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Tuesday 9th March: Accies 'Old Crocks' Tournament, 28 March.
The Accies annual over-35s ‘Old Crocks’ 15-a-side tournament will be held at Raeburn Place on Sunday 28 March 2010, starting at 12 noon. This tournament has been running on and off since 1965 and all proceeds will go to the Murrayfield Centenary Fund (for injured players).

This year the competition will be between - Watsonians (current holders), Edinburgh Accies, Musselburgh, Edinburgh Northern, Edinburgh BATs, Inverleith, Linlithgow and Lismore - and each team is guaranteed three games.

The winners will be presented with the Usher–Vaux Trophy and more importantly a keg of beer! During the afternoon there will be a kids tombola, a raffle and a small number of quality auction prizes to ensure a fun packed afternoon is had by everyone.

There will be no admission charge for spectators but there will be an opportunity for a voluntary donation to the Fund.

The main rule of the day is compulsory fun must be had at all times!

We do hope you will come to Raeburn Place and support this event - which is for a very good cause - The Murrayfield Centenary Fund. We look forward to seeing you on the 28th, from 12 noon.

Monday 8th March: We got the rugby - not the result!
At last no games were lost because of the weather - although both the Blues and Whites opposition could not get full XVs out.

At Melrose, the 1XV went down 13-34, though in Accies desperate last minute chase to get a bonus point, Melrose intercepted to run the length of the pitch and score under the posts, which made the score look worse.

The game was a battle between Accies pack's pick and drive and Melrose back's speed. Melrose raced into a 6-12 lead after two tries - one converted - to, two Gavin Douglas penalties. Then Accies scored a great try in the corner, through David Rattray, which Douglas converted to make the score 13-12.

Dave Rattray goes over in the corner.

Accies held the lead well into the second half, but after conceding a penalty, and losing a player for a yellow card, Melrose scored another two tries, making the score 13-27. Accies were pressing hard through the forwards for a score to get a much needed bonus point, when in the last minute the ball was moved out , only to be intercepted - 13-34.

Greg Campbell, has another strong run.

With Watsonians losing to Selkirk, that leaves Accies five points ahead of Watsonians, though Accies have a better points differential. Accies have yet to play Hawks (20 March, away) and Heriots (April, home) - whilst Watsonians have to play Boroughmuir (away), Melrose (away) and Hawks (away).

Accies 2XV had a tremendous win at Stirling 18-11. This was the first time Stirling had lost all season - well done to the players and coaches. The 2XV were losing 0-8 at half time and a change of style after half time led to the win. The pack destroyed Stirling in the tight and good driving play set up the opportunities for David O'Hagan to control the game from fly half. It was good to see Jamie Sole, now back in Edinburgh, having a good strong game, and scoring a try. The other try was scored by Rory Drummond, who also had a good game.

The Under 20s at last got to play their semi-final of the U20 cup against Strathclyde Uni, and won 34-12. Accies were rusty in the first half and were losing 11-12 at half time - through and Ed Clark try and two Chris Martin penalties to two tries, with one converted. After a quiet word at halftime Accies were a completely different side in the second half - dominating the breakdown, running aggressively and using the ball intelligently. They scored 23 points - tries from Andy Young, Paul McEllin and Olly Green with Chris Martin kicking a conversion and two penalties. It was an excellent team performance in the second half - the stand out performers were Chris Martin, Paul McEllin and Hector Tulloch in the backs with Jamie McCarthy, Jonny Gill and Corrado Biagi leading the way up front.

The Blues and Whites opponents could not get teams, so both won by a walkover 28-0! At least Forresters 3 did turn up, even though short handed, and Accies leant them players to make up a team so 30+ guys got a game - which is what it's all about! Accies won 76-14, though the recorded score will be 28-0.

This week Accies play Currie on Friday Evening at Malleny Park - in the second round of the Scottish Hydro Premier Cup - kick off 7.30.

Thursday 4th March: Full fixture list - 1XV in Melrose - we hope!
After last weekends blank day, we all hope that we get some rugby this weekend. When you look at the fixture list for all our teams, we have only played 14 games out of 36 since the New Year.

On Saturday, the 1XV are in the Borders for a difficult game against Melrose. Earlier in the season we narrowly lost by three points, 14-17. Since then Melrose have maintained their position in the top three of the league, having won 11 games from 19. It's too early to 'guess' the Accies side - but as for the last three months we will be without Alex Blair, Tom Brown and David Denton, who have all been playing well for Scotland U20s - and even though there is no game for them this week, they are resting! The game kicks off at 3.00.

The 2XV have a difficult trip to Stirling to play their unbeaten 2XV. Stirling have been on top of the Reserve Leage National 1 for the last couple of years - they always have a strong team - so Accies, who lie fourth in the league with two games in hand, will have to be at their best for Saturday. It will be a good test for Jonny Else's young team. Ko at 3.00.

The Blues play Lismore 2 at Raeburn Place and the Whites play Forrester 3 at New Field. Both these Accie teams are second in their leagues, but have recently not been performing to the standards they can. They both need convincing wins this weekend to keep their places in the leagues. For the third week running the U20s are trying to play their Cup semi-final against Strathclyde Uni in Glasgow. These games also ko at 3.00.

The BATs U18s have an East cup game against Livingston at home - the ko is 2.30.

A reminder that we play Currie in Round 2 of the Premier Cup on 12 March, at Malleny Park, ko 7.30. Also, last week's postponed 1XV game with Hawks has been rescheduled for 20 March, in Glasgow.

Monday 1st March: Blank Weekend, Bill McLaren Tribute, Defib Machine.
Not much to say about rugby - all Accies games were postponed because of the condition of the pitches after a couple of days of rain/sleet/snow.

