Clubs prepared for a season of radical change

Scottish clubs embark on a new season this afternoon with a schedule that features a mid-championship split for the top 24 teams in Premier One and Two in an effort to inject greater excitement into the league.

Last season's Premier One champions Currie begin with a trip to Melrose and Premier Two winners Stirling County travel east to Dundee. At the end of October the 24 clubs across both divisions will split into three pools of eight and the top group will face another seven games with each other to determine who wins the title and finishes in the three qualifying spots for next season's British and Irish Cup.

The Cup is also changing with Premier One, Two and Three clubs drawn into nine pools. The top seven pool winners go into the quarter-finals and the two others play-off for the final spot.

SCOTTISH PREMIER ONE TEAMS (all kick-offs 3pm)

Dundee (v Stirling County at Mayfield): J Fleming; M Smith, H Duthie, F Clark, A Hay; A O'Connor, A Dymock; N Dymock, S Forrest, A Brown, R Hawkins (capt), A Linton, C Cumming, R Cessford, D Levison. Subs: C Kerr, D Russell, R Milne, R Gray, B Jones.

Stirling County: R McGowan; G Lindsay, B Addison, D Gilmour, M Doneghan; S Edwards, S Kennedy; M Hunter, A Moffat (capt), G Mountford, C Deacons, G Gilchrist, T Edwards, S Robertson, C Eadie. Subs: A Simpson, D Morrison, B Barsanti, G McRorie, J Hope.

Glasgow Hawks (v West of Scotland at Anniesland): C Gossman; K Gossman, D Kelbrick, D Milne, T Steven; M Adamson, P Jericevich; N Nyemba, E Milligan, G Hunter, R Hamilton, A Kirkland, R McKay (capt), B Karalus, R Miller. Subs: J Malakoty, C Taylor, G Oommen, A White, J White.

West of Scotland: C Davis; A Park, R Dalgleish, K Matheson, A McCall Hagen; A Stevenson, A Fisken; S Longwell, G Haswell, E McLaren, M Jenkinson, R McAlpine, D Young (capt), A D Ste Croix, C Morrison. Subs: D McKenna, C Marshall, G Perrett, M McConnell, T Hiddeston.

Hawick (v Ayr at Mansfield Park): N Renwick; C Robertson, G Johnstone, G Hogg, S Anderson; S Hogg, G Cottrell; B McNeil (capt), M Landels, S Linton, C Charters, M Robertson, N Mactaggart, D Landels, D Lowrie. Subs: B Campbell, G Lowrie, R Sutherland, A Marsh, H Scammell.

Ayr: G Anderson; S Manning, M Bennett, M Stewart (capt), C Taylor; R Curle, AJ Macfarlane; G Reid, S Adair, S Fenwick, D Craig, G Tippet, J Crossan, P Burke, A Dunlop. Subs: S Forrest, J Hunter, N Cox, A Kelly, J Young.

Heriot's (v Watsonians at Goldenacre), from: G Bryce, C Ferguson, C Goudie, G Hunter, M Learmonth, M Nimmo, P Saunders, G Walker, G Wilson (capt); W Blacklock, K Bryce, S Burnett, G Cameron, A Dymock, P Eccles, J Hill, M Lee, R Martin, J Parker.

Watsonians: from A Nash (capt), M Di Rollo, R Minto, J Forbes, D Brown, C Sorbie, A Skeen, M Ker, J Blackwood; S Laird, C Owenson, K Coertze, G Wood, A Fisher, S Ursache, E Hunter, M Fedo, W Rowley, D Finnie, S Paulo.

Melrose (v Currie at the Greenyards): F Thomson; C Anderson, J Murray, C Jackson, A Dodds; S Wight (capt), R Chrystie; N Little, R Ferguson, G Holborn, G Dodds, G Elder, J Dalziel, G Runciman, R Miller. Subs: W Mitchell, K Cooney, H Mitchell, S McCormick, B Allen.

Currie: J Smith; C Kinloch, J Johnston, A MacMahon, D Fife; M Scott, R Snedden; J Cox, N Scobie, A Hamilton, R Wilson, A Dam (capt), J Thomson, M Entwhistle, R Weston. Subs: F Scott, J Clark, G Temple, A Binikos, H Abercrombie.

Selkirk (v Boroughmuir at Philiphaugh): F Harkness (capt); S Hendrie, D Cassidy, R Armstrong, D Clapperton; G Craig, M McVie; G Patterson, S Forrest, M Weller, A Renwick, S Willett, N Darling, C Paton, R Crockatt. Subs: I Walling, M Murray, C Marshall, C Beattie.

Boroughmuir: S Ruddick; T Bury, M Clapperton (capt), S Wilson, J Webster; A Warnock, S Johnson; N Fraser, S Crombie, F Lait, G scott, A Davidson, J Doubleday, N Rodger, D O'Riordan. Subs: C McIntosh, R Hislop, J Hare, R Neill, R Samson.