Brown to laud winners of the Ed Saunders Trophy

Scotland rugby cap Tom Brown will be at Raeburn Place tonight (kick off 5.30pm) to present the Ed Saunders 
Trophy to the winners of the annual match between Edinburgh Academy and BATS, a youth team organised by 
Accies and giving opportunities to players from North 
Edinburgh schools.

Brown, now with Edinburgh and capped against Australia on tour last summer, is the latest in a long line of internationalists to come out of Edinburgh Academy while the BATS are proving a rich nursery for the Accies senior team.

At one stage this season nine ex-BATs were in Accies’ starting squad for a Premiership game against eventual champions, Ayr – Josh Pecqueur, Sam Pecqueur, Ruairidh Bonner, Lewis Niven, Tom Drennan, Callum Reid, Michael 
Liness, Chris Murray and Euan 
Bonner. In the same month nine others who have come through the BATS system turned out for Trinity Accies top team as well as some Premiership line-ups.

The match marks a major contribution to rugby at Edinburgh Academy by Ed Saunders before moving to a job in England.

Edinburgh Academy: Gair Currie, Scott McWilliam, Alex Swan, Tom Grey, Will Graham, Duncan Swanson, Fraser Graham, Constan Plevris, Rory Simpson (capt), James Marchant Wink, Jamie Spratt, James Balfour, Fergus Greig, Mack Millar, Ruaridh Smith. Replacements: Nick Hutchon, Calum Rust, Will Munro, Tom Salisbury, Sam Bendit, Louis Scott, Robin Rowbottom.

Edinburgh BATs under 18: Callum Ramm, Jack Finnie, Harry Skehel, Rory Watt, Steven Collins, Fraser Miller, Ciaran Armstrong, Gilmore Whitton, Alex Fitzhowle, Da Wei Xiao, David Roulston, Michael Wild, Finlay Cairns, Zak Macrae (capt), Callum Garvey. Replacements: Ian Liddle, Chris Thomson, Rorie Booth, Aaron Laurenson, Patrick Moynan, James Gordon, 
Richard Tait, Julian Mpofu.