EdinReport.RU3003.1

Rugby by John Preece

Scotland’s Seven-a-Side team won the Bowl final in the Hong Kong round of the HSBC World Sevens Series by beating France 31-5 in the final. On their way to the final, they beat Kenya 26-12 and Argentina 24-12 in the preceding knockout rounds. (Library image from Murrayfield 7s)

At the next round, in Glasgow, Scotland play Australia, USA and Spain on the opening, round-robin day.

Edinburgh were beaten by Treviso in the latest round of the RaboDirect PRO12 League in Italy on Friday night. Leading 9-3 at half time, the Edinburgh side were barely able to get out of their own territory for much of the second half, conceding two tries in quick succession. It looked like a no points game for the visitors until Cornell Du Preez – who had blown a three-on-two overlap in the first half by choosing to take on ‘the two’ – galloped in from half way to secure a losing bonus point in the 20-16 defeat.

Heriots beat Aberdeen Grammar to qualify for the RBS Cup Final, which will take place at Cumbernauld’s Broadwood Stadium on the 19th April. Leading 13-10 at half time, a try in the second half gave them enough of a gap to take the win 20-10.

The women’s Sarah Beannie Cup Final will be contested on the same day between Murrayfield Wanderers and Melrose.

In the Under-18 Brewin Dolphin Girls’ Cup final, Murrayfield Wanderers were triumphant 70-29 against Ayr.

There were three outstanding individual performances in this game. Wandies’ Scotland under-20 cap, full-back Rhona Lloyd (pictured above), the capital side’s captain scored five tries; her colleague in the centre, Lisa Thomson, from Hawick,  a try hat-trick; and Ayr’s stand-off Emily Irving, already a full Scotland cap, had a try brace. Lloyd, a 17-year-old pupil at Tynecastle High School in Edinburgh who is a keen sprinter with Corstorphine Athletic Club, has been playing rugby since first year at secondary school.

She has her sights set on international honours. “Scotland are an up and coming team in women’s rugby. The points margins will get smaller and very soon we’ll be competing with the big guns.  I want to be there when they do,” she asserted.

Murrayfield Wanderers’ other tries came from Coreen Grant and a penalty try. Thomson kicked two conversions and Lucy Park – who had a spell in the sin-bin – landed the other eight.

Ayr’s additional tries came from No 8 Lisa Croniken (2) and her fellow back-rower Phoebe McDowall. Irving added two conversions. (report courtesy of Scottish Rugby)

Football

SPFL

Hearts staved off the threat of relegation for three days at least with a 2-0 win over rivals Hibs at Tynecastle on Sunday.

Dale Carrick opened the scoring in the 5th minute after latching onto a Ryan Stevenson knock down from a Calum Patterson cross.

Hibs should have had an equaliser eight minutes from the end when Jordon Forster headed the ball past Jamie MacDonald only to be wrongly ruled offside.

Alan Maybury was sent off in the 89th minute before Billy King secured the points with a well taken goal.

Hearts face Aberdeen on Wednesday knowing that defeat will spell relegation and Hibs face the same opposition next Monday.

Scottish Sun Lowland League

Spartans secured a fine 4-0 win against Gretna to secure another vital three points in the race for the Lowland League title.

Goals from Jack Beesley and Motion in a three minute spell gave the Ainslie Park outfit a half time lead.

Beesley made it 3-0 in the 65th minute and completed his hat-trick five minutes later.

After the game he told the club website: “I think it’s probably my first hat-trick in about 6 years! I’ve had a few chances with free-kicks recently, all pretty much from the same spot on the park so it’s given me plenty of practice and I’ve just managed to get it over the wall and into the net to pretty much seal the game for us with 20 minutes to go.”

“You could say that with the way today’s results have gone and the way we are playing but the games that we have got left, Whitehill, Dalbeattie and Stirling, are all tough ones and to use an old cliché, we’re definitely not taking anything for granted.  We’ll just go out every Saturday and look to pick up 3 points if we can.”

Elsewhere

Gala Fairydean Rovers 4-0 Threave Rovers

Selkirk 2-4 Dalbeattie Star

University of Stirling 0-2 Whitehill Welfare

Vale of Leithen 2-0 Preston Athletic

Central Taxis East of Scotland League, Premier Division

Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale P-P Spartans EOS

Stirling University EOS 1-4 Leith Athletic FT

Tynecastle 6-3 Civil Service Strollers FT

Coldstream 0-2 Craigroyston FT

Heriot-Watt University 0-0 Edinburgh University

Central Taxis East of Scotland League, First Division

Burntisland Shipyard 3-1 Eyemouth United

Duns 2-1 Hawick Royal Albert

Easthouses Lily 3-0 Peebles Rovers

Kelso United 0-1 Ormiston

Women’s Football

A headed goal by Caroline Heron was enough to secure the three points against Aberdeen on Sunday. Elsewhere..

Rangers 2-1 Celtic

Hutchie Vale 2-1 Buchan

Farmington 1-7 Hamilton

Inverness 3-0 Queens Park

Spartans 1-3 City

Speedway

The Scotwaste Monarchs beat Glasgow by 52-38 to win the Air Fence Challenge 1st leg at Armadale on Friday night.

Star man was Craig Cook on a paid maximum 14.

With a big crowd in the stadium and a good atmosphere, it was a pleasing start to the new campaign Monarchs head for Ashfield at 3pm on Sunday for the second leg.

Volleyball

Men’s Scottish Plate

Edinburgh Jets III 0 3 University of Edinburgh

Women’s Scottish Plate

Perth 3 0 Edinburgh Jets III

North Grampian 3 1 University of Edinburgh

Men’s Thistle Bowl

Bellshill Cardinals 1 3 South Ayrshire

Dundee 3 0 Su Ragazzi II

Women’s Thistle Bowl

University of Dundee 3 0 NUVOC

Boxing

Amateur Boxing Association Scotland presents Edinburgh V Manchester

Friday 4 April | Doors 6.30pm

An evening of sporting entertainment sponsored by McEwan Fraser Legal

6.30pm  Doors Open

7.00pm  Boxing Undercard – 6 amateur boxing contests

8.00pm  Main Event Video presentation and Ring Walks

8.20pm  10 Elite Amateur Boxing Contests

£22 | £16.50 | £11 | Includes 10% booking fee

£1 transaction fee when booking online / phone

Hockey

Men

Grange 1-0 Western Wildcats

Edinburgh University 2-1Grove Menzieshill .

Pool A, AAM Gordonians 4-2 over Watsonians

Pool B PSL Team Sport Clydesdale 7-3 Dundee Wanderers 7-3

Inverleith 4-0 win Uddingston.

On Sunday, Glynhill Kelburne won the Aberdeen Asset Management National League Division 1 title for a tenth year running after a 2-1 victory over Grange in the Grand Final at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre

Women

Milne Craig Clydesdale Western 3-0 Edinburgh University

Pool A Glynhill Kelburne 3-2 GHK Ladies.

Western Wildcats’ 5-3 AAM Merlins Gordonians

In Pool B, CALA 2-0 Grange EL

Glynhill Kelburne 3-2 GHK Ladies.

On Sunday Milne Craig Clydesdale Western were crowned champions of Aberdeen Asset Management Women’s National League Division 1 after a dramatic 4-3 win over Grove Menzieshill in the Grand Final at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre.

Photograph by John Preece

http://www.photoboxgallery.com/jlp-photography

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John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.