It was interesting to note that all three Blair brothers represented Scotland in Italy over the weekend - Mike, Scotland - David, Scotland A - and Alex, Scotland U20 . Not so good results for Mike and David, but Alex scored the winning try for the U20s - the first away U20 Six Nations game that Scotland U20s have won! Well done to Alex, Tom Brown and David Denton - all three who played the full game. With games in Sicily, Biella and Rome, I wonder how many air-miles dad, Rob, earned at the weekend?

On Thursday 11 March Murrayfield Stadium is to host a tribute night to Bill McLaren, The Voice of Rugby, who died last month. The gates will be open from 5pm and the event will start at 6.30pm. All are welcome to attend - a free commemorative programmes will be available.

The evening tribute, at Bill's "second home" will see the likes of Scotland's cap centurion Chris Paterson, Welsh wizard wing Gerald Davies, and other rugby greats and well-wishers attending from all over the world to celebrate and give thanks for the Hawick legend's genius. The big screens will show pictures and specially-created match footage accompanied by some of Bill's most evocative commentary. Musical accompaniment from a Welsh male voice choir and Scottish Pipe Bands.

And last , but not at all least. Following the successful completion of a comprehensive training course by the Club Physios - which was excellently provided by Bryan Finlay, Scottish Ambulance Service Community Resuscitation Development Officer - we, now have a Defibrillator machine on the Club premises.

Club President, Ralph Lutton said "We are delighted to accept this vital piece of equipment from The Craig Hodgkinson Trust. We regard training and updating of life saving skills as vital to the continuing success of Accies and this machine could mean the difference between life and death in an emergency".

For further information on The Craig Hodgkinson Trust, or if you would like to make a donation, e-mail johnanddihodge (at) btinternet.com.

Wednesday 24th February: Friday evening in Glasgow!
This Friday 1XV and 2XV will both be playing in Glasgow against Hawks and Hillhead Jordanhill respectively. Both kick off at 7.30.

The 1XV have three P1 league games left to play and are looking for a win on their visit to Hawks, to ease the nerves! We are not sure what the make up of the team will be but, with Scotland, Scotland A, Scotland U20 and Gale Farce playing, both clubs are bound to have players missing.

After their good win against Dundee last week the 2XV should go to play Hills with lots of confidence. Hills 2 have not won a game this season whilst Accies 2 have won 11.

The Blues play Watsonians 3 at Raeburn Place on Saturday with an 11.30 kick off. The U20 try again to play Strathclyde University, away, after last weeks postponement because of the frozen ground.

The BATs U18s will also play their previous weeks postponed fixture with Gala in Gala.

The club house will be open on Saturday and remain open to watch the internationals - Italy Scotland at 1.30. England Ireland at 4.00 - on TV.

Finally, Accies remaining games are Melrose away on 6 March and Heriots at home for which the date has to be fixed. The Cup round 2 game against Currie will be on Friday 12 March under lights at Currie.

Monday 22nd February: There have been better weekends!
Some weekends are good, some are not so good and some are .......... - Saturday fitted into the latter, as Accies lost to Dundee, and Watsonians and Boroughmuir both won. On top of that the Blues and Whites both lost, though the 2XV had a good win.

Accies started with two 18 year olds - David Cherry and Chris Murray - in the front row and Chris Martin at scrum half was making his 1XV debut. On the bench Sam Atkins and Owen Powell were also making their 1XV debuts.

Dundee began well and opened the scoring when Ross Lemon went round his man out wide and scored behind the posts, James Fleming converted, 0-7. Accies hit back towards the end of the first quarter with a Gavin Douglas penalty and then an unconverted Matt Coupar try in the corner to make the half time score 8-7.

Matt Coupar just reaches out to score in the corner.

Early in the second half Accies extended their lead after another Douglas penalty, 11–7. Shortly after Accies allowed Harry Duthie a free run from his own half and his pass found Cammy Ferguson who reached over for the score, Fleming converted, 11-14. Dundee's pressure was beginning to tell and a wayward clearance kick was collected by Matt Smith who was allowed to make a long run to put Fleming in, in the corner, 11-19.

Douglas the kicked another penalty for Accies, 14-19, but then an Ed Stuart yellow card allowed Dundee the advantage to score 14 points first through Cammy Fergusson - though there was a suspicion of blocking missed by the officials - and then Lemon, Fleming converted both, 14- 33. To cap that off whilst Accies had a promising attack Danny Levison intercepted in his own half and sprinted in unopposed, 14-40.

Accies went on the attack again and with Matt Coupar 10 meters from the line and unopposed, the referee stopped the game after the touch judge called 'stop' because of an injury to Duthie. After five minutes Duthie was stretchered off and taken to hospital. When the game was restarted Accies continued to attack and Tom Drennan went over for an unconverted try to make the final score 19-40.

Tom Drennan just about to touch down.

We had an e-mail from Harry Duthie on Sunday thanking the medical staff for their help and saying X-rays had shown there was no damage an he was back in St Andrews.

Accies again were below full strength because of Scotland U20 calls, injuries and work commitments and yet again were facing a side with a professional in their team - and a prop at that - with not a sniff of one near Accies team. But, whatever level you play, poor kicking out of defence, yellow cards, not following up kicks and putting pressure on the opposition and allowing players to run 40 or 50 meters through missing tackles does not help.

With Watsonians and Boroughmuir both winning, the pressure is now full on Accies who will play Hawks away on Friday evening. And with Scotland, Scotland A, Scotland U20 and Gale Farce playing that weekend, who knows who will be available for selection for Accies or Hawks!

