Mini Update – 23.3.08

Following the previous weekend’s exertions when all five of Biggar’s Mini sides were in action, the youngsters had an altogether much quieter time on Sunday.  With a fairly hectic few weeks ahead until the end of the season, the focus was on a return to the training field and some fine tuning of the skills displayed already throughout the year.

This Sunday, the Minis travel to Selkirk – and what a cracker this promises to be.  With the two Club’s 1st XVs meeting the previous day in what will be the ultimate promotion decider, the two Mini fixture organisers couldn’t have got their timing any better.  P4, P5, P6 and P7 all travel to the Borders ground for a kick-off – please note the change - now scheduled for 12:00 noon.  Those leaving the clubhouse will do so at the revised time of 10:00am, those travelling direct should aim to arrive at the Selkirk ground no later than 11:30am.

Meanwhile the P3 group will train at Biggar – an 11:00am start at the clubhouse – with the New Image group (P1s and P2s) enjoying their final Sunday inside at the sports centre.  A 1:00pm start here.  

Mini Update 30th March, 2008.

After the disappointment of Saturday it was always going to be a difficult trip for the Minis on Sunday to…..yes, you’ve guessed it, Selkirk!

A full complement of sides journeyed down, however, and had a good day with Dalziel also present.

The P4 side played three games, all against Selkirk, as Dalziel did not have players at this age. In all 3 evenly matched games the Biggar lads performed very well, winning one game by 3-2 but losing out by 4-3 and 4-2 in the last game. A happy trio of coaches were pleased to note progress made.

The P5 lads managed a 3-3 draw with Selkirk but lost out 5-4 to Dalziel. Coach Sandy Howitt claimed that one try from Stuart Affleck, involving, as it did, lots of quality support and off-loads was easily the best of the season to date.

The P6 squad came of age on Sunday playing a fantastic brand of running rugby. A 5-0 win over Dalziel was followed by an equally impressive 4-1 win over Selkirk. This side have threatened a performance like this for many months but have never quite managed to put everything together on any given day. Needless to say coaches, parents and boys were all mightily pleased!! More of the same please!

The P7 group had to play at their best to counter the efforts of both Dalziel and then Selkirk. Despite this they succumbed to Dalziel by 2-1 and then to Selkirk by 3-0.

All-in-all a very good day with a modicum of revenge somewhere for Saturdays defeat!!

Meanwhile at Biggar, the P1s and P2s enjoyed their final session this season, indoors at the sports centre.  And because of the weather and poor pitch conditions, they were joined - happily (!) - by the P3 group.

This Sunday sees all the age groups – New Image to P7 – on training and coaching work at the clubhouse.  It’s an 11:00am start for all.  

Mini Update – 06.04.08.

The heavy snowfall on Sunday morning almost put paid to the Minis scheduled training session.  But the few hardy individuals who came to Hartree Mill put in a short, sharp session which concentrated on keeping moving and keeping warm.  The New Image snowball fight at the end was a bonus!

This Sunday, the Minis – P4, P5, P6 and P7 - head off to Burnbrae to take on West of Scotland.  An 11:00am kick off requires arrival in Glasgow no later than 10:30am.  Those leaving the clubhouse are scheduled to do so at 9:00am.

All the New Image groups – P1, P2 and P3 – will take part in a coaching session starting at 11:00am at the clubhouse.  

Mini Report - 13th April, 2008.

The only rugby action this weekend involved the Mini section who journeyed to Burnbrae, home of West of Scotland.

Helensburgh were also due to participate and while they provided opposition at P4 and P5, they failed to appear at P6 and P7. The appearance of Huddersfield, who were on a tour north, meant that the P6 boys had two good games, but the P7 lads had to be content with two games against the host side.

The P4 lads had a very rude awakening with a drubbing at the hands of West. Things were much better against Helensburgh, the 3-2 score testamount to this, while the third game against a re-jigged West side saw the lads record a good 4-4 draw. Lots of positives though – all that lacks is a little confidence.

The P5 coaches Sandy and Callum were delighted with the performance of their youngsters. In recent weeks this squad has rarely managed a full training session due to lack of numbers and opponents, but this time round the Biggar boys recorded two excellent wins with as many as 6 different individuals getting on the scoresheet. Well done to all.

