Marr refuse to play Plate final without top player

For the second successive Tuesday, the Brewin Dolphin Scottish Schools Under-18 Plate final between Galashiels Academy and Marr College has been postponed. However, competition organisers have confirmed that the Under-16 Plate final between Bell-Baxter High School and Jedburgh Grammar School will go ahead tonight as planned.

The Under-18 final was called off after Marr College refused to play today. Their coach, John Sharkey, made the point that with their top player, Ben Johnston, away on Scotland Under-18 duty at the FIRA-AER tournament in France, they would be disadvantaged.

“Surely it would be inconceivable that the SRU would expect us to play in a national final and deny us the opportunity to field our strongest side,” suggested Sharkey.

Galashiels Academy coach Lewis Bertram described the situation as “frustrating” for his side. “They’ve been really up for this game and now it’s off. It will now be at least three weeks 
before the final can be played and we won’t see them much in that time,” he said.

Bertram has added his voice to growing numbers who think that the Plate final should be played at a ground with proper spectator facilities so that supporters do not have to stand round the perimeter of one of the back pitches at Murrayfield – or the car park as the area is frequently dubbed. “We will try to insist that the game is played at a ground with a decent stand,” he added.

The date of 19 April is being touted as a possibility for the Plate final. That is the Friday that Glasgow play the Ospreys, but might not be a good idea to play the Plate final as a curtain-raiser to this important RaboDirect Pro12 match.

Galashiels Academy themselves might well have had cause to call off tonight’s game as three of their players, Ruairi Howarth, Josh Irvine and Gary Robertson, were all involved in the national under-17 trial on Sunday.

Yet another concern is for spectators in bitterly cold conditions on the back pitches at Murrayfield. Indeed, that could be a health and safety issue for those attending the Under-16 Plate final tonight. “I don’t see why, with only one final being played, it could not go ahead on the 
international pitch. Playing on the back pitches is a real let-down for the boys,” said Jed Grammar coach Kevin Barrie.

Jed will be missing their Scotland Under-16 squad hooker, Craig Cowan, who strained ligaments playing against Newcastle Under-16s at the weekend. Meanwhile, Bell-Baxter High School, six years on from their famous School/Club Cup double at under-18 level, are expected to be at full strength.