Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
W/D ‘devastated’ as team pulls out West League Two
Waysiders/drumpellier Rugby Club has officially withdrawn from Tennent’s West League 2, having struggled to field a team on a number of occasions.
The Langloan club was repeatedly docked points by Scottish Rugby to the extent that it was unable to avoid relegation to West League 3 in any case, but general manager Gerry Brankin says the decision was taken to voluntarily come out of the league, adding that it wouldn’t have been fair on the other teams.
That does leave West League 2 with nine teams, however.
Brankin isn’t happy that the decision has been forced upon the club, but says at least the issue has now been resolved.
He told the Advertiser :“we’ re all devastated that it has come to this, but I really don’t think there was much choice.
“It has been coming for quite a while. We’ve struggled to get a team out most weeks this season, and got to the stage where we had 10 games still to play, which took us up until May 21.
“I know there was at least one other game where we would really have struggled for players because one of the guys is getting married, so then you’re looking at the end of May/beginning of June, and relegation and promotion needs to be sorted out before then.
“I met with the president and the coach, it’s been something we had been thinking about for a while, that we weren’t going to be able to fulfil the fixtures, it’s going to mess up the league.
“We spoke to the West Committee and got an undertaking where if we withdrew from the league we would be allowed back in to Division Three next season. One of our big concerns was that if we chuck it, will we be allowed back in the league? But they have assured us that we would be.”
Brankin says several issues were at play, and added:“it’s not fair on all the other teams in the league, because they’re trying to sort out fixtures, catering, travel, and the promotion and relegation aspects, so we decided that was it.
“A few of our guys are self-employed, so if they get injuries that means you can’t work. It has been a combination of different factors that have come back and bite us.”