THE Scottish Rugby Union has announced the squads which will represent Caledonia, Glasgow and Scottish Borders in the European Cup and Edinburgh in the European Conference.
In all 100 players have been nominated bringing the total up to the number of contracted players forecasted at the outset of the move into professionalism.
Strangely Edinburgh, in the second grade competition, have been given an allocation of 26 players whereas Glasgow, in the tougher cup competition, will have to make do with 24 while Caledonia and Scottish Borders each have squads of 25.
It is the Edinburgh selection that also throws up two obvious omissions. Jamie Mayer, deemed good enough for selection to go on Scotland's tour to South Africa is not named in the squad. Boroughmuir hooker Kevin Allan also misses out.
Those players who are not already on SRU contracts will be offered district contracts and younger players will, in addition, be offered foundation level contracts as part of the recently announced fast track programme.
It seems likely that for the European Cup, which will involve at least six matches for each district, larger squads will be needed. If this does turn out to be the case then a number of other non-contracted players will be added.
Squads - Caledonia Backs: C Black (Edinburgh Academicals), A Carruthers (Kirkcaldy), J Kerr (Watsonians), G Kiddie (Edinburgh Academicals), S Longstaff (Dundee HSFP), M McKenzie (Stirling County), K Oddie (Aberdeen GSFP), D Officer (Currie), P Rouse (Dundee HSFP), R Shepherd (Melrose), P Simpson (Edinburgh Academicals). Forwards: W Anderson (Kirkcaldy), S Brown (Kirkcaldy), S Campbell (Melrose), G Flockhart (Stirling County), I Fullarton (Dundee HSFP), S Grimes (Watsonians), J Manson (Stirling County), C McDonald (Kirkcaldy), D McIvor (Glenrothes), K McKenzie (Stirling County), S Penman (Boroughmuir), T Smith (Watsonians), R Wainwright (Watsonians), M Waite (Edinburgh Academicals).
Edinburgh Backs: M Craig (Currie), G Beveridge (Boroughmuir), G Burns (Watsonians), C Glasgow (Heriot's FP), H Gilmour (Heriot's FP), S Hastings (Watsonians), D Hodge (Watsonians), S Lang (Heriot's FP), I Leighton (Edinburgh Academicals), A McLean (Boroughmuir), D Patterson (Heriot's FP), S Reed (Boroughmuir).
Forwards: M Blair (Currie), D Burns (Boroughmuir), G Dall (Heriot's FP), G Ellis (Currie), P Jennings (Boroughmuir), A Lucking (Currie), C Mather (Watsonians), G McKelvey (Watsonians), R McNulty (Boroughmuir), S Paul (Heriot's FP), S Reid (Boroughmuir), B Stewart (Edinburgh Academicals), B Ward (Currie), A Watt (Currie).
Scottish Borders Backs: C Chalmers (Melrose), K Davidson (Langholm), I Fairley (Kelso), M Moncrieff (Melrose), C Murray (Hawick), S Nichol (Melrose), B Redpath (Melrose), G Shiel (Melrose), A Stanger (Hawick), C Turnbull (Hawick), S Welsh (Hawick). Forwards: S Aitken (Melrose), S Bennet (Kelso), S Brotherstone (Melrose), R Brown (Melrose), M Browne (Melrose), N Broughton (Melrose), I Elliot (Hawick), S Ferguson (Peebles), J Hay (Hawick), C Hogg (Melrose), R Kirkpatrick (Boroughmuir), N McIlroy (Jed-forest), B Renwick (Hawick), P Wright (Melrose).
Glasgow Backs: D Ablett (Glasgow Academicals), A Bulloch (West of Scotland), J Craig (West of Scotland), I Jardine (Stirling County), M McGrandles (Stirling County), G Metcalfe (Glasgow Academicals), C Sangster (Stirling County), D Stark (Melrose), F Stott (West of Scotland), J Weston (Watsonians). Forwards: S Begley (Glasgow Academicals), G Bulloch (West of Scotland), C Docherty (GHK), D McLeish (West of Scotland), G McIlwham (GHK), A Ness (GHK), M Norval (Stirling County), S Munro (GHK), G Perrett (West of Scotland), D Porte (Glasgow Academicals), B Robertson (Stirling County), I Sinclair (Watsonians), F Wallace (GHK), M Wallace (GHK).
Coaching staff: Caledonia Senior Coach Ian Rankin, Asst Coach Frank Hadden, Fitness Coach Mike Joiner. Edinburgh Senior Coach Bob Easson, Asst Coach Henry Edwards, Fitness Coach Gordon Crawford. Scottish Borders Senior Coach Rob Moffat, Asst Coach Pete Gallagher, Fitness Coach Phil Mack. Glasgow Senior Coach Kevin Greene until Oct 1997, Keith Robertson thereafter, Asst Coach Gordon McPherson, Fitness Coach Ken MacEwen.
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