Season 2005-6 Archived News Articles

Sunday 2nd July : John Brian Neill.
We are saddened to learn of the death of the former Accies and Scotland captain Brian Neill at 68.

Brian played his club rugby with Edinburgh Accies in the 1950s and 1960s, won Barbarians honours and toured South Africa with Scotland in 1960 and Canada with Scotland in 1964, captaining his country on that latter trip. He won seven caps for Scotland between 1963 and 1965. A loose-head prop he made his debut against England at Twickenham and then captained his country in their next six matches, which included a home win against France, a draw with New Zealand (one of only two occasions when the All Blacks have failed to beat Scotland), a win against Ireland at Lansdowne Road and a Calcutta Cup triumph at Murrayfield.

Brian was company director with the family printing firm Tullis Neill in Dalkeith and captain of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield from 1999-2001. He was a moderator of the Holyrood High Constables – the official bodyguard of the Royal Family at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh – and was a keen salmon fisherman and supporter of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Brian is survived by his three daughters and six grandchildren.

Edinburgh Academicals extends its sincere sympathies to his family and friends. His funeral service will be held at Dean Parish Church, Edinburgh on Monday 3 July at 3pm.

Wednesday 28th June : Pre Season Training.
Pre season training starts on 4 July at 7pm and will be every Tuesday and Thursday throughout July. Training will be at Broughton Rugby Club's ground Granton Road, Wardie - where we will be joined by players from our associate clubs of Broughton and Trinity. Training and practice fixtures for August will be announced towards the end of July.

Thursday 25th May : Matt Coupar - congratulations again!
Further to piece on Matt last week we now hear that he has been selected (changed his mind??) to go to the Paris and London IRB Sevens with the Scotland Seven. Well done again Matt. Following the Sevens Matt will be going to Brisbane for our summer to play for Souths, which was Matt Rogers club before he came to Accies.

Thursday 25th May : Accies Mini's Tournament.
Following a postponement due to adverse weather conditions in March the organisers were delighted when a bright day dawned on the 30th April and the Accies tournament could finally get underway. P3 to P7 were all competing and a fantastic day of rugby emerged with great success for the home teams. P7 team were joint winners alongside Stu Mels, P6 and P5 both ended an outstanding season by winning again and P4 were delighted as runners up. The day was extra special for the boys as Scotland stars Mike Blair and Simon Taylor awarded the winning medals. Click here to see full report and picture of P5s.

Tuesday 16th May : Double celebration for Accies !
Edinburgh Accies are pleased to hear that Mat Coupar has been awarded the SRU Premier 2 player of the year title ! Mat well deserves this award after an outstanding season for Accies - scoring many memorable tries and providing some first class try saving defence - and beeing selected for the Scotland Sevens squad, playing in four of the IRB tournaments in Dubai, South Africa, Singapore and Hong Kong. Mat would have been included in the Scotland squad for the last two tournaments in Paris and London but we hear his exams have taken precedence ! Every one at the club sends congratulations to Mat - well done.

We also hear that Maurice Dillon, who played regularly for Accies up until this season when he moved back north and now plays with Highland, has been awarded player of the year for his league - well done Maurice.

If anyone would like to join in the celebrations they can attend the Scottish Rugby Awards Dinner to be held at Murrayfield this Saturday, the 20th May 2006, at 6.30pm. For more information on the event please click here. Tickets are priced at the Special Club Rate of £45 per person and can be bought using the attached Club Member order form or calling 0131 346 5049 direct. If anyone is interested in organising a table please e-mail Jason Parrott at .

Sunday 7th May : Match report for BATS U18 v Hawick U18.
To see the match report for the recent BATS U18 game against Hawick click here. Although a little delayed the report is well worth reading for what was a game with lots of talent on both sides and some outstanding moments to remember. The future's bright..............

Sunday 7th May : BATS Summer Rugby Camp 8th-11th August.
As last year the BATS will run a summer rugby camp for young people who will be in P5 to S3 classes after the summer holidays. There is no need to have played rugby before or to be a member of BATS.

Through this summer camp young players will have an opportunity to develop their rugby skills, learn more about the game and above all have fun and make new friends. The camp, which will be based at Raeburn Place (in Stockbridge), will last for 4 days (8th-11th August) and there will be opportunities for all players to have access to a wide range of sporting facilities through our links throughout the community.

To see full details click here. If you would like to reserve a place either fill in the booking form and send it to the address on the form or contact Jonny Else by e-mailing or phone 07808 922 577 for further information.

Thursday 4th May : Next season - pre season training and weight sessions.
The season (well 15 a side) is all but over and already it's time to think of next season. Pre season training will start on Tuesday 4th July and this time will be at Broughton's ground Wardie.

For all those hoping to be part of next season's 1st XV squad there will be a meeting at Raeburn Place on Tuesday 16th May at 7pm when Neil Mackenzie will discuss summer weights schedules, which will be controlled on a weekly basis through a specialised web programme.

Tuesday 2nd May : Successful end to BATS season.
Last Wednesday night, at Raeburn Place, was a perfect celebration of the end of BATS first season and a show case for the benefits of the work done by the many volunteers, BATS Development Officer and SVQ Student and the players. A good crowd of around 250 watched the games and were treated to some excellent rugby from all the BATS teams.

The joint S1/S2 game was very close in the end with some good levels of skills shown by both teams. The U15 beat a Trinity Academy S3 team 33-10. The BATS scorers were tries by John Soulsby, Stephen McPherson, James Mitchell (2) and Euan McBurnie with conversions by Murray Graham (2), Stephen McPhearson and Euan McBurnie - and Euan Bonner and Will Gilroy scored tries for Trinity. On the BATS side James Mitchell was one of the successes. James, who only recently started rugby - after the work done by BATS Development Officer at his school (Craigroyston Community High School) - is a good fast winger and also a talented amateur boxer who has represented Edinburgh at age group boxing.

The BATS U18 side excelled winning 67-3 and making a competent Hawick side look ordinary, even though they included a couple of boys with Hawick 1st XV experience. The good crowd was given some excellent running rugby with outstanding performances from a number of the BATS boys. It was unfortunate for Hawick that they arrived late, through their bus breaking down, which meant delaying the kick off by 45 minutes. A full report will be posted soon.

Wednesday 26th April : Last weekend and news.
Last Saturday the 1st 7 progressed to the second round of the Langholm Sevens beating Perthshire in the first round and losing to Jed in the second round 24-14. Jed progressed to the final where they lost to Newcastle - who won their third tournament on the trot. At Penicuik the 2nd 7 lost to Boroughmuir, the eventual winners, 22-14 also in the second round.

At Raeburn Place the Accies All Stars beat the Esher Touring XV 36-31 in a well contested match. The man of the match - selected by Finlay Calder - was Esher's Gavin Richmond, son of Watsonian Mike Richmond.

Next Saturday the 1st 7 are at Haddington and a touring team are away at their annual trip to Kinsale.

On Sunday the Mini's will hold their annual tournament - which was postponed because of bad weather a few weeks ago. Lets hope the Minis can finish their successful year off with victories in the respective age groups at their own tournament

Also on Sunday the BATS U15s play a touring side from Ripon, ko 12.30. As the posts will be down at Raeburn the game will be at Broughton's ground Wardie.

