Stirling was the scene of a festival of touch rugby over the weekend as it hosted the inaugural Scottish National Touch Championships (SNTC).
The event, held at Stirling University on Sunday (Sunday 30 Sept 2007), saw about 150 players representing Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling competing for national titles in men’s and women’s divisions in touch, also known as touch rugby.
After a total of 32 round-robin games it was a clean sweep for Edinburgh, with both the Edinburgh Men’s A side and the city’s Women’s A team winning their respective divisions to be named national champions.
Edinburgh’s Men’s B team were runners-up in the male competition, coming the closest among the men’s sides to the city’s A team with a 4-1 loss. Meanwhile Aberdeen’s women came second in their division after suffering their only loss of the day in a 7-0 defeat by Edinburgh Women’s A.
Edinburgh Men’s A captain Dave Heslop, 29, said his side started slowly but built up their play over the course of their six games in the day. ‘Edinburgh B gave us quite a fright but we got back to playing our game and nicked it in the end,’ said Heslop.
Edinburgh Women’s A captain Mary Pat Tierney, 31, said she was pleased her side had gotten over some initial nerves, and was particularly satisfied with their defence.
‘In our first game we were very frantic, the occasion got to a few players. But we really got it together in the second game, against Glasgow, and we didn’t look back. We didn’t let in any tries all day, which was a goal we had set ourselves.’
The SNTC was the first national touch championship in Scotland, reflecting both the growing depth of the sport in the country and the Scottish Touch Association’s desire to build a stronger touch structure.
It comes after a good year for Scottish touch in which the country sent three teams to the World Cup in Stellenbosch, South Africa in January. In August, Scotland won its first international title when the Mixed Open side won the Home Nations Championship in Caerphilly, Wales.
STA national co-ordinator Peter Faassen said as well as determining the national champions, the SNTC was also aimed at helping selection to the Scotland squad and strengthening the game nationally. ‘Aberdeen and Edinburgh have the two best-established leagues. As a result of that, the selectors rarely see players from elsewhere in Scotland,’ said Mr Faassen.
‘The SNTC has given players from the other cities the chance to play in front of the selectors. We also hope this championship will help develop touch in those areas, leading to stronger local leagues.’
Mr Faassen said he felt the championships had achieved those aims, and gave players and referees from all over Scotland the chance to meet, play and learn from each other. He was particularly impressed with the performance of the Glasgow sides, whose women came third and men came fourth in their respective divisions despite touch still in its development in the city.
‘Both the men and the women have done very well, which is fantastic for such a small league.’
He added that future plans were for the championships to become a regular event and for a possible national league.
* Kukri Sports Ltd., the STA’s teamwear and Scotland National Squad partner, provided all match balls at the SNTC.
For more information please call Simon Ebbett on 07764 770 188