With a dozen of their regular players in the 1XV the 2XV had a good win against Dundee by 38-26, both teams getting a try bonus point. The Blues lost to Linlithgow 2 14-22 and the Whites lost to Portobello 2.

The U20 bad luck with cancelled games continued when their semi final of the U20 cup against Strathclyde Uni was cancelled because the ground was frozen in Glasgow. The BATs U18s also missed out as Gala's ground was also frozen.

Accies were drawn to play Currie away in the second round of the Scottish Hydro Premier Cup. This game will be played on the evening of Friday 12 March, under lights - the evening before the Calcutta Cup.

Thursday 18th February: Dundee at RP
There are only four P1 League games left for Accies this season; Dundee at Raeburn Place on Saturday, Hawks away on Friday 26 February, Melrose away on 6 March and a home game to be organised with Heriots.

It's going to be a busy day at Raeburn on Saturday. We start with a sell-out pre match lunch for 90 and follow that with four home games.

This week we are pleased to see Dundee at Raeburn Place - we beat Dundee by 24-15 in the first game at Dundee to maintain the successful record we have against them over the last few games. It was not an easy game at Mayfield, we had to work exceptionally hard to win - and we do not expect an easy time this weekend. Dundee have had a good season on their return to P1 - they are currently fourth in the league having won 9 out of 17 with 47 points, whilst we lie eighth with 8 wins out of 18 on 36 points.

After a win at Watsonians last Friday Accies need to win again to ease any relegation issues - please get down and support the team - there are no international distractions this week! The ko is at 3.00.

The 2XV also have Dundee as visitors at New Field and they can expect a hard game with then too. Accies won 21-19 at Dundee and Dundee are one position lower than Accies in the league having won 8 out of 16 with 44 points against Accies 10 out of 14 and 47 points. Kick off at 3.00.

The Blues play Linlithgow 2 at New Field and the Whites play Portobello 2 in Inverleith Park, both ko at 3.00. The U20s will play Strathclyde University, away, in the semi final of the Scottish U20 Cup - this game kicks off at 2.00.

BATs U18s make the trip to play Gala in the Edinburgh/Borders Cup - they kick off at 3.00.

Finally the draw was made earlier this week for round 2 of the Scottish Hydro Premier Cup - Accies have been drawn to play Currie away, games to be played the weekend of 13 March - a good bet is Friday 12th, the eve of the Calcutta Cup, but we will let you know when decided between the clubs.

Monday 15th February: Congratulations to The Academy ... Tom Brown .... and Accies
Some weekend - if we include Thursday - The Edinburgh Academy winning the Scottish Schools Cup 11-10, in a dramatic fifth minute of injury time, Tom Brown scoring two tries for Scotland U20s against Wales and Accies beating Watsonians in their crucial P1 League game 7-3.

At Murrayfield on Thursday evening it was Stewart's Melville who looked the stronger in the opening quarter but they could not break down The Academy's defence. It took a touchline penalty by StewMel fullback Scott Cook to open the scoring, 0-3. Five minutes before half time StewMel were reduced to 14 men after a yellow card for a challenge on an airborne receiver.

The Academy tried to take advantage of their numerical superiority with a break by Fraser Gillies, but what could have been the scoring pass was dropped leaving the score 0-3 at half time.

After the break The Academy were immediately in control of the game and with a minute left of the yellow card The Academy forwards made good ground from a driving maul before the ball was spun wide to full back Adam Simpson. When he was stopped the Academy forwards recycled the ball swiftly giving Gillies enough time to line up a scoring pass for lock Henry Binnian, leaving Gillies with a simple conversion kick (7-3).

Henry Binninan dives over to score the Academy's try.

Shortly after, following more Academy pressure, Gilles dropped a goal then StewMel responded with an unconverted try in the corner by Cook (10-8). With six minutes of the game remaining StewMel made ground and at the breakdown The Academy were penalised for coming over the top and from 30 metres Cook kicked the penalty to make the score 10-11.

The Academy picked themselves up and fought back over the remaining minutes of the game, Gilles missed a drop goal and then in injury time Gilles attempted a second drop goal, which was also wide of the mark. StewMel touched down expecting the game to be over BUT the officials called the play back for a penalty near the touch line. The Academy ran the ball, recycled a number of times till Gilles was mid field again and for the third time his drop goal attempt went wide - ONLY FOR the referee to award a penalty in front of the posts for off side!! Gilles kicked the penalty and the Academy won 11-10. What an end to an exciting game.

It was a well deserved win, congratulations to all The Academy squad - their next game and last as a team for this crop of talented players, will be The Ed Saunder's Cup against BATs U18s at Raeburn Place on Wednesday 21 April. We look forward to seeing them all then playing, this time on the original international pitch.

Edinburgh Academy Team: Adam Simpson; Angus Normand, Ben Brown, Matthew Zegleman, Tom Whittle; Fraser Gillies (capt), James Munro; Roddy Campbell, Struan Moodie, Struan Murphy, David Forbes, Henry Binnian, Nasos Plevris, Chris Dean, Lawrie Seydak. Substitutes: Greig Blackie, Jamie MacLean, Robin Cumming, Jamie Farndale.

There had been an e-mail around Accies this week, titled 'You cannot win', it said it all ................... They take Alex Blair, Tom Brown and David Denton for the under 20s --- Tom Steven for the Under 18s --- now Lewis Niven and Sam Atkins for Gael Force --- with Duncan MacLeod and Greg Campbell away on business --- and Matt Steven and David Duffus preparing for Afghanistan --- and long term injuries to Iain Berthinussen, Gavin Douglas, Mungo Strachan and Stevie Wilson --- it's a tough old world!