Friday 21st April : BATS U18 and Calcutta Cup at Raeburn Place.
On 26th of April BATS U18 will play Hawick U18 at Raeburn Place, kick off 7pm. This game marks the end of BATS first season and we would like to see as many supporters there as possible to help us celebrate and to support some of Accies future players.

The BATS team will be made up from the wide North Edinburgh community and will be the best side we can get on the night from young people from Broughton High School, Trinity Academy, Craigroyston Community High School, Fettes, Edinburgh Academy and from the regular BATS Under 18s. We hope to include the four U18s and one U17 who have been playing for Scotland over the last few days.

Whilst we look forward to seeing the new generation of rugby players take to the field we also welcome the old, as the Calcutta Cup makes a long awaited return to Raeburn Place - the home of international rugby - 127 years after it was first contested when Scotland played England here in 1879. The Cup will be with us from 6pm to 9pm.

Put it in your diary - come and support our future.......... AND see our past - as the Calcutta Cup makes a welcome return to Raeburn Place.

The future's bright..........with your support

Edinburgh BATS Rugby - RUGBY FOR ALL – in the North Edinburgh Community.

Thursday 20th April : News and this weekend.
The 1st XV lost 14-30 to Kelso on Tuesday evening - a disappointing end to our season.

This weekend we are attending three sevens tournaments. The 1st 7 will be at Langholm, the 2nd 7 at Penicuik and the 3rd 7 - Menzie's Fijians - will be at our Associate Club and partner in Edinburgh BATS Rugby, Broughton. A BATS 7 will also be at Broughton.

At Raeburn Place on Saturday there will be an Accies All Stars XV playing Esher RFC Tourers in a charity game for Whizz Kidz ko 3.00. There will be a £3 admission charge - £10 family, £1 U18 - including programme. All funds raised will go to Whizz Kidz - a charity dedicated to supporting mobility for disabled young people. The All Stars XV includes Rowan Shepherd, Dave McIvor, Malcy McVie and many others of note - to see team list etc please click here.

Tuesday 18th April : Last weekend.
Sevens in full flow now and three Accies sides were out and about last Saturday. At Hawick Accies drew Newcastle in the first round and lost 14-28. Newcastle went on to win the tournament to add to the Melrose title a week earlier. Newcastle are at the Langholm Sevens next week as are Accies!

The second seven disappointingly lost to the home team in the semi final of the Bowl at Edinburgh Northern - missing a drop goal conversion from the front of the posts (which would have put the scores level) with the last kick of the game.

The George Menzie's seven went to North Berwick and won the tournament. Further information when it comes to hand. Well done George and team.

At Raeburn Place the BATS U15 side played a touring team from West Park (St Helens) on Saturday. West Park seemed to have interpreted U15 somewhat differently to BATS - as they looked a year or two older than the home team - I am sure they didn't, as often English sides are much bigger than Scottish ones, but to see a six foot plus well built second row running at pace and being head and shoulders bigger than the BATS second row made one think again. BATS lost easily in the end but must have learned a lot from West Park who were well drilled and showed some impressive skills for 14 year olds. The BATS boys - some who had only played three or four games - had some good passages in the game especially the first 15 minutes after half time. They drove well in the loose, never stopped trying and were worth more than the two tries they scored. It was good to see the BATS young prop relishing running with the ball and always making headway into and through the West Park team - for some one who has only played three games, a promising start.

Monday 17th April : Accies Annual Dinner.
Accies Annual Dinner will take place at the Menzies Belford Hotel on Friday 5 May - 6.30pm for 7.15pm, dress black tie or suit.

We have two top class speakers - Gordon McKie Chief Executive of the SRU and PC Brown Scotland International and goal kicker turned Second Row.

Prices are £25 (Student and under 21) and £40 for every one else. Entry by ticket only. To get your ticket; click here to get a copy of the form, complete it and send it with a cheque to Gordon Wallace at the address on the form.

Fine wines supplied by David Henderson of Henderson Wines starting at £13 a bottle.

Complete the form and return it today!!

Thursday 6th April : Update and Sevens.
No rugby for Accies last weekend though the U18s played Haddington away on Monday and just lost to a strong side 12-15.

This weekend (8th April) Accies first seven go to Highland to defend the title they won last season.

On the 15th April Accies have been invited to the Hawick Sevens; because of this the second seven will play at Edinburgh Northern and the third seven at North Berwick. To see the updated sevens list click here.

Tuesday 4th April : Help EAFC while online shopping !
If you're considering a bit of internet shopping then why not check out EAFC's own online shopping arcade ? Simply click on the yellow & red image link located in the top right corner of the page to open it.

Every time you click through to a retailer's site using their banner ad a small percentage comission will be paid by the retailer to EAFC in the event of a purchase ! So support the club, save the arcade to your browsers favorites and next time you go online shopping visit here first !

For those of you who's companies regularly book airline tickets etc. direct through the airlines own site why not help the club and book them through our arcade at no extra cost to yourself ?

If anyone has a site they regularly use and that they'd like included in our arcade then please e-mail with the site's address and AL will endeavour to have it included ! Many thanks for your support !

Wednesday 29th March : Weekend results.
The final home game of the season saw the 1st XV beat Haddington 35-24 in a game of 10 tries - Accies getting their bonus point before half time. To see match report click here. The 2nd XV game was cancelled on Friday evening because Currie could not raise a front row - so a 'paper' victory 20-0 for the Accies team in the 2nd XV league.

The 3rd XV went to StewMel with a multi-national side - Scots, English, Welsh, Spaniards, Fijians and two Ausies who had just flown into Edinburgh earlier in the week, unfortunately there was something missing - perhaps some practice together - and they lost 15-34. The BATS U18 side missing some of their Trinity Academy boys lost to Currie 9-41.

Friday 24th March : This weekend fixtures.
After a two week break the Club's teams resume league fixtures. The 1st XV and 2nd XV are both at home against Haddington and Currie respectively and the 3rd XV play StewMel away. All three ko at 3pm. The Haddington game is the 1st XV's last home game of the season, so it would be good to see you at Raeburn Place for the game. There will be a lunch at San Marcos (12.45 for 1pm) before the match. If you would like to go to the lunch please contact Willie Liston at . To see the 1st XV team list for Saturday click here. The BATS U18 will play Currie away on Saturday with a 2pm ko.

Friday 17th March : News Update.
It has been a quiet time at the club with no games last weekend and also no games this weekend. Last Friday's Scottish Universities v Ireland Colleges was cancelled on Friday evening because the floodlit pitch was under water in many places - the seagulls were swimming on the 22 line! It was a disappointment with all the activity to put the game on - even managed to get the boiler repaired and ready for the game. In the end a late change was possible and the game went ahead at Peffermill and Scotland lost 0-47.

This week a number of club members - including the President and the Head Coach - have made the biannual trip to our friends in Biella. I gather all will be expected to partake in at least a Biella v Accies touch game - not sure how many will remember they will have done that when they return.

Next week is the 1XVs last home game against Haddington - who are fighting to remain in Division 2 - this will make it a difficult game but a game we must win to keep the pressure on Cartha who are in second place three points ahead of us. Before the match there will be a lunch across the road at San Marcos, if you want to reserve a place contact Willie Liston at .

