Howe of Fife legends back for big weekend

A big weekend of sevens rugby and reminiscing in Cupar gets under way this evening.

The Howe of Fife under-18 sevens event will be taking place on the Duffus Park pitch later on while, inside the clubhouse, faces from across the eras will be returning for a dinner to catch up and celebrate the 1974 Howe team that won their own senior sevens for the first time 50 years ago.

Jack McIntosh, Bob Scott, Dave Strachan, Jim Russell, Jock Imrie, captain Ian Kirkhope and Chris Reekie were the men involved in the triumph five decades ago.

In the final they beat Marr College FP 20-10 to lift the JR Gray Trophy and that success was part of a great sevens season that year.

The squad, coached by Tom Pearson, also won the Waid Sevens and the Caithness Sevens with Bill Graham stepping in for Bob Scott as part of the squad at the latter event.

Coach Pearson was a former chairman of the Scotland selection committee and went on to become president of the SRU. He was also a teacher at Buckhaven High School.

Chris Reekie, part of that squad and now a trustee of the club, said: “It was a great time to be involved with the Howe and we all loved playing for the club.

“To win our own sevens back then was very special and this weekend coming up is shaping up to be very enjoyable.”

Tomorrow the men’s and women’s senior Howe of Fife Sevens take place from 11.30am and then, on Sunday, there will be an under-16s event and a girls tournament.

● Edinburgh hooker Adam McBurney will join Connacht in the summer.

The former Ulster player has made 24 appearances for Edinburgh since joining in 2021 and recently played three times for Gloucester during a loan spell.

The triumphant Howe of Fife team from 1974.