So, an Accies win by any score was a relief. The coaching squad have worked really hard this season, right through the club and to be missing 12 front line players and win in such a crucial game is very pleasing for the players, coaches and supporters.

Accies had a lively start but the scoreline remained blank, despite Dave Rattray and Dan Teague each coming close to breaking through and missing a 30-metre penalty attempt. It was 19 minutes before Watsonians even managed to play in Accies territory! The deadlock was finally broken on 27 minutes when Bonner raced into the Watsonians 22 and fed Tom Drennan, who was on hand to take the flanker's offload and plunge over. Mike Campbell converted (7-0).

On 33 minutes Mike Ker was on target with a 45-metre penalty for Watsonians. A 7-3 lead at half time was poor return for Accies with all possession and importantly position, they had had through the 40 minutes.

There was to be no more scoring in the second half - the nearest any one came was when Bonner shaved the post with a drop goal attempt. The whistle went with much relief to the north Edinburgh contingent.

On Saturday Accies U20s managed to get a game at last and won 16-10 against Dundee University in the quarter final of their cup. The 2XV lost a close game to Watsonians 2 (26-17) and the Whites opposition did not turn up.

The BATs U18s played Hawick on Saturday and easily won by over 60 points to nil.

BATs Euan Bonner weaves his way through Hawick on Saturday

Finally the coming weekend sees Dundee at Raeburn Place - there will be a one of our pre-match lunches before the match. We will be gathering in the clubhouse at 12.30pm for drinks, followed by lunch and then the match, which kicks off at 3pm. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come basis so book your place now by contacting Jason Parrott on 0779 948 4863, or by e-mail at .

Thursday 11th February: Accies at Myreside Friday
This weekend there are a number of rearranged league fixtures for Accies teams. The 1XV are playing Watsonians at Myreside on Friday evening, kick off at 7.30. For this game Accies will be missing a number of players - Alex Blair, Tom Brown and David Denton all with the Scotland U20s, Lewis Niven playing for Gael Force, Greg Campbell away on business and Duncan MacLeod unavailable. Click here for details and Barney's comments for this crucial game.

The 2XV will play Watsonians 2 at Myerside on Saturday morning - ko 11.30, the Whites play Dunbar 2 at New Field ko 11.30 and the Under 20s hope to play Dundee in the U20 cup at New Field - ko time yet to be agreed.

Finally the BATs U18s have a game against Hawick at Raeburn Place on Saturday with a 12.00 kick off.

It would be good to see you at Myreside on Friday to support Accies in what is a crucial league game for both teams. On Saturday why not take in the BATs U18 game and then watch Wales v Scotland in the club house?

Wednesday 10th February: Not easy - but a victory.
Accies team welcomed David Rattray and David O'Hagan, back after a long recovery from injuries - Phil Jenkinson and Neil Miller, making their season's debut - and Craig Hawthorn who was making his 1XV debut.

The weather was a miserable and the game matched it for long periods of play. Overall the pace of the game was way below what it should have been, there was lots of whistle and the ball seemed to take ages to be moved from the breakdowns. I'm sorry to say the photographs of the game were also as miserable as the weather - better look for a new camera man.

Hamilton, as predicted, were not here to make up the numbers and defended early Accies pressure well. After 20 minutes Hamilton were awarded a 5 meter scrum and Elvis Levi, the number eight, off loaded to fellow New Zealander Stephens and the scrum half spun through the defence to touch down - McLeish was spot on with his kick (0-7).

From the restart Hamilton applied pressure on Accies for five minutes but were unable to increase their lead. Accies broke away and after a number of pick and drives opened their scoring when Sinclair Patience found a gap to crash over. Dave O'Hagan converted (7-7). Just before the break Patience drove forward only to be stopped short but Phil Jenkinson was on hand to score. O'Hagan once again put the conversion between the posts to take the score to 14-7 at half time.

Stuart Moffat on the attack early in the game.

A couple of minutes after the restart O'Hagan extended Accies lead with a cleanly struck penalty from 40 metres - three minutes later and McLeish pulled one back for Hamilton (17-10). Following that, the referee first yellow carded Hamilton's Levi for shoulder charge - O'Hagan kicked the penalty - and then Accies Lewis Niven to even the sides up! Just to show the players the ref hadn't lost his card three minutes later Ed Stuart joined Niven in the bin, this time for dissent - the score 20-10, the players 13-14!!

With Stuart off the field Accies replaced Robin Snape with Greg Campbell and fought well whilst a man down, but in the end numbers counted as Craig Inglis touched down in the corner - McLeish converted to make the score 20-17 with twenty minutes left.

With both Levi and Niven back on the field Accies at last began to up the pace and with quick ball from a ruck the ball was moved to Dave Rattray who scored in the corner (25-17). Accies were now restored to fifteen and Stuart Moffat found a gap to go over for Accies fourth try, with O'Hagan's conversion the score was 32-17. With four minutes left the referee gave out his fourth yellow card, making it 2-2. There was no more scoring.

It was not the best game but it was a much needed win before next Friday's crucial P1 League game with Watsonians at Myerside - ko 7.30.

The 2XV's game at Hillhead Jordanhill was cancelled because their ground was frozen - strange as we know rugby was played 10 minutes away from there! The Blues managed a game at Goldenacre and disappointedly drew 17-17. The Whites game was cancelled because of standing water on the New Field pitches after Friday night's rain.

The U20s had another blank Saturday - the opposition cancelled because their bus was 'broken down', but before we got that message the New Field pitch was declared unfit. This lot (U20s) look as if they will all be 21 before they get another game having had all games cancelled, as the opposition could not get a team, since early November!

