Integrated Trophy
toDay
Boroughmuir v Aberdeen GSFP
Dave Barr, Boroughmuir's manager, predicts a mouthwatering appetiser at Meggetland for fans travelling down the road for the Scotland v Wales game. He said: ''We have already had two cracking Premiership games against them this season and we anticipate the same again. Aberdeen always try to play bright rugby and the midfield tussle between Glasgow pro team-mates Calvin Howarth and Tommy Hayes will be fascinating.'' The home side rest wing Rory Couper and back row Stuart Reid, while Hayes will start at centre for Aberdeen.
Forecast Muir to make it a treble
toMORROW
Glasgow Hawks v Currie
Hawks aim to wipe away the memory of last weekend's dramatic BT Cup defeat by Boroughmuir. Jim Barrie, the backs coach, admitted: ''The camp is very dejected and the pain has taken all week to register. Not many teams will go to Meggetland and win the try-count 5-4. We know we will have to be more clinical when receiving restarts.'' Hawks are without Craig Hodgkinson and Scott Hutton, who is on holiday. Currie, already denied the services of Edinburgh captain Todd Blackadder, will also be without pros Carlo Di Ciacca and Craig Joiner, but Alan Bulloch and Barry Irving start.
Forecast Hawks to edge it
Hawick v Jed-Forest
Scott McLeod, the Borders pro, misses out for Hawick after damaging an ankle playing football, but they welcome back wing Gavin Douglas after an injury lay-off. Manager Jock Rae said: ''We were well beaten by Melrose last week, despite having plenty of the ball. We must keep it for more than two or three phases.''
Jed welcome the arrival of Borders hooker Steve Scott because Callum Brown is injured. Clark Laidlaw will be at stand-off, partnering Gary Armstrong.
Forecast Jed to spring a surprise
Combined Trophy
Gala could go past GHA after their meeting with Musselburgh, the Stonyhill men having taken one point from 10 against Gala's maximum haul, while Haddington will have a tough one against a Stewarts Melville outfit who gave Biggar a tough time last week at Hartreemill.
Dundee HSFP lie fourth with two Premier Two scalps and are seeking to consign Kirkcaldy to the same fate as Ayr and Selkirk. Watsonians would expect to get the better of Dunfermline and Murrayfield Wanderers could inflict another capital defeat on a West side still shell-shocked after leaking over a century to Heriot's. East Kilbride will be seeking their first win against Selkirk. Edinburgh Accies lie third bottom and winless when they host Biggar and despite much protestation from Tranent, Ayr will travel to play Ross High tomorrow.
BT Shield. Rd 2
Caithness v Hillfoots
No-one these days will approach a trip to Thurso with anything but the utmost respect and Hillfoots will be no different when they travel for this second round tie. Caithness president Peter Blackwood said: ''We could spring another surprise like we did against Gordonians and Irvine and to an extent against Peebles.'' The winner will be away to Aberdeenshire or Ardrossan Accies.
Aberdeenshire v Ardrossan
Having slipped outside the promotion group in BT National League division three, Aberdeenshire may fall between the two stools of the Shield and the league when Ardrossan come to call. ''We were subjected to a great display of rugby by Ellon last week'' admitted president Ron Liddell, ''and we have to take that on board. We have brought in a couple of our promising youngsters for the tie, Matt Fay at stand-off and Jim Hamilton at lock and we hope to give Ardrossan a good run.''
Livingston v Hamilton
Livingston are second bottom of division one but have thrown away too many games in the final quarter, in the opinion of their coach, Peter Harris. ''We have to play to the final whistle,'' he said. ''With youngsters Neil Scobie, at prop, and Kevin Buchan, at centre, to increase our mobility, we would hope to get a result.'' Hamilton have the former Hawks winger Gerry Hawkes at flanker and Aaron Tauhara at No.8. The winners face Dundee HSFP in the next round.
GHK v Ellon
Ellon are runaway champions of division three and are going for the lucrative double as well as adding the Shield to last year's Bowl triumph. ''Old Anniesland will be new territory for us,'' confessed Ellon's Kevin Wyness, ''but having beaten a
useful Glasgow Accies side in an earlier round we could hope that Anniesland is a happy hunting ground for us.''
BT Bowl
Three ties are scheduled for tomorrow, but there are unlikely to be any giant-killing exploits. Waysiders/Drumpellier from NL5 West A have a tall order if they hope to travel to Annan, currently sitting in the middle of NL1, and eliminate the Solway men to set up a home quarter-final tie against Garnock.
Strathclyde Police are one division below their hosts Lismore, but given home advantage the Edinburgh side should progress to meet Stewartry in the quarter-final.
The Hawick YM v Cumnock tie provides an interesting gauge of the relative strengths of the East and West Divisions 5. The Ayrshiremen have a 100% record in Division 5 West B this season whilst YM have lost only once in topping 5 East.
One quarter-final tie goes ahead when Irvine head to Stranraer to meet Wigtownshire. Irvine might be regarded as one of the teams most likely to make it to Murrayfield, but having won only one league game this year, their confidence has slumped. However, the two-division gulf should see Irvine progress.
BT National Lges
Division 1
Hillhead/Jordanhill may already have ensured that the title will be going to Anniesland, but they want to completing their campaign with two further wins. They will have their work cut out tomorrow, when they make the short journey to Dumbreck to meet Cartha Queen's Park.
By losing successive games, Preston Lodge are now very much within Cartha's sights, and they will be pushing 'Hills all the way. If the ground stays firm, then 'Hills' pace in the back five should win it, but if the pitch is heavy then Cartha's pack could be decisive.
At the other end of the table, Duns retain a very slim chance of a top-six finish, and their home match against Berwick is a must-win game.
Division 2
The visit of Dalziel to Greenock is the match of the day and, although the winner is not guaranteed to take the title, the losers will certainly drop out of the race. The composition of the bottom four looks to be Gordonians, St Boswells, Glenrothes and Langholm, despite the latter pair still having four games to play.
St Boswell's visit to Stewartry will be tough while Glenrothes should take the points by beating Gordonians.
Division 3
Garnock and Linlithgow have the chance to consolidate their top-six places when they meet struggling Royal High and Madras respectively.
Division 4
Expect Strathendrick to boost their survival chances with a big win at Stirling University, while Whitecraigs should have a similar romp at Portobello.
David Kelso, Ron Evans
and Stuart Sutherland
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