The P6 squad were still high after their fantastic performance at Selkirk and in a very evenly matched opening game against West were right in contention at 2-2 at half time. The more aggressive counter rucking of the West side allowed them to stretch away after the break to win 5-2, but nevertheless this still represented an improvement. Huddersfield also fell to West and in their second game, it was Biggar who began exceptionally well, scoring 4 tries in as many minutes and all in the very same top right hand corner. While Huddersfield came back into the game Biggar ran in another 4 tries to record a deserved 8-3 win.

Finally the P7 lads enjoyed a very competitive, evenly matched couple of games against the host side. A 2-2 draw was the result of the first game while West edged the second by the odd try in 5.   

Some of the squads were slightly down on players due to the school holiday and it will be good to get full squads out in the next two weeks for the highly competitive Stirling and Boroughmuir tournaments.

The P1s, 2s and 3s meanwhile had the choice of any or all the Hartreemill pitches on Sunday.  Being the stars of the future though, they wanted to feel the grass of the 1st XV pitch under their feet – and in particular, the in-goal area where all of them practiced scoring a try or two!

The Minis are on the road again this Sunday, with the P4s, P5s, P6s and P7s all making the annual trip to Bridgehaugh to take part in the Stirling County Mini Rugby Tournament.  As well as the hosts and Biggar, other participating clubs include Ellon, Howe of Fife, Marr, North Berwick and Stewart’s Melville. Kick-off is at 12:00 noon, requiring arrival in Stirling no later than 11:30am.  Those leaving the clubhouse are scheduled to do so at 10:00am.  Coaches, players and parents should all note that because it’s a tournament, squad numbers are restricted to 10 players in each of the P4 and P5 groups, 12 players at P6 and 14 players at P7  

The P1, P2 and P3 youngsters will continue with another coaching session at Hartree Mill - starting time is 11:00am at the clubhouse.

After Stirling, the Minis have three rugby Sundays remaining.  On the 27th, the P3s, P4s, P5s, P6s and P7s travel to the Currie Tournament – an 11:00am start here:  on 4th May, it’s the Boroughmuir Tournament – kick-off time for the P4, P5, P6 and P7 groups still awaited:  and on 11th May, the P4s, P5s, P6s and P7s will make the short journey to Moffat to play the host clubs combined P4/P5 and P6/P7 sides – kick-off time here

Mini Section Report - 20th April, 2008.

On Sunday the Mini section took part in the Stirling County tournament. As always this proved to be a very tough tournament with Biggar facing Stewarts Melville, Stirling and Ellon at every age group.

The best result of the day was from the P4 squad who qualified alongside Stewarts Melville for the semi-final. Here they faced Ayrshire side Marr. In a very even contest, Biggar stretched away after the break to win by 7-3 and so face Stewarts Melville – the side that had beaten them in their opening pool game. Down, but only just at 2-1 at the break Biggar were unable to match the Edinburgh side in the second half and eventually lost out by 10-1. This was a disappointing result but in no way reflected the play of the youngest Biggar Minis who played so well throughout.

The results were all very similar in the other age groups. Stewarts Melville seemed to have the better of the Biggar sides, as did the Stirling teams, but Biggar recorded wins against Ellon in most age groups. Again on the hard grounds the performance of all did the club great credit.

The P1, P2 and P3 youngsters had the run of the house again at Hartreemill.  The P3s in particular, put in a hard shift as they prepared for a competitive outing this Sunday at the Currie Mini Tournament.

And talking of Currie – the P3s, P4s, P5s, P6s and P7s will all be in action on what will be a very busy day at the host club’s Malleny Park ground (See below for location map).  Kick-off is at 11:00am and, because of the closure of a large section of the Lang Whang, departure time from Biggar will be a little earlier at 9:00am.  Those travelling direct are asked to be at the Currie ground no later than 10:15am.  Again, squad numbers are restricted and coaches are reminded to take the registration forms Keith left with them to the Tournament.  A meeting of the coaches from all the participating clubs is scheduled for 10:30am.