Tuesday 9th February: Academy U18 Cup Final - Thursday
On Thursday (11 February) Edinburgh Academy U18s will play Stewart's Melville College in the final of the Scottish Schools Cup on the International pitch at Murrayfield - ko 7.30.

If you can manage it please get to Murrayfield on Thursday evening to support the Academy - they are a strong team that plays a good style of rugby - they have some excellent young players in the team - and it's FREE!

Murrayfield - Thursday 11 February - ko 7.30 - see the new generation of young Scottish players - you will not be disappointed.

Below is a message from Fraser Gillies, this year's Head Ephor and Captain of The Academy 1st XV:

As you may have heard, the Academy's First XV has reached the final of the Brewin Dolphin Scottish Schools Cup. The final is to be played at Murrayfield stadium on the main pitch on Thursday 11th February at 7:30 pm, and entrance is free.

It has been an excellent season with the XV winning 15 out of 17 games. The final should be a great occasion for the school. A crowd of over 5000 people is expected for the evening, which also features the U15 final.

This is the Academy's first U18 final in ten years and their first at Murrayfield. The Academy has never won this cup, a vast under-achievement, and we aim to rectify this. Your support would be greatly appreciated by the team. We hope you can make it along, enjoy the game and perhaps meet up with a few school friends in the crowd.

Floreat Academia!

Thursday 4th February: Scottish Hydro Premier Cup Round 1
Lets hope after another blank weekend for rugby that we can at last get the second half of the season going - the weather forecast looks reasonable for the rest of the week, with temperatures of 4c or 5c during the day and not freezing at night!!

The Six Nations starts this weekend and we send our congratulations to Accies players Tom Brown, Alex Blair and David Denton all in the Scotland U20 team to play France on Friday and David O'Hagan who is in the Scottish University squad who also play France Universities on Friday. Well done to all of them.

This weekend Accies play Hamilton in the first round of the Scottish Hydro Cup at Raeburn Place. Click here to see the Teamsheet and Barney's comments. This season there are three separate cup competitions; one for Premier League clubs, one for National League clubs and one for Regional League clubs - there will be no bowl, plate etc, once knocked out that's it.

Accies have not played Hamilton for four seasons, when we were promoted from Premier 2. Since then, Hamilton have dropped to Premier 3, where they lie fourth in the league having played 16 and won 8 games this season.

A year ago we also played P3 opposition Garnock and although the weather conditions were atrocious they proved a difficult side to beat. I am sure Hamilton will be as competitive as Garnock and give Accies a hard game. The kick off is at 2.30 - all spectators pay for entry under the rules of the competition.

The 2XV make a journey to Glasgow to play Hillhead Jordanhill 2XV in a rearranged league fixture. The Blues play Heriots 3XV at Goldenacre and the Whites play North Berwick 2XV at Newfield - all ko at 3.00.

After yet another game cancelled because the opposition could not get a team the U20s progress to the second round of their cup and will play Dundee University 2XV at Newfield.

The Six Nations games are on the BBC and will be shown in the club house during the afternoon - Ireland Italy at 2.30 and England Wales at 5.00.

Finally, on Saturday, 20 February, when Accies play Dundee at Raeburn Place, we will be having one of our pre-match lunches before the match. This is a great opportunity to relax with friends, or perhaps entertain business associates, in a congenial setting before the match. We will be gathering in the clubhouse at 12.30pm for drinks, followed by lunch and then the match, which kicks off at 3pm. The cost for the day – which includes entry to the ground, match programme and lunch - is a very reasonable £25 per head. Those with lunch vouchers, season tickets or concessions will have the price reduced accordingly.

The last lunch was a sell out - places are limited and will be allocated on a first come basis so book your place now by contacting Jason Parrott on 0779 948 4863, or by e-mail at .

Tuesday 2nd February: Frost wins!
The cold Friday night put paid to all Accies league games - including the P1 game at Hawks.

After a pitch inspection in the morning the BATs U18 opposition Aberdeen Grammar set off to Edinburgh on the understanding the pitch at RP would be fit to play. As happened, although it did soften a bit, it was unfit for a 2.00 ko. Following much rushing about, inspecting various pitches, we found that the second pitch at Wardie was fit and managed to squeeze the game in between Broughton Women's team playing a French team and Broughton's league game with Duns. For that we thank the Broughton club.

Going into the game against a bigger pack, BATs tried to move the ball around as much as possible, looking dangerous when they got the ball into the wide areas. Robert Wilson scored the first try and converted for BATs to race into a 7-0 lead. Shortly after Aberdeen responded with their own try and conversion to make it 7-7. BATs started to move the ball into the wide channels and a great finish by Sam Pecqueur took the lead to 12-7 - Aberdeen followed this up with a penalty kick to make the score 12-10. Aberdeen's pack were really getting on top just before and after half time and keeping a hold of the ball.

One that got away - BATs lose ball with line at mercy!

Sam Pecqueur scored his second try for BATs (17-10) - this was followed by an Aberdeen penalty and a converted try made the score to 17-20. Penalties were killing BATs and another kick made it 17-23.

BATs, who were playing up the considerable slope, then put in a real effort for the remainder of the game and in the last minute of normal time Max Martin scored a try, converted by Philip Bell, to lead 24-23. Unfortunately, for BATs, from the kick off they conceded another unnecessary penalty - which Aberdeen converted with the last kick of the game to make the final score 24-26.

It was a well contested game with only discipline letting BATs down at key times - lets hope the young players learn from this disappointment, as they deserved to win.

This coming Saturday is the first round of the Scottish Hydro Premier Cup and Accies will play Hamilton at Raeburn Place - ko 2.30.

