cup are Stirling County, who will come into the competition at the next stage, and whose storming performances at under-18 level helped the Bridgehaugh club to an overall win in the Shogun Conference. Stirling also won the girls Mirage Conference.

Meanwhile, the two second-tier overall winners were Gordonstoun, who headed the Lancer Conference table, and Dunfermline, who were the top performing club in the Galant Conference.