Tuesday 7th March : Next weekend.
Most of the club seems to be decanting to Dublin for the weekend and at the moment no club fixtures are arranged. On Friday evening the Scottish Universities will play the Irish Colleges at Raeburn Place - ko 7pm. Seems strange that every other representative side is in Dublin, what did the students do to deserve to stay at home?

Tuesday 7th March : Weekend results.
With the Artic conditions continuing there was never going to be much rugby in Scotland. In the end there were only two games played - one in Ayr and our game at Gala, thanks to Gala's undersoil heating.

The warm conditions on the ground and the cold conditions above ground suited Accies, who put one of their better performances of the season together scoring five tries - gaining a bonus point - and beating Gala by 32-18. The support and interpassing between backs and forwards was as good as seen all season and the excitement led our to our Head Coach forgetting his 'Ps and Qs' whilst giving an interview to a man with a 'live' BBC microphone in his hand. We hope his mother was not listening!!! As no other second division games were played we now sit in second place five points behind Dundee and two ahead of Cartha and played one game more than both of them.

The BATS U18 game on Friday evening against the Italian side Lainate fell foul of the weather - solid ground with two inches of snow on top - though they did play two 8v8 touch and pass games followed by a 15 a side touch game. It was all we could do and unfortunate for our visitors who came so far and were desperate to play - they asked three times to play full contact rugby. In the end everyone made the best of the conditions and enjoyed the touch - though no doubt not the cold showers after, because the boiler had broken!!!

Friday 3rd March : Kick off time change.
Because of the weather we have changed the time of the BATS U18 vs Lainate game to 6pm on Friday evening.

Thursday 2nd March : Weekend fixtures and 1st XV vs Berwick report and pictures.
This weekend the 1st XV and 2nd XV's both have league fixtures away at Gala and the 3rd XV has a rearranged league game against Melrose at Raeburn Place - all ko's are at 3pm. On Friday evening the BATS U18 (with some older boys) will play Rugby Lainate U19's from Italy. The ko is at 7.15pm if you have some spare time pop down and see the next generation of Accies players.

To see last Saturdays 1st XV report click here. The picture below shows Accies first try against Berwick, note the excited (injured and not playing) club captain in the background. More pictures are in the gallery.

Monday 27th February : Baa-Baas to play at Raeburn Place - 150 years of rugby in black and white!
Accies celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Rugby Club in 2007/8 season and plans are well underway for a season of celebration for the second oldest continuous rugby club in the world.

More details of the 150th Season events will appear on the website over the coming months. Any questions should be directed to Ralph at .

Monday 27th February : Rearranged fixture & Weekend results.
The league fixture against Kelso has now been fixed for Tuesday 18th April, ko 7.30pm at Kelso.

A good result for Accies - even better for Scotland! - when the 1st XV at last managed to beat Berwick 31-10. There was never a time Accies looked as if they would lose to Berwick and managed to gain a four try bonus point in the very last play of the game. This leaves Accies three points behind Cartha and 10 behind Dundee, who lost to Selkirk. The 2nd XV played a rearranged league game with Haddington at New Field and won 15-8.

Tuesday 21st February : Calcutta Cup Weekend.
A busy few days for the rugby people of Edinburgh - and Spain! - over this weekend. It starts on Friday with the Eve of Calcutta Cup Dinner to be held at the Academy - which has been sold out for some time. This is followed on Saturday morning with the School cross country starting (9.30am) and finishing at Raeburn Place, and four club games.

The 1st XV have their own version of the Scotland v England match with league fixture against Berwick-on-Tweed at 1pm. Congratulations are due to Berwick - who beat us in the cup - and went on to beat Stirling 30-29 in the next round last Saturday - well done. The 2nd XV play Haddington in a rearranged league game, hopefully this game will be played at New Field. The U18s play Currie away.

We also welcome Murcia University to Raeburn Place to play the 3rd XV, ko 1pm. This is their first visit to the 'home of international rugby' - we hope they enjoy their game and time with us, and their following trip to Murrayfield.

We will be pleased to see you at Raeburn Place - supporting us in our two cross-border clashes - before the much anticipated international at 5.30pm. We look forward to seeing you and any guests.

Monday 20th February : Weekend Results.
In the end we managed to find fixtures for all our teams, the 4th XV finding their fixture at 7.30pm on Friday evening. Overall it was a disappointing set of results though as some key players were not available putting pressure on the lower teams.

The 1st XV beat Murrayfield Wanderers 28-12 and the 2nd XV lost to a strong Glasgow Hawks team - in which it was good to see ex-Accie Kenny Baillie playing -0-31. The 3rd XV lost to Biggar 23-41 and the BATS 3rd XV lost to Watsonians 0-15 - this was a good improvement on their first game with Watsonians. The 4th XV - with most of their 'stars' back from the Golden Oldies v France, plus Malcy McVie playing his first game for the Club since his 'retirement' from the 1st XV rugby at the end of last season - got back to their winning ways beating Dalkeith 41-5. Finally the BATS U18 - missing many players through flu - lost to Biggar 10-46.

Wednesday 15th February : A fun day at Cartha.
I hear from the Head Coach that last Saturday at Cartha was one of the coldest, wettest and muddiest days he could remember - I always thought Hawick was wet and muddy so it must have been bad. This picture from ClanBlack shows what it was like, how did the ref manage? Pictures of a happy Jamie Boyd - I think it is him under the mud - and some of the travelling support viewing from the 'hospitality suite' are in the gallery.

Wednesday 15th February : Fixtures and teams for weekend.
This coming weekend only the BATS 3rd XV and BATS U18s have league games. The BATS 3rd XV plays Watsonians away and the U18s play Biggar away. Friendly fixtures have been arranged for the 1st XV who will play Murrayfield Wanderers away, the 2nd XV who play Glasgow Hawks at home and the 3rd XV who play Biggar at home. All games start at 3pm. To see the teams click here.

Tuesday 14th February : Calcutta Cup Weekend.
Edinburgh will be buzzing the weekend of the Calcutta Cup (25th February) and we at Accies are doing our part in making it a weekend to remember. On the Friday the Eve of Calcutta Cup Dinner, which is being held at the Academy to raise funds for the next Academy rugby tour and Accies youth rugby, is well over subscribed - there is even a waiting list!! It should be a great night.

On the Saturday the Scotland v England game (ko 17.30) is NOT the only 'league' fixture involving teams from England and Scotland. At Raeburn Place Accies take on Berwick (ko 1pm) in what is an important fixture for both of us - Accies looking for second in the league and Berwick fighting to remain in Division 2. Of course we have some revenge to get having lost to them twice this season in England.

And that's not all as Murcia University from Spain - who will they support at Murrayfield? - will play an Accies 3rd XV (ko 1pm) at Raeburn Place. So - after the Calcutta Cup Dinner and before the BIG game - get down to Raeburn Place, get some fresh air and 'hair of the dog' and begin the day supporting us in our two cross-border clashes before the much anticipated international. We look forward to seeing you and any guests.

