Moray Rugby Club captain Hugh MacRae acclaims a strong debut season in National League Division 4 while Morriston club celebrates great successes at youth level
A first-ever season in national; league rugby has been a well-travelled adventure.
Moray Rugby Club’s debut campaign in National League Division 4 after two successful Caledonia North title successes and promotions has been a successful one.
So says club captain Hugh MacRae, after the team finished fifth in the ten-team division, winning almost half of their fixtures.
The team had to travel over 3400 miles on their nine away trips to places like Castle Stewart, North Berwick and Greenock, took a couple of heavy defeats on the chin but pulled off some excellent victories.
“This year it’s been a privilege to lead the team out in our debut season in National 4 and it has been, in my eyes, a successful one,” MacRae said.
“We’ve learned a lot as a team in the past 12 months. Some games perhaps not going the way we wanted and some performances not up to our own high standards.
“Overall though, I think we can look back with pride that our small club from the north has more than held their own in national rugby and put some teams on notice.
“As a squad, we have faced plenty of new challenges such as the distances travelled, injuries and new opponents.”
The skipper selected some of the high points. “These include our first win at home to Dunfermline, a highly changed team taking the win away against Hamilton and a 31-0 victory in horrendous conditions away at Greenock.
“Another high point to look back on is the number of debuts we have seen this season for the 1st XV, including a number of our colts making the step up to senior rugby - a great credit to the hard work of the coaches here at Moray.
“It’s not always been plain sailing though. The losses to Strathmore and Linlithgow show we still have more work to do and it’s something I know the team will look to continue to do in the coming campaign.
“I believe we should all look forward to the upcoming season knowing that as a squad we have more to achieve and the desire to go after it.”
Successes have not been restricted to the first team, with some fantastic results from the club’s youth ranks.
Moray’s under-18s were undefeated in the league, winning all six matches.
In the National Youth Bowl and Quaich they claimed the scalps of Selkirk and Howe of Fife to reach the Bowl semi-finals before losing to eventual winners Gala from Scottish rugby’s stronghold in the Borders.
The Saltire Energy Youth Cup and Shield saw Moray defeat Deeside and Highland home and away before losing narrowly to Mackie, a team bolstered in half term by north east players away to private schools.
Instead, Moray 18s won the Youth Quaich, beating Ellon in the semi-final and Deeside in the final to lift the trophy.
A group of the young colts, namely Finlay Paton, Angus Lunn, Fraser MacMillan and Finlay Reid made their senior team debuts at the end of the campaign.
Even more successful were Moray’s under-13 and under-14 squads.
The 13s won the Culbean Cup by defeating old adversaries Highland in the final at Morriston.
It was the performances of Moray’s under-14s that really caught the eye, winning all ten league matches to top their division.
Perhaps the greatest game witnessed at any level for Moray this term was the 14s’ Culbean Cup final against Aberdeen Grammar, where they were staring defeat in the face at 35-7 down only to produce a sensational second half and win the trophy 48-40.
Coaches Ant Carmichael, Jimmy Young, Rachel Finlayson, Chris Haley, James Walls and John Ross led the young stars to a profitable year on the field.
Moray’s second XV again played again in a very competitive Caledonia North Division 2 and competed well, winning five of their matches.
The club’s blossoming mini/micros continues to grow through the stewardship of Neil Richardson and his team of dedicated coaches.
Each Sunday up to 100 children aged six to 12 are at Morriston for sessions, and the group have already attended six festivals over the season with three more still to come.
The club has been active in encouraging as many females as possible to take up their sport.
Numbers may be low in the girls’ section but an enthusiastic group has attended training, aiming to spread the message of enjoyment to school pals to try out rugby.
And the Moray women’s team took part in the four-team Caledonia 2 league, a difficult time against more experienced teams.
With a new spirit among the females taking part, it’s hoped that even more will get involved and the club is eager to hear from anyone willing to give rugby a shot in a friendly and enthusiastic environment.