Finally, the report from the Whites game the previous week had an interesting first for Accies - and probably any other club - when it pointed the Accies front row was made up of a Finnish prop, a Brazilian prop and an Irish hooker . Not sure how they communicated to each other - being of the Front-row Union they probably didn't need to!

Friday 27th January: Hawks away - 3.00 kick offs back.
After last week's disappointments Accies head off West to play Glasgow Hawks. There is a lot of pride to be regained after the last three games and the previous meeting with Hawks at Reaburn Place. And it's not only pride, because points are needed urgently!

Accies have made some changes to the team after last week's loss to Currie. Click here for details and Barney's comments. The ko is 3.00.

We were to have all five teams playing but, for the fourth game on the trot, the U20 opposition have cancelled - not able to get a team. The U20s have not played a game since 7 November last year!! Who says the game is growing?

The 2XV make the trip to Glasgow Hawks with the 1XV - this will be a tough game, even though they beat Hawks by 30 points earlier in the season. The Blues and Whites are both at Peffermill playing Edinburgh Uni 2XV and 3XV respectively. All these games ko at 3.00.

The BATs U18s have a cup game against Aberdeen at Raeburn Place - now the only home game. This game kicks off at 2.00, at Aberdeen's request.

Accies next three fixtures - after Saturday are:

Saturday 6 Feb - Hamilton in round 1 of the cup at Raeburn Place - this is a 2.30 ko
Friday 12 Feb - Watsonians away - 7.30 ko
Saturday 20 Feb - Dundee at Raeburn Place - ko 3.00.

On Saturday, 20 February, when Accies play Dundee at Raeburn Place, we will be having one of our pre-match lunches before the match. This is a great opportunity to relax with friends, or perhaps entertain business associates, in a congenial setting before the match. We will be gathering in the clubhouse at 12.30pm for drinks, followed by lunch and then the match, which kicks off at 3pm. The cost for the day – which includes entry to the ground, match programme and lunch - is a very reasonable £25 per head. Those with lunch vouchers, season tickets or concessions will have the price reduced accordingly.

The last lunch was a sell out - places are limited and will be allocated on a first come basis so book your place now by contacting Jason Parrott on 0779 948 4863, or by e-mail at .

Finally, please note that Edinburgh Academy U18s will play StewMel in the final of the Scottish School's Cup on Thursday 11 Feb at Murrayfield - ko 7.30. There are some really good players in a good Academy team, well worth a trip to HQ - and it's FREE!

Tuesday 26th Jamuary: Accies poor run continues, Academy U18s make cup final
For the second week running Accies were up against it in the first half of the game and turned round 0-19 down. It said much for Accies defensive effort that Currie were restricted to scoring three tries in the half - two whilst Ed Stuart was yellow carded - through Alastair Hamilton, then a rare penalty try against Accies and finally Ross Weston. Two were converted.

Accies enjoyed more possession in the third quarter but were unable to cross the line. Willie Moala sealed the bonus point for Currie before Ryan Wilson claimed try number five. Accies pressed from the final restart and after some good play Jonny Letham touched down in injury time. The final score was 5-29.

Jonny Letham , who scored the Accies try, clearing the ball

It's been a tough run for Accies and although both sides had lost three players, unable to play as withdrawn by Scottish Rugby for the forth coming U20 Six Nations, Currie did benefit from two professional players to compensate for their loss. This is the fourth or fifth time this season Accies have played against two pros and Accies have had none.

Accies 2XV game against Aberdeen was cancelled because the pitch was flooded in Aberdeen. The Blues beat Howe of Fife 2XV 38-10 and the Whites lost to Livingston 2XV. The BATs U18 beat Portobello U18s 59-0.

At New Field on Saturday morning Edinburgh Academy U15s and U18s were both playing in the semi-finals of the Scottish School's Cup. It was a bad news/good news day for them. Although neither team lost - the U15s drew 3-3 with StewMel - they lost being the home team.

However, the Academy U18s remain on course to win the Scottish Schools under-18 Cup for the first time after they beat George Watson's College 19-15. They will play Stewart's Melville College in the final, on the international pitch at Murrayfield, on the 11 February.

The match went right to the wire, with only two late penalties from Academy captain Fraser Gillies edging the home team in front. It was a brilliant match watched by a big crowd - a crowd that all P1 clubs would be pleased to see each week!

Watsons scored first through stand-off Scott Mullins who converted and then added a penalty. The Academy were soon on the scoreboard when strong-running centre Ben Brown scored a try converted by Fraser Gillies who also added a penalty to make the half time score 10-10.

In the second half Gillies kicked another penalty ten minutes after the break before prop Chris Scott out on the wing scored for Watsons in the corner (13-15). The Academy did not panic and their endeavours were well rewarded when the Gillies kicked two late penalties to win the tie 19-15.

Fraser Gillies watches his penalty go through to put the Academy into a 16-15 lead.

Friday 22nd January: Currie at RP, Edinburgh Academy in Cup semi-finals
This weekend sees Accies with three fixtures and Edinburgh Academy U15s and U18s both playing in the semi-finals of the Scottish School's Cup.

Accies 1XV play Currie at Raeburn Place, kick off 2pm. Currie are sitting high at the top of the P1 League only having lost one game this season and beat us a Malleny in October. It will be a tough game for Accies- we have to win games like this - but all the team will need to perform for the same 80 (or is it 90?) minutes together.

Accies 2XV were due to make the long trip to Aberdeen to play Aberdeen Grammar. This would have been a good test for the 2XV even though they won the earlier game against Grammar 56-0 but the game has had to be cancelled due to a water logged pitch. The Blues and Whites both play their first game since 12 December. The Blues are at home against Howe of Fife 2XV and the Whites at home to Livingston 2XV. The Whites game is a top of the table clash - Livingston being top on 63 points and the Whites second on 53 points - it should be a good game. All these ko at 2pm.