Monday 13th February : Weekend Results.
Another good win for the 1st XV away at Cartha 22-19. So now we have beaten both the sides above us, at home and away, to prove we have what it takes at certain times but not all the time, lacking something against what are turning out to be the weaker sides in the league. Dundee, who other than against us have lost only to Kelso, have been consistent and taken bonus points and we have not - even so it feels good to have Dundee's and Cartha's scalps twice each! To see the match report click here.

The BATS U18 played Ross High at Trinity and had a very good win 14-11. This is the second time they have beaten the high flying Ross High team - who finished second in the Edinburgh and District leagues - this season.

Friday 10th February : Weekend games.
After putting out five teams plus the U18s for the last two weeks, this week we are down to the 1st XV and the U18s. This is partly due to players being injured, going to Wales and not being available and the breaking down of the boiler at Raeburn Place - therefore no hot showers.

The 1st XV are playing Cartha away in a rearranged league game, ko 3pm, and the U18s are playing their home game against Ross High at Trinity because of the showers.

Thursday 9th February : Match reports.
The match reports for the last two weeks are here - I sent January 28th's report to accies@... instead of the webmaster@... - must be cracking up! To see last weeks reports - and one of the two 4XV's Advocate's reasoning as to why the 4XV loss does not count in the records - click here. To see the previous weekends reports click here.

Tuesday 7th February : Weekend Results.
The 2nd XV beat Aberdeen 26-13 to guarantee them promotion to the 2nd XV First Division of the leagues next season with three games still to play. Well done to Mike Pender (coach) and Frank Spratt (team manager) - both in their first seasons in those roles - and all who have played for the team so far in the season.

Not such a good weekend for the rest of Club with the 1st XV, 3rd XV and 4th XV losing to GHA 18-20, Biggar 10-13 and a touring French team 12-29 respectively. That was the first time the 4th XV have lost this season - their excuse was that the Accies front five were older than the whole of the French team put together and Rowan, Brian, Martin and Simon were playing for the Golden Oldies against France. Some might believe that - I don't!

The BATS 3rd XV beat Murrayfield Wanderers 26-15 and the BATS U18s won 29-5 at Livingston. For the U18s it was a good result with Murray Smith, Paul Gray, Kevin Barr, Scott Donnelly and Stewart Walker all missing because of an Edinburgh U17 trial, Tom Drennan and Lewis Niven at an Edinburgh U18 squad and Matthew Smith at an Edinburgh U16 squad. Well done boys - on the result and being selected for the trials and squads.

Thursday 2nd February : Weekend fixtures.
A busy weekend at the club with six fixtures arranged and of course the first round of the Six Nations, with Scotland playing France on Sunday.

There are league fixtures for four of our senior teams. The 1st XV are away at GHA, the 2nd XV at home to Aberdeen, the 3rd XV at Biggar and the BATS 3rd XV play Murrayfield Wanderers at Bangholm. All these games kick off at 3pm. The BATS U18s play Livingston away. To see the team lists click here.

Finally the 4th XV will play a side from Paris, Loisirs Club HEC, a team formed around the alumnis of the HEC business school some 30 years ago. This game is at Raeburn Place with a 2.30pm kick off. We hope our guests from Paris enjoy their first visit to 'the home of international rugby'.

Thursday 2nd February : Edinburgh BATS Rugby U15s.
Despite being only their first season together BATS U15s have finished 6th in their U15 League of 15 teams. This result qualifies the them for the Edinburgh and District Cup rather than one of the lesser competitions. Their Cup fixtures are Lasswade, 12th February at Raeburn Place (ko 12:00), Haddington 19th February away and Forrester 26th February at Raeburn Place (ko 12:00).

For this new team to finish high enough to qualify for the Cup is an excellent achievement by all the players who turned around a mid season dip in form to finish the league with 5 successive wins and thus secure the final available Cup place. Well done to the players and their coaches, they worked really hard and deserved the success they had - a good reward for them and the BATS Club.

Tuesday 31st January : Weekend results.
A good weekend for the club putting out five senior XV's and the BATS U18s. The 1st XV got back to winning ways, beating Jed-Forest 23-17 - the only disappointment was no bonus point. With Dundee losing to Kelso we are 9 points behind Dundee and 4 points behind Cartha - Dundee have won one more game than both Cartha and ourselves, but Dundee have 5 and Cartha 4 bonus points more than us, making all the difference.

The 2nd XV had a good result beating Ayr away 16-10, the 3rd XV turned round the earlier defeat by Boroughmuir to beat them well 33-10 and the 4th XV beat Moray House 1st XV 45-8 - to remain unbeaten. The BATS 3rd XV won 42-0 against RHC and the BATS U18s lost 13-3 to a strong Musselburgh side who reached the semi final of the National U18 competition.

Friday 27th January : French weekend (4th Feb) and 1955/6 Accies team reunion.
Next weekend our friends from Toulouse are once again visiting us over the French weekend and the usual party has been arranged for Friday 3rd February 2006 at 8pm in the Edinburgh Academy School Hall. Entrance is £10 per head including a share of the food and wine RDM bring with them plus some additional local supplies from ourselves (any donations or contributions most gratefully received). Entertainment is provided by Phil Wharton's music centre with an accompany of semi professional singers plus a Ceilah band. This is a mixed night with tickets available direct from David Parker , George Menzies or Jamie Boyd.

On the same day the surviving members of the Accies 1955/6 Scottish unofficial Championship side are holding their 50th Reunion Dinner in Donaldson's. There should be plenty for them to talk about after all those years!

Wednesday 25th January : Weekend fixtures and teams.
This weekend the 1st XV have a home league game against Jedforest ko 2.30pm. Before that game the BATS U18s will play Musselburgh with a 12noon ko. There are some exciting young players in the U18s, try to get down early and see some of the future 1st XV players.
All other teams are away - the 2nd XV at Ayr, the 3rd XV at Boroughmuir and the BATS 3rd XV at RHC - all with 2.30pm ko. To see the team list click here.

Wednesday 25th January : Weekend results.
Not a good day for the club with the 1st XV losing to Berwick in the cup 7-16. Very much like the League game a few weeks ago - in fact you could have thought that it was a TV replay except it looked as if the local farmers had watered the pitch this time! Berwick deserved their victory - good luck to them in the next round.

It was interesting to see Berwick were getting a grant from the RFU - yes RFU - for some development work. In my book that means they have received more support than all the clubs in the Scottish Leagues put together from our governing body!! Well done to Berwick again.

The 2nd XV also lost to Watsonians 15-36 in their top of the table clash. The Junior sides fared better with the 3rd XV beating Murrayfield Wanderers 62-3, the BATS 3rd XV beating Currie at Bangholme 24-17 and the 4th XV beating Inverleith 1st XV 19-7 -to remain unbeaten this season. To see some match reports click here.

Tuesday 24th January : 1st XV v Jedforest Lunch.
On Saturday there will be a lunch before the Jedforest game. If you would like to attend please contact Willie Liston by e-mail . Lunch at San Marcos, meet at 12.30, eat at 1pm, game starts at 2.30.

Thursday 19th January : Saturday's matches.
This weekend sees the 1st XV take on Berwick in the fourth round of the BT Cup away, ko 2pm (to allow for extra time). The 2nd XV play Watsons at Raeburn in a 'second team' top of the table clash, the 3rd XV play Murrayfield Wanderers at New Field and the BATS 3rd XV play Currie at Trinity's ground Bangholm - all these games kick off at 2.30pm. To see this weeks 1st XV and 2nd XV Team Lists click here.

