Favourites kept apart in Cup draw

THE four surviving Scottish Hydro Premier 1 clubs were kept apart in yesterday’s Scottish Hydro Cup quarter-final draw at Murrayfield.

Ayr are at home to Gala, Currie face Howe of Fife away, Melrose are also on the road to face Perthshire while the winner of this weekend’s match between Dundee High and Heriot’s will be at Stirling County.

Ayr coach Kenny Murray was delighted to secure a home tie on 27 March, saying: “We've avoided the rest of the Premier 1 sides – though it would have been nice for some of the others to get drawn against one another.”

On his side’s trip to North Inch, Melrose coach Craig Chalmers said: “It’s a good draw. It’ll certainly be tough but hopefully we’ll be too much for Perthshire and we’ll have four top league clubs in the semi-finals – it’s shaping up quite well.”

Scottish Hydro National Shield Quarter-Final draw (Saturday 27 March): Berwick v Whitecraigs; Ellon v (Linlithgow or Lasswade); Glasgow Academicals v Dalziel; Greenock Wanderers v Annan.

Scottish Hydro Regional Bowl Quarter-Final draw (Saturday 3 April): Wigtownshire v Strathendrick (27 March); Strathmore v Grangemouth; Aberdeen University v North Berwick; Orkney v Duns.

Scottish Hydro Regional Bowl semi-final draw (Saturday 10 April): Aberdeen University or North Berwick v Orkney or Duns; Wigtownshire or Strathendrick v Strathmore v Grangemouth.