Stew Mel vs Heriot's, 30/1/10

Inverleith Angle

I extend a warm welcome to Peter Brown, President of Heriot's, his committee, Bob McKillop, and his team, to Inverleith.

Heriot's have to be congratulated as they have carried the flag, with Ayr, in the British and Irish Cup. According to our friends at Heriot's, the players are enjoying the experience and they certainly ran Nottingham very close at Goldenacre. Our last game at Goldenacre was a match everyone in red, black and gold felt we could easily have won, and we hope that we can take our chances today and turn the tables on our neighbours. If you are reading this after attending our ex-players lunch, thank you very much for coming down and giving us your support.

Last weekend, firsts and seconds suffered heavy defeats at the hands of their Ayr counterparts. Ayr away, in January, was always going to be a tough assignment. We ran them close at Inverleith, so there was no danger that they would underestimate us - and so it proved. The thirds managed to beat Edinburgh University seconds to fly the flag for the club last weekend.

Stewart's Melville School stole the headlines last weekend, however, as both the senior and under 15 teams qualified for their respective cup finals. Congratulations to the boys and staff - a marvellous effort. The new date for the final at both age levels is Thursday 11 February at Murrayfield Stadium, with the under 15 event kicking off at 6 pm and the under 18s at 7.30 pm. Admission is free, so let's get along and give them as much support as possible.

Amongst the tributes to Bill McLaren, I heard it commented that he has done more than anyone in the world to promote and 'sell' the game of rugby. I certainly can't think of anyone who can rival him. It was moving to see the attendance and the dignity of the funeral service. Although our thoughts are with his family, it would be nice to think, as the Six Nations approaches, that the Scottish players take inspiration from his memory.

I thank everyone who supported our Burns Supper; we had around 140 attending, and I have had many emails confirming my own view that the night was a huge success. Well done Borth and Eileen - both of you were brilliant and will be a difficult act to follow next year. We feel that, if we can organise events like that, the players will enjoy them, and want to be part of Stewart's Melville, and pay their subscription, and so the club will grow - that's the theory!

I hope you enjoy the game today and that you can join us in the Clubhouse afterwards, where Denise and the staff can be relied upon to give you a warm welcome.

Gavin Calder

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