Tuesday 17th January : Weekend results.
Last Saturday the 1st XV beat Murrayfield Wanderers 20-10 in a game of many mistakes, the 2nd XV also beat Wanderers 31- 8 in an enjoyable game - good to see Jamie Boyd back on the field. The 3rd XV (or maybe XIV or even XIII?) beat Edinburgh Uni 57-27, the BATS 3rd XV lost to Linlithgow 40-15 and the 4th XV beat Ross High 3 48-7. The BATS U18s beat Forresters 34-0 - a good turnround as they lost 20-0 last time they met earlier this season. Match reports will be posted soon.

Thursday 12th January : Weekend fixtures and teams.
On Saturday all Accies senior teams have league fixtures and all are away. The 1st XV and 2nd XV are both at Murrayfield Wanderers - 1st XV ko 3pm and 2nd XV ko 2pm. Click here for teams. The 3rd XV play Edinburgh Uni and the BATS 3rd XV play Linlithgow, both ko at 2pm. The BATS U18s play Forrester at home, again ko at 2pm.

Thursday 12th January : Calcutta Cup Dinner - 24 February.
Edinburgh Academical Football Club and The Edinburgh Academy are jointly holding a Celebratory Dinner on Friday 24th February - the weekend of the Calcutta Cup. The guest Speakers are Jim Renwick and Finaly Calder. Tables will be for 10 with tickets at £35 per head for a Champagne reception and dinner. There are a limited number of VIP Tables at £50 a head.

There will be the usual Silent Auction raising money for MercyCorps and then a discreet auction of 12 much sought after items for Club and School "good causes". This is an equal opportunities evening for over 18 year olds only. We look forward to your earliest response as booking will be on a first come basis only. To book complete application form - click here - and send it to the address on the form.

This is an important event in our calendar not only being an evening of first class entertainment but also a key fund raiser for the rugby ambitions of both Accies and the Academy. Please support the Club if you can and we look forward to your earliest response.

Monday 9th January : EASC AGM.
The AGM of the Edinburgh Academical Sports Centre will be held at the Club house, Raeburn Place on Monday 23 January at 8pm. To see the agenda please click here. The club house will be open for drinks from 7pm and will close one hour after the meeting ends. All members of the EAFC are welcome to attend and get the latest information on the development at Raeburn Place.

Monday 9th January : Weekend results.
A winning start - including a bonus point for four tries - to 2006 for the 1st XV who beat Selkirk 24-13 in a scrappy game . It was the first game for Accies in four weeks so good to get the rust and excesses out of the system. With Jed losing to Gala, Accies move into third place in the league five points ahead of Jed and five points behind Cartha. The 2nd XV lost a friendly to Heriots and BATS U18s beat Dalkeith 18-16. Match reports will be posted soon.

Friday 6th January : Weekend fixtures.
The Club gets back to rugby this Saturday with three games - the 1st XV play a league fixture against Selkirk at Raeburn Place and the 2nd XV play Heriots away in a friendly. Both these games start at 2pm. The BATS U18s play Dalkeith away, ko time to be announced.

Wednesday 21st December : Half term report............

........... Its been an interesting first half to the season at Raeburn Place. We have well over 100 registered senior players and have being putting out up to five XVs each week - as well as loaning some players to our Associate Clubs Broughton and Trinity Accies. Over the whole senior club we have won 39 of the 54 games played. The main dissapointment being the 1st XV who lost four games after a great start and now lie joint third, having won 10 games. They do have the distinction of being the only side to beat the leaders, Dundee - and twice at that!!! The 2nd XV lie second in their league losing two games and the 4th XV are unbeaten. The 1st XV are still in the cup and with a return to our early season form could make second in the league. The one big let down is the number of cancelled games through our opposition not being able to get a side, or not being able to find a fixture...............

............. made some improvement on last year, but should have done better.

Finally, from all the committee of Edinburgh Accies we wish you the Seasons Greetings and hope you have a good New Year.

Sunday 18th December : Weekend cancellations.
Not a good weekend for rugby - the cold snap on Friday night froze Kelso's ground and the 1st XV game was called off early Saturday morning. The 2nd XV game was cancelled when Haddington could not raise a team and the BATS U18 game was also cancelled. All three games will be played later in the season. This was not the ending to 2005 we were looking for - the next games will be on 7th January 2006 when the 1st XV play Selkirk at Raeburn Place and the 2nd XV have a friendly against Heriots away.

Friday 16th December : Saturday's Rugby and Training over Christmas/New Year.
This weekend sees the last games for the Club untill the first week in January. The 1st XV are away at Kelso ko 3pm (under lights). The 2nd XV game at home against Haddington has been cancelled as Haddington cannot raise a side. The 1st XV, who welcome back Matt Coupar from Scotland Sevens duty, will be keen to reverse last weeks dissapointment and end the year on a high. Training will continue over the holiday period on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at the normal time - ready and changed to start at 7pm.

Tuesday 13th December : Last Weekend Results.
A disappointing weekend for the Club with all teams who played losing for the first time this season. Both the 1st XV and 2nd XV lost to Hillhead/Jordanhill at home 30-49 and 10-38 respectively - this was only the second defeat for the 2nd XV. The BATS Development team - with only two over 21s in the team - lost to Livingston 40-9 at Livingston in the 3rd XV league - to see a match report click here. The 3rd XV had a walk over against Heriots - who could not raise a 3rd XV - and the BATS U18 game was postponed as Trinity School had their Schools Cup quarter final on Saturday morning. In the end the School Cup game was postponed as Trinity had an outbreak of Mumps!! A weekend to forget.

Tuesday 13th December : Another successful weekend for Minis.
Sunday 4th at Raeburn Place saw the pitches filled up with teams of Minis from Accies and Heriots, for a group of friendly games. Accies P6's had the rare opportunity to play against a Heriots P7 team and although it was a strong opposition for the boys, they tackled and defended well, winning through. They also successfully beat the two Heriots P6 teams. The Accies P4s were pleased to welcome new members to their team, all of whom had the opportunity to play in the matches. Fielding two teams each, a wee tournament was set up with, Accies winning all their matches and then playing a tense final against each other. All players contributed well, including the new members. To see a full report click here.

Thursday 8th December : Weekend Fixtures and BT Cup Round 4.
The 1st XV have their last home game of 2005 on Saturday against Hillhead Jordanhill ko 2pm. This is another vital game for us to win after our 'mid season slip-ups', we must start with the same attitude as we had against our last home game against Dundee. The 2nd XV play Hillhead Jordanhill 2nd XV at Raeburn and the 3rd XV play a home game against Heriots - hopefully at New Field. The BATS 3rd XV are away at Livingston and the 4th XV have no fixture yet.

In the fourth round of the BT Cup, to be played on 21 January, Accies have been drawn away at Berwick with a 2pm kick off.

Wednesday 7th December : Lunch on Saturday and Reminders.
This Saturday, before the Hillhead Jordanhill game there will be a Club lunch to be held at St Marco's. Because of the early kick off (2pm) meet around 12.00 to sit down at latest 12.30. The cost of each lunch is £15 - for a three course lunch with good food guaranteed. To book please contact Willie Liston - home 0131 332 9744, office 01698 503610, mobile 0771 045 2499 or e-mail .