After Currie, the Minis have two rugby Sundays remaining.  On 4th May, it’s the Boroughmuir Tournament – kick-off time for the P4, P5, P6 and P7 groups still awaited:  and on 11th May, the P4s, P5s, P6s and P7s will make the short journey to Moffat to play the host club’s combined P4/P5 and P6/P7 sides – kick-off time here is 11:30am.   

Mini Report - 27th April, 2008.

As the season draws to its close, the second of three major tournaments saw Biggar Minis travel to near neighbours Currie, for what is always a keenly contested competition.

Weather-wise the day was the brightest of the year to date and this made for a good day’s rugby. Joining the usual P4-7 groups were the boys of the P3 section of New Image who were delighted to find that on this occasion the games were not restricted to touch rules but full contact.

All credit to the youngsters who displayed a thirst for the action in what was their very first competitive outing. Pitched against hosts Currie, Biggar got the win courtesy of the odd try from 15 – end-to-end stuff.

A second high scoring game followed, Biggar again coming out on top against the second Currie side by 5-4. Madras were next and they proved a tougher nut to crack, the Fife side eventually winning by 8-5. And so to the semis, where their opponents were the boys from Watsonians. It was nip and tuck for some time but as the game wore on Biggar tired a little and the Edinburgh side triumphed by 10-5. Well done to all the boys – a great start for you!

P4 had another good day although they failed to make it past the pool games. An excellent 7-1 win over Watsonians was followed by a tight 3-3 draw with Madrascals before the final game against Edin. Accies. The Edinburgh side played well to record a deserved 7-1 win but the Biggar lads did themselves proud.

At P6, Biggar faced hosts Currie in the first game but despite not doing much wrong had no answer to the pace or bulk of their opponents who managed to run in 5 unanswered tries.

Next up were Madrascals and in a very much closer game, the sides could not be separated at 2-2.

Edin Accies were the third side in the pool and with the city side having won against both Currie and Madras it was always going to be an uphill task for Biggar to record a victory. There was almost an upset, however, as Biggar threatened but again they could not breech the Accies defence – at least not until the last movement of the game. A little too late, however, as Accies had managed three earlier scores.

At P7, the format was slightly different, their being just 6 teams playing in a round robin type format.

Biggar enjoyed a huge 10-0 win over the host side before coming up against top side Stewarts Melville, losing out by 5-1. A 3-3 draw with Boroughmuir was followed by a 5-0 win over Perthshire. The last game was against Madras, Biggar requiring a win to keep them in the hunt for a medal win. A 4-1 win followed but this was not quite enough as Stewarts Melville ran out winners. Second place was decided by tries scored, Biggar sneaking a good second place over Boroughmuir as a result. Well done to all concerned.

With only a couple of weeks of the Mini season now left, the P4s, P5s, P6s and P7s all travel to Meggetland this Sunday to participate in the Boroughmuir Tournament.  Again squad numbers will be restricted and coaches will be in touch to advise who will be playing.  Kick-off has been confirmed as 10:45am which means that everyone should be at the Boroughmuir ground no later than 10:15am.  Those leaving from the clubhouse in Biggar will do so at 9:00am.

After their successes at Currie last week, the P3s rejoin the P1/P2 group for more coaching.  Starting time at the clubhouse is 11:00am.

After the Boroughmuir Tournament, the final Mini fixture this season will take place on 11th May, when the P4s, P5s, P6s and P7s will make the short journey to Moffat to play the host club’s combined P4/P5 and P6/P7 sides – kick-off time here is 11:30am.  The New image group, (P1s, P2s and P3s), will have a final coaching session at Hartreemill commencing at the normal time of 11:00am.

Mini update - 4th May, 2008.

On another clear day Biggar travelled to Meggetland for the Boroughmuir tournament, the seasons swansong for the Minis, who now have just a trip to Moffat this Sunday before the rugby kit is packed away for the summer. This is another keenly contested tournament with sides travelling from Marr, GHA, Perth and Edinburgh.