Earlier on Saturday Edinburgh Academy U15s and U18s are both playing their semi-finals of the Scottish School's Cup. The U15s play StewMel U15s at Newfield ko 10am and the U18s play Watsons also at Newfield with an 11am ko.

Both Academy teams play an exciting brand of rugby and are well worth watching. So why not make a day of it - Academy U15 at 10am, Academy U18 at 11am - then down to Raeburn Place for a quick pre-match pint and then watch Accies v Currie at 2pm. Please make every effort to attend the games we need all the support we can get at the moment.

Finally, BATs teams also get back to rugby after a long break - the U18s play Portobello on Saturday, the U16s play Haddington at Reaburn Place on Sunday and the U15s play Hawick , also at Raeburn Place on Sunday.

Monday 18th January: Perfect day - pity about the rugby.
After all the calls, emails and inspections one wondered what all the fuss was about as in the end Saturday was a perfect day for rugby and the pitch was in great condition. The good news ended there, as Accies played as if they had just eaten their Christmas Lunch!!

It was a crucial match for both teams - for Accies to move further away from 'Muir in the league and for 'Muir to boost their chances of avoiding the drop. You would have thought that opportunity would have fired Accies up, but it was 'Muir who started the match showing they meant business and dominated proceedings throughout the first half.

Accies were under pressure from the start and defended well but could not get away from their own line when they did have the ball. After 13 minutes Malcolm Clapperton opened the scoring for 'Muir going over in the corner (0-5) Then, two minutes later, after a 'Muir deep kick towards the touchline Chris Dickie kept the ball in play, but his awkward pass was pounced on by 'Muir, for Clapperton to score his second (0-12).

Then in the 20th minute Ed Mills scored in at the corner and a penalty was added soon after to make the score 0-22 at half time.

Stevie Wilson, who left the field injured later, stopped after a rare Accies break in the first half.

After half time Accies started better - had the turkey and pud been run off, or was it Coach Barnes' half time 'talk'? First captain Dan Teague went over then in the 54th minute Mungo Strachan scored (12-22) to set up the chance of a interesting finale.

It was not to be, as 'Muir began to get back into the ascendency and with five minutes to go replacement prop Fred Lait scored the bonus point try and made the final score 12-29.

Accies - with three other clubs - now sit on 32 points with only Watsonians (21 points) and Stew Mel (13 points) below them. Both these clubs have a game in hand.

All other Accies teams games were cancelled.

Next week we play Currie at Raeburn Place - kick off 2pm.

Thursday 14th January: Back to Rugby?
This week we hope to be back playing rugby after no rugby since 12 December.

The 1XV have yet another 'must win' game against our south Edinburgh 'rivals' Boroughmuir at Raeburn Place - kick off 2.00. Accies beat 'Muir 40-34 when we played them earlier in the season - it was a game we should have had wrapped up after half time, but we allowed them back into the game. We need to learn from that experience. If you would like to see the Accies squad and Barney's comments click here.

The 2XV and Blues are also playing 'Muir at New Field and Meggetland respectively. The Whites are playing Ross High 2XV at Tranent. These games start at 2.00 as well.

There will be a pitch inspection at Raeburn Place at 2.30 on Friday, though even then the decision may be left till Saturday morning if there is a chance it will be playable.

Monday 11th January: New Decade, Copacabana and Pre-match Lunch
First I would like to wish you a Good New Year - it's been a disappointing start for rugby - we have not played since the 12 December and missed the Co-optimist game and the first league game of 2010. Lets hope that the gradual thaw, that started on Sunday, continues so we can make Saturday against Boroughmuir.

How things have changed over the last decade - from the depths of the third division to Premier 1 - from a club struggling to get two teams out, to a club regularly running five senior teams - from hardly anyone training, to 80 training an evening - from no youth, other than Minis, to being part of the exciting north Edinburgh BATs development. And having celebrated our 150th anniversary by playing the Barbarians. What a 10 years and what hard work it's been!

As we stand at the beginning of the new decade all teams have improved their standings to a year ago. The 1XV stand seventh in Premier 1- having played 15 and won 6 - with 32 points including 8 important bonus points. This leaves us 5 points behind Hawks and Dundee (4th and 5th), 1 point behind Selkirk (6th), 1 point ahead of Heriots (8th), 5 points ahead of Boroughmuir and West (9th and 10th), 11 ahead of Watsons (11th) and 19 ahead of StewMel who are in bottom place.

The 2XV sit third in top National Reserve Team league, having played 13 and won 10. They are 20 points behind unbeaten Stirling (played 14), 10 points behind Hawks (played 15) and 3 points ahead of Heriots (played 13). This is a great improvement from the previous year where we were in the bottom few all season.

The Blues (3XV) sit second in their league having played 14 and won 11 - they are 7 points behind Boroughmuir 3XV (played 13) and 2 points ahead of Murrayfield Wanderers 2XV (played 15).

The Whites (4XV) also sit second in their league having played 13 and won 11 - they are 10 points behind Livingston 2XV and 9 ahead of Portobello 2XV.

The Under 20s in their first season are undefeated in their league, though have found student sides do not always turn up! They have had three games awarded because the opposition could not get a team - which has been very frustrating for the players and coaches. Having won their league the U20s will enter the main knockout competition against the top two U20 teams from the Midlands and the West, which starts later in January.

It's good to see returns from the dedicated efforts that has been put in by Barney and the coaching team, the players, the support team and the administrators. There is still a lot of work to do this season, January is very much league fixtures - but from February on, the season becomes fragmented with a mixture of little league rugby, cup rugby and blank weekends because of Six Nations internationals.