The annual Players' Christmas Lunch and Carols will be held in Broughton's Wardie Club Rooms on Sunday 18 December, meeting at 12.30pm for a 1.00pm kick off. Format for the afternoon will be: the 'full monty' 3-course turkey lunch with all the trimmings, followed by Christmas Carols and postprandial cocktails! Any late takers for what will be one of the best social events of the year please e-mail Jason Parrott at for booking.

Club members are reminded application forms for the Scotland HOME internationals against France and England should be sent with full remittance and stamped addressed envelope to George Henderson at the address on the form by 16 December. See entry below for 23rd November for full details and form.

Monday 5th December : Weekend Results.
Last weekend the 1st XV beat GHK in the 3rd round of the BT Cup 29-8. It was a scrappy game with many turnovers, which Accies, who scored five tries - never looked like losing, but seemed to lack direction and pace for much of the game. The first try - scored by Matt Rodgers - came from a good 20 metre forward drive. David Rattray then showed how dangerous he is in a tight position stepping past numerous players to score the first of his three tries, the other two being from long range - where he outpaced the GHK defence. The other try was scored by Peter Burns who took a GHK put-in at a line out on their five metre line and 'galloped' over the line untouched.

The 2nd XV beat Preston Lodge 33-3, the 3rd XV lost to Watsonians 0-8 and the BATS 3rd XV and 4th XV games were cancelled - the BATS 3rd XV at late notice giving them a walk over for the league points. The BATS U18s lost to Aberdeen 5-17.

Thursday 1st December : Weekend fixtures.
This weekend its back to a full fixture list. The 1st XV enter the BT Cup playing GHK in Glasgow - GHK are unbeaten in Division 5 West and are an associate/feeder club of Premier leaders Glasgow Hawks. This is the first time our clubs have met since GHK were reformed. Please note the kick off is 1.30 to allow for any extra time. The 2nd XV and 3rd XV have away league games against Preston Lodge and Watsonians resp with 2.00 ko whilst the BATS 3rd XV play their league fixture against Musselburgh at Raeburn Place on Friday ko 7.30. The BATS U18s play Aberdeen at Raeburn on Saturday with a 12.30 ko at Aberdeen's request. The BATS U15s play Heriots at Raeburn on Sunday ko 12.00.

Thursday 1st December : Last Weekend and Alan Burns.
Sorry for delay in posting this. Last weekend there was limited rugby because of the weather and the New Zealand game. Alan Burns played his last game in the 4th XV's 32-0 victory over Edinburgh Northern. In fact Alan, who moved to Banff this week, played for Northern so there could be some proper scrums - Northern having come short handed. We all wish Alan well with his move, he has been a loyal servant to the Club in the role as Fixture and Referee Secretary and 4th XV organiser. He will be difficult to replace.

The only other games played were the BATS U18 who lost 10-15 to Dalkeith and the BATS U15s who had a good win 17-12 against a Leith side who included three over 16s in their team. For a report on the U15 game click here.

Tuesday 29th November : Congratulations !
We have heard that Matt Coupar has been called up to the Scotland Sevens Squad that will play in Dubai on 1st and 2nd of December. We are very pleased for Matt who has had some fine performances at various Sevens Tournaments for the Scottish Saltires. I am sure all the Club send him our best wishes for the tournament - well done Coups. The picture of Matt below was taken as he scored one of the best trys by Accies for ages against Dundee two weeks ago. Matt started the move on the other touch line some 75 meters down the pitch and after passing through many hands was there to finish off.

Thursday 24th November : Pre Calcutta Cup International Dinner - 24th February.
This announcement is being made early so you can reserve the date in your diaries. Full information and ticket prices will be announced soon when final details and speakers are confirmed. After the tremendous success of the Pre Calcutta Cup Dinner two years ago, we will be having a repeat on Friday 24th February 2006. This time it will be in conjunction with the Edinburgh Academy, and as before will be for both males and females, which greatly enhanced the evening. Entrance will be by ticket only, which are on a 'first come first served basis'. There will be room for 20 tables (around 220 people). We already have 5 tables reserved so if you would like to make a provisional booking now please e-mail Gordon Wallace at .

Wednesday 23rd November : Next weekend.
If the weather does not close in as forecast there are some fixtures this weekend for the Club. The 2nd XV will play Heriots away on Friday evening in a friendly. The 4th XV hope to play Biggar at Raeburn on Saturday morning ko 12.00 and the BATS U18s play Dalkeith at Raeburn, in their first National League play off game, ko 12.00.

On Saturday the Club will be open for anyone who wants to watch Scotland v New Zealand on television. The bar will remain open throughout and after the game. Fellow club Broughton have a 10 aside tournament at Wardie on Saturday morning at which an Accies 3rd ten and a BATS 3rd ten will partake. Kick offs are at noon. After the tournament their club remains open to watch the international on a big screen as well as some food and promo beer all for £5.

Wednesday 23rd November : Reminder re HOME Six Nations International tickets.
For the convenience of club members here is the application form for the Scotland HOME internationals against France and England (click here). You should print this form out and send it with full remittance and stamped addressed envelope to George Henderson at the address on the form by 16 December. Applications will only be accepted from club members. Those who have paid their subscriptions will take priority.

Monday 21st November : Saturday's games.
All games last weekend were cancelled due to frozen grounds. No games were played in the Premiership Division 2, so no changes in league table. There are no league fixtures this coming Saturday as New Zealand are in town to see if they can complete their 'Grand Slam' of the home nations!

Friday 18th November : Weekend Fixtures and Scotland v Samoa.
This weekend the 1st XV go to Cartha Queens Park for their league fixture (ko 3pm). After the excelent win over Dundee last Saturday this is another must win for us. The 3rd XV play Melrose at home (ko 2pm) and the BATS 3rd XV play Watsonians 4th XV at Myerside (ko 2pm) - both are league fixtures. The 4th XV are still looking for a game.

On Sunday the Club bar will be open from 12noon for those who want to watch Scotland v Samoa on television or partake of pre International drinks. It will not be open after the game.

Tuesday 15th November : 1st XV report and BATS U15s.
To see the 1st XV report click here.

The BATS U15s won their fourth match in a row when they beat Livingston 58-0 at Raeburn on Sunday. The forwards tended to dominate the rucks and mauls but there was a bit too much standing off when the ball was only semi-secured. Their tackling was very robust with good ball protection when the forwards were going into tackles. When the backline got going they were extremely effective with good hands and running lines looking to create space for the wings. The wings made the most of the space and the backs scored 9 of the 10 tries.

Tuesday 15th November : Weekend results.
The 1st XV had an excellent win over Dundee on Saturday 26-17, scoring four tries and getting the bonus point. The team played their best game for a while, dominating the Dundee pack in the tight and scoring one of the best tries seen for some time at Raeburn in the process. Accies are the only team to have beaten Dundee this season and have now done it twice. Match report to follow. The 3rd XV lost to StewMel and the 4th XV beat BATS 3rd XV 33-14 in a game played at Bangholm.