Once again it was the youngest group of players, the lads from P4 who earn top billing as they matched their achievement of a fortnight ago at Stirling by reaching Sunday’s final. Unfortunately, although they again competed manfully and were in real contention into the second half, it was their opponents Marr who finished the strongest, running in 3 late tries to record a 5-2 win. The P4 lads reached the final by virtue of winning their group.

At P5, Biggar struggled, principally because they were down to the bare minimum of players. This meant that there was no room whatsoever for injuries and so the boys were run ragged in their three games. Nevertheless, credit to the six who ran Boroughmuir close in a 7-5 opening defeat before winning against Portobello by 8-5. The third game saw Perthshire triumph by 5-2. Nothing really in it then, but Biggar missed a semi place.

It appeared that this was a ‘tournament too far’ for the P6 lads, who struggled to replicate the excellent form they have shown in recent weeks. Perversely, though they failed to play as well, they actually managed to get further in this competition than they did last week at Currie! A tough opening match against the giants that are GHA from Glasgow had the Biggar lads reeling as the city side ran in three unanswered tries to virtually win the tie. Credit though to Biggar who clawed their way back into things, the final score being 5-2 to GHA. Two wins led to a pool runners-up spot and a tie against Boroughmuir ‘A’ in the semi-final. The top Boroughmuir side was their opponents and there was a significant step up in the pace of the game as Biggar met a side which had failed to concede even one score during the day and who are virtually unbeaten in the past two seasons. Biggar lost out by 8-0 as the heads dropped a little – all credit to those involved, and a massive thank you to coach Ross McIntyre who looks likely to hang up his coaching boots after Sunday……there is still time to think things over though Ross!!

At P7, Biggar played well and reached the semi-final stage following a 3-1 defeat by Portobello, a 1-1 draw against Boroughmuir and a 4-2 win against Portobello. Boroughmuir were the other semi-finalists and again they proved just too strong for Biggar who lost out, hard though they tried.

A big thank you from the club to all the coaches who have worked so hard on Sundays to get the boys up to a standard at which they can hold their own against some of the biggest club sides in the country.

After almost nine months, the Mini season draws to a close this Sunday when the P4s, P5s, P6s and P7s make the short journey to Moffat to play the host club’s combined P4/P5 and P6/P7 sides – kick-off time here is 11:30am.  Departure time from the clubhouse is 10:15am, while those travelling direct are asked to be at the Moffat ground for 11:00am.

At P4, P6 and P7 numbers are likely to be significantly affected because there is a Cub camp and a school trip to France at the weekend. If you are available, please make a big attempt to contact your coach to confirm your availability.

The New image group, (P1s, P2s and P3s), will have a final coaching session at Hartreemill commencing at the normal time of 11:00am.

Mini Section report - 11th May, 2008.

The Mini section made their last appearance this year with a trip to neighbours Moffat.

With many of the Mini lads on various trips with the school and Cubs, Biggar travelled a little light but as Moffat were looking for combined P4/5 and P6/7 sides everything went well.

The ‘older’ boys played two games, with the rules being those of the P7 age group, which meant that the P6 boys had to adapt quickly to changes. This they did very well, however, Biggar recording two good wins.

There was plenty of action for the Biggar lads who filled in for Moffat when numbers were depleted. It is always good to be able to welcome along new players and so Jordan Thomson is one who will have benefited from being involved in his first outing.

It was much the same scenario at P4/5, this group also enjoying two wins and filling Moffat jerseys as well.

As with all Mini groups this represented the last outing for the year. A big thank you from all coaches for the efforts of the boys and girls who have turned out this season. Parents, as always, play a large part in transporting the players to and from Hartreemill and away venues – please keep up the good work! A special thanks from the P4 coaches (Dougie, David and Graeme) who have been hugely impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm of their squad. The boys have progressed in leaps and bounds in what was their first season of games and all three are particularly grateful for the gifts bestowed on them from the parents.

The P1. P2 and P3 squads enjoyed their last training session of the year in warm weather for a change. All are looking forward to coming back next season for more fum.

Keith will provide all the information regarding resumption of training in August – until then its cricket…or golf… or tennis…or all three!! Those interested in cricket training at the Club should confirm arrangements with Al Stewart or Keith.