With so many young up and coming players - who have come through the Club's development, or joined the Club to progress - we will find that the U18, U19 and U20 players are restricted from playing for the Club for a few weeks before and during the representative season. This will truly test our strength in depth - we have already seen the last of David Denton, Alex Blair and Tom Brown until late March.

A week ago two young players from Brazil, Edouard Clark and Leonardo Pereira (a prop and a utility back) flew in to spend the rest of the season - and perhaps next season - with us. Both have spent a season in South Africa and have been involved at international level for Brazil. On arriving at Edinburgh they were met by a below zero temperature and white stuff all over the ground - the first time they have been in snow, never mind the -10C!!! To make them feel at home the Club trained at Edinburgh's Copacabana beach (Portobello) last Saturday.

Accies training on the white sands of Copacabana Beach, Edinburgh

Finally, this Saturday, 16 January, Accies play Boroughmuir at Raeburn Place and we will be having one of our pre-match lunches before the match. This is a great opportunity to relax with friends, or perhaps entertain business associates, in a congenial setting before the match. We will be gathering in the clubhouse at 11.45am for drinks, followed by lunch and then the match, which kicks off at 2pm. The cost for the day – which includes entry to the ground, match programme and lunch - is a very reasonable £25 per head. Those with lunch vouchers, season tickets or concessions will have the price reduced accordingly.

The last lunch was a sell out - places are limited and will be allocated on a first come basis so book your place now by contacting Jason Parrott on 0779 948 4863, or by e-mail at .

Tuesday 5th January: Stuart, Stuart, Stuart and Stuart!
In the programme produced by Scottish Rugby for the recent Scotland v Argentina game, there was an article on the connections between Edinburgh Academicals and the four Argentinean Stuart brothers - Jamie, Tom, Ed and Charlie.

If you would like to read it click here. The penultimate paragraph wrongly identifies Tom as winning four caps for Argentina - it was Jamie.

Tuesday 5th January: Accies v Barbarians - at no 9 Capital Rugby Moments.
Happy New Year to you all. In a recent article Bill Lothian, of The Edinburgh Evening News, selected his top 10 Capital rugby moments of the past decade. We were very pleased to see that our 150 Anniversary match against The Barbarians was in his 10 moments - a summary of the article is below.

NO.10 WATSONIANS' EPIC FIGHTBACK - Watsonians' 39-37 Scottish Premiership victory over Glasgow Hawks on 6 November, 2006.

NO.9 ACCIES ROLL BACK THE YEARS - A sell-out crowd of 4000 packed Raeburn Place on 10 April, 2008 to mark Edinburgh Academicals' 150th anniversary in style against the Barbarians. The rugby in the Baa-Baas' 43-0 win was first class but outshone by a feeling of exhilaration that there was still plenty of goodwill for the often maligned club game while afterwards Accies' up and comings spoke of how much they had learned mixing with the predominantly professional opposition. The lesson, namely that players learn out on the pitch, is one currently being trumpeted by Ian McGeechan in his autobiography but has still to be absorbed on high where so much emphasis is placed on off-field preparations.

4000 at Raeburn Place for Accies v Baa-Baas

NO.8 AUSTRALIA SENT PACKING - The longest losing sequence in top-flight international rugby was finally ended as a spectacular defensive display saw Scotland beat Australia 9-8 at Murrayfield on 21 November, 2009.

NO.7 TEARING INTO TOULOUSE - On 8 December, 2003, at Meadowbank, Edinburgh tore into Heineken European Cup champions Toulouse to win 23-16 and reach the knockout stages of the competition for the only time so far.

NO.6 SPRINGBOKS DEFEATED - The 21-6 victory over the Springboks at Murrayfield on 16 November, 2002, was Scotland's first over a country which had lifted the World Cup and came 33 years in the making following on from a 6-3 win in Edinburgh in 1969.

NO.5 IRISH ROCK MURRAYFIELD - On 23 May, 2009, Murrayfield saw a classic encounter which saw the old stadium at its most atmospheric as Leinster edged out Leicester 19-16 to lift the Heineken European Cup.

NO.4 ROBINSON APPOINTMENT DIVIDES FANS - Putting an ex-England international player and coach in charge of Scotland is nothing if not a momentous move – if it isn't then what has been the point of 138 years of intense rugby rivalry?

NO.3 YORKSHIREMEN SPLASH £10M - Before Bradford Bulls beat Leeds Rhinos 24-18 at Murrayfield in rugby league's Challenge Cup Final on Saturday, 29 April, 2000, the Navy had to be sent in to make sure this groundbreaking rugby event even went ahead after the ground had been flooded to a depth of three feet when the Water of Leith burst its banks less than 72 hours before kick-off. The match attracted 50,000 visitors from the north of England, who boosted the Capital economy by an estimated £10million.

NO.2 A BRIT OF ALL RIGHT - A landmark occasion in the history of those poor relations of the professional rugby era – the clubs – saw Heriot's host Nottingham (an entertaining 0-5 defeat) in the opening round of the inaugural British and Irish Cup on 21 November, 2009.

At long last a competition arrived allowing our bread-and-butter outfits the chance to measure themselves outwith traditional boundaries after more than a decade of obstacles being placed in their way. And you know what? The doomsayers were forced to eat their words especially as, within a week, the other Scottish qualifiers, Ayr, had beaten Rotherham from the English national league which was portrayed as a cut above.

NO.1 DUNCAN DEFIES ODDS TO HELP DEFEAT ENGLAND - Scotland's 19-13 Six Nations Championship win at Murrayfield on 2 April, 2000 was very nearly off the scale in terms of upsets.

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