Friday 11th November : Players' Christmas Lunch and Carols.
The annual Players' Christmas Lunch and Carols will this year be a joint event between Accies, Broughton and Trinity - our two associate clubs and partners in the Edinburgh BATS Rugby organisation. The event will be held in Broughton's Wardie Club Rooms on Sunday 18 December, meeting at 12.30pm for a 1.00pm kick off. Format for the afternoon will be: the 'full monty' 3-course turkey lunch with all the trimmings, coffee & mince pies (fine wines to accompany lunch), followed by Christmas Carols and postprandial cocktails! Cost comes to a mere £20 per head (for lunch + wine) - a bargain for what will surely be one of the best social events of the year. Dress will be jacket & tie. For reservation and tickets please e-mail Jason Parrott at or Gerry Love at . Don't hang around - numbers are limited!!!

Friday 11th November : Weekend Fixtures.
This weekend sees the 1st XV start the second half of their league campaign against Dundee at Raeburn ko 2pm. For Accies, having dropped off in three of the last five games, this is a must win game. Having already beaten Dundee away, Accies know it is possible to repeat that if at the top of their game. The 3rd XV play Stew Mel at Raeburn in the 3rd XV league ko 2pm. There are no league fixtures for the other teams so the BATS 3rd XV will play the all conquering 4th XV at Trinity's ground Bangholm.

Friday 11th November : Historic Clean Sweep.
Last Sunday the Accies Minis had an outstanding day at St Andrews taking part in the Madrascals tournament and finishing with a historic clean sweep. All teams from P7-P4 competed and won their groups and came home with a clutch of shields and medals. P7 who only come together for occasional tournaments demonstrated a strong performance winning against Howe of Fife 2-0 in the final. P6 had a brilliant performance not letting in a single try and winning against Madrascals a stunning 7-0. P5 continued their long long run of success, winning their eighth tournament in a row. P4's were extremely delighted with their first tournament win beating Howe of Fife in the final 8-5. To see a full report click here.

Thursday 10th November : Reports from last weekend.
Reports from last weekend are now in. 1st XV click here, 2nd XV here, and for 3rd and 4th XV's here. For a couple of pictures from Saturdays 1st XV game click here. For the BATS U18 report click here.

Tuesday 8th November : Lunch, 1st XV v Dundee Sat 12 November.
This originally was not going to be a lunch date but due to our match sponsors requiring a lunch for their guests and by popular demand after the last well attended (over 75) lunch we are up and running again this week . The sponsors will take the bar/bistro part of San Marcos, the gallery bit of the restaurant has been blocked for our loyal diners. Numbers will be tight so first come, first served. Please note early kick off (2pm) so meeting time around 12.00 to sit down at latest 12.30. To ensure you get a place at the table, please reply promptly. The cost of each lunch is £15 - for a three course lunch with good food guaranteed. To book please contact Willie Liston - home 0131 332 9744, office 01698 503610, mobile 0771 045 2499 or e-mail .

Monday 7th November : Saturday's results.
After losing their last two games the 1st XV were back to winning ways 19-10 at Haddington on Saturday. The 2nd XV also won at Haddington 54-9. Both 3rd XVs lost their games; a much changed Accies 3rd XV to Watsonians 0-55 in a friendly and the BATS 3rd XV 14-24 to Murrayfield Wanderers in a league game. The 4th XV (who had Dave McIvor making a welcome return to Raeburn Place as a guest player) continued their unbeaten season beating Panmure 62-12 - see the match report later in the week to see how the respective captains, the Lindsay brothers, got on. The BATS U18 beat Livingston 25-3 and in so doing have qualified for the Inter District Games finishing fifth in the league, only five points behind the team finishing second. This is a very good effort from the team, which is mainly an U17 team - well done lads. Match reports to follow.

Friday 4th November : Saturday's Fixtures.
This week is the beginning of early kick offs - 2.30pm on Saturday and 2pm after that till the New Year. The 1st XV and 2nd XV are both at Haddington, the 3rd XV who have no league fixture are picking up Broughton's 2nd XV fixture at Wardie. The BATS 3rd XV play Murrayfield Wanderers in a league fixture at Murrayfield and the 4th XV play Panmuir at Raeburn Place. The U18s play Linlithgow at Raeburn on the big pitch, if they win this game they will go forward into the play offs against the leading teams from the other two leagues. This is a tremendous effort because this side are really an U17 side who we decided to play U18 level to ensure quality rugby this year.

For this weekends team lists please click here.

Wednesday 2nd November : Match Reports.
To see match reports for the 3rd XV, 4th XV, BATS 3rd XV and U18s click here. For the 2nd XV's report please click here. There's no 1st XV report to hand yet. In addition some action shots have been added to the gallery.

Tuesday 1st November : Last Saturday Results.
Another disappointing result for the 1st XV who lost to lowly Gala 16-26. This means we now have to rely on other teams losing their form for us to get in the only place that will gain promotion this season - the top of the league. The 2nd XV, 3rd XV and BATS 3rd XV all continued their winning ways in their leagues, beating Gala 2nd XV, Biggar 3rd XV and RHC 3rd XV - 20-11, 51-22 and 63-20 respectively. Between them they have only lost one game in their leagues this season. The 4th XV managed to find opponents again, this time North Berwick away and beat them 43-35 - keeping their unbeaten record this season. The BATS U18s lost to Dalkeith 10-12 by copying the first team and not contesting the full 80 minuets of the game. Match reports will follow.

Finally the last winner of the week was Dave Black - who is currently in Melbourne. Dave if you see this you won the 100 club draw - well done. Don't spend it all at the Melbourne cup this week!!

Thursday 27th October : U18 Match Report and Weekend Fixtures.
This Saturday the four teams playing in leagues have all got home fixtures!! So thanks to our associate clubs (Broughton and Trinity) we can play two of the games at their grounds. All kick offs at 3pm. The 1st XV welcome Gala to Raeburn Place - along with their new head coach one Paul Di Rollo - and the 2nd XV play Gala Junior, Gala's 2nd XV. The 3rd XV play Biggar at Broughton's ground and the BATS 3rd XV play Royal High Corstorphine at Trinity's ground. There is no news of 4th XV game yet though we are looking for a fixture. For this weekends provisional squads please click here.

The BATS U18 play Dalkeith away (ko 2.30pm), to see their match report from last week click here.

Tuesday 25th October : Weekend Results.
The 1st XV had another disappointing result losing at Berwick 17-25, the 2nd XV beat Preston Lodge 59-7, the 3rd XV lost to Boroughmuir and the 4th XV beat Portobello 2nd XV 56-0. The BATS 3rd XV had a good win against a strong Currie 3rd XV, 30-7 and the BATS U18 had an impressive win against Dunbar - who were second in the league - by 30-7. Match reports to follow.

Friday 21st October : Weekend fixtures.
This weekend sees the 1st XV make a trip to England for their league fixture against Berwick (ko 3pm) - a difficult place to win, but with the improvements shown last week and the right attitude we should come back north with a victory. The 2nd XV and 3rd XV are both at Raeburn Place against Preston Lodge and Boroughmuir (will Mckinney be in their team?) resp - both ko at 3pm. The BATS 3rd XV are at Currie with a 7.30pm Friday ko. The BATS U18 at home against Dunbar ko 3pm (at Dunbar's request), at the moment we are trying to find a pitch at New Field or if not there at Broughton or Trinity. The 4th XV are keen to play but no game fixed yet.

