BIGGAR GIRLS WIN SCOTTISH CUP
Great spirit on Murrayfield main pitch
Biggar Rugby Club’s girls’ Under-18s beat Stirling County 27-21 in what was described as a ‘hum-dinger’ of a cup final on the big pitch at Murrayfield on Saturday.
For a club the size of Biggar this was a major achievement, but it was also just one of those magical moments that the girls’ teams have been serving up over the years.
The first such triumph came some seven years ago in 2011 when the Under-15s lifted the cup of that year.
Things have moved on, however, and the competition is tougher as the girls become more skilled and competitive, and that was certainly the case on Sunday, with the result in doubt until virtually the final whistle.
Biggar and Stirling had met already this season in the Mirage Conference, and Sunday’s clash was the third between the sides, with a win each before the game.
In a pulsating match between the two teams Stirling started off better and opened the scoring, but Biggar found their feet despite some early withdrawals through injury and some obvious nerves.
They scored two tries through Geraldine Kimm and Rachel Philips, leading up to half-time, to go in with a 10-7 lead.
Biggar started the second half where they had left off, and secured two further tries through Julie Bell and Emelia Nights to take the score to 20-7.
Stirling weren’t done, and produced some very strong play, scoring two converted tries to take the lead at 21-10 with 10 minutes to play.
Although Stirling continued to have much of the possession, Biggar scored from a turnover ball with four minutes left on the clock, scored by Feebi Robinson and converted by Kaylee Fraser to take the score to 27-21.
Despite continued pressure from Stirling, the Biggar girls showed fantastic resilience and defence to secure the win.
A spokesperson for Biggar Rugby Club said: “This was an amazing experience for the Biggar girls, who were allotted the national team dressing room and the opportunity to play on the main pitch.”
A scratch senior VII took part in Hamilton’s Sevens at the weekend, with Andrew Howatson organising the squad and playing.
Biggar got through to the semifinals, but lost out to eventual winner GHA before losing the Plate final to Heriot Watt.
Many of the squad then played for Biggar Young Farmers, successfully defending their National YF title.