Thursday 20th October : Provisional Teams for Saturday.
Click here for provisional Team selection for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and BATS XVs for this weekend.

Thursday 20th October : Players' night out and match reports.
On Saturday 29 October there will be a 'night out' for players from the club - whatever team played for. The night will start at Bar Napoli at 7.30pm and will cost £15 Per Person for a two course meal and three Peronis. Those interested please add their name to the list on the notice board in the changing room this weekend or contact Jason Parrott ( ), Stuart Paterson ( ) or Ed Stott ( ).
For last Saturday's match report for the 1XV click here and U18 click here.

Tuesday 18th October: Weekend Results.
After last weekend's disappointments the 1st XV and 2nd XV both bounced back with 41-18 and 23-22 victories over GHA and Currie respectively. The 1st XV gained a bonus point to narrow the gap behind Dundee to two points in the league - which now stands Dundee 34, Accies 32, Cartha 29 and Jed 23. The 3rd XV lost to Murrayfield Wanderers 0-28, the BATS 3rd XV beat Linlithgow 36-19 and the BATS U18s beat Ross High 15-12. To see the Head Coach's Comments from the match programme click here. Match reports will follow.

Thursday 13th October: Weekend Fixtures and News.
On Saturday the 1st XV take on GHA at Raeburn Place, the 2nd XV are away at Currie, the 3rd XV away at Murrayfield Wanderers and the BATS 3rd XV at home against Linlithgow. All these games ko at 3.00pm. Before the 1st XV game the BATS U18s will play Ross High with a 1.00pm kick off - so arrive early and see some of our future 1st XV players. Congratulations to four of the U18s - Lewis Niven, Tom Drennan (injured though), Ruaridh Bonnar and Stewart Walker - who have been invited to the Edinburgh U18 Integrated squad sessions.

Match reports for last week seem scarce, however for a 3rd XV report click here. A couple of pictures from last weeks 1st XV game have been put in the Gallery.

Tuesday 11th October: Mini Section Update.
The Accies Mini section has had a good beginning to their season playing in three tournaments with their teams winning many 'cups'. At the Biggar tournament the P5s and P6s won and the P4s were runners up in their respective competitions. At North Berwick the P5s, P6s and P7s all won and the P4s were third. And two weeks ago at the StewMel tournament the P5s won, the P6s were runners up and the P4s were third. A full report of the season so far can be found by clicking here, to see the fixture list click here. If you want further details click on the Mini-Youth Rugby page in the column on the left, or contact Fiona Melvin-Farr on 0131 556 1462 or e-mail .

Monday 10th October: Last Saturday's Results.
After a good run there were a couple of reverses for the Club last Saturday. The 1st XV lost at Jedforest 27-16 - Accies fought back to be on level terms 16-16 halfway through the second half only to let Jed in for two penalties and a try in the last six minutes. The 2nd XV lost at Watsonians 26-3 and the 3rd XV beat Edinburgh Uni 29-15. The BATS 3rd XV opposition did not turn up!!! and the BATS U18s lost to the league leaders 20-17 in a game that could have gone either way.

Friday 7th October: Weekends games.
This weekends games take place with our first three teams all at the top of their leagues. On Saturday the 1st XV play Jed-Forest away, Jed lost last week to Haddington but remain in third place in the league, so another pressure game for the 1st XV who must retain their winning start to stay above Dundee who play Kelso at home. The 2nd XV play Watsonians 2nd XV away. Watsonians are equal on points, but behind on points difference to Accies - though Watsonians have 'won' two of their games by default, whilst our 2nd XV have played and won all theirs. The 3rd XV play Edinburgh University at home, this is sure to be an all out attacking game if the Uni play to their normal plan - well throw the ball round.
The BATS 3rd XV play Livingston at Raeburn Place and the BATS U18s play Musselburgh U18s away. Musselburgh are the top of their league, so a hard game for the U18s though they will be at full strength except for injuries. All kick offs at 3.00.

Wednesday 5th October: Match reports from 1st October.
The match reports for 1st XV (click here) plus some pictures, 2nd XV (click here) and BATS U18 (click here) are now available.

Sunday 2nd October: Weekend results.
Another good weekend for the Club with all teams winning and of course the 1st XV, 2nd XV and 3rd XVs still unbeaten and at the top of their respective leagues. In total the Club took 100 points from Murrayfield Wanderers and gave only gave them five, with the 1st XV winning 35-0 (and getting a four try bonus) and the 2nd XV winning 65-5. The 3rd XV beat Heriots 3rds 31-12 and the 4th XV beat Stew Mel 4ths 57-24. The BATS 3rdXV won at Musselburgh 50-7 and the BATS U18s won against Currie 32-24. All-in-all a very satisfying end to the week!

Thursday 29th September: This weekends fixtures

With the 1st XV, 2nd XV and 3rd XV as yet unbeaten in the leagues, another important Saturday looms. The 1st and 2nd XVs both play Murrayfield Wanderers at Raeburn Place, and the 3rd XV play Heriot's away - all k.o. at 3.00. There is a lunch before the games at Raeburn, anyone wishing to have a meal and a chat before the game call Willie Liston on 0771 045 2499 or e-mail @ . The BATS 3rd XV will play Musselburgh away on Friday evening and the BATS U18s will play Currie before the 1st XV game at Raeburn Place k.o. 12.00. The U18s have most of their squad to select from and would much appreciate your support before you watch the 1XV game - so please if you can come and watch the future 1st XV players.
 
The 4th XV will play Stew Mel away ko 3.00.

Tuesday 27th September: Weekend results

Another good week for the Club with the 1st XV beating Selkirk 22-17 and the 2nd XV beating Aberdeen 23-10, to maintain their positions at the top of their respective leagues. Click here for a report and pictures of the 1st XV game and here for the 2nd XV report. To top that off, the 3rd XV won the first league game of their campaign 12-0 against Watsonians 3rd XV. To see their match report click here.

The BATS 3XV lost their game against Watsonians and as yet no score from the 4th XV. The BATS U18 side - who were very under strength through school commitments - lost 20-0 to Foresters in what appears to have been somewhat of a bruising game.

So nearly the end of September - tax returns need to be in quickly!! - and perhaps unprecedented times with the first three teams unbeaten in league games. With up to 60 at training and our new association with Napier moving into gear, things are looking good at Raeburn Place.
 
On the down side I hear that Tom Drennen, who is one of the BATS U18 outstanding players, broke his arm playing for Trinity Academy 1XV v Heriots 1XV - which Trinity won. We wish him well and a speedy recovery.

This Saturday the 1st XV are away at Selkirk (3pm) and the 2nd XV away at Aberdeen (3pm) - both looking to continue their unbeaten starts to the season. Our 3rd XV and the BATS XV are both playing in different 3rd XV leagues this season and this week are both at home and both play a Watsonian XV, ko's 3pm. The 4th XV will play Moray House 1st XV at New Field ko 3pm.

The BATS U18s play Forresters away on Saturday, the BATS U15s play Currie at Raeburn Place on Sunday ko 12.00 and the BATS S1s and S2s both play Forresters at Wardie on Sunday ko 1pm.