Oswald opts to quit Edinburgh chief role

EDINBURGH chief executive Nick Oswald has turned down a new offer from the Scottish Rugby Union and will leave his post at the end of this week.

Oswald stressed yesterday that there was no ill-feeling over the move that will let him pursue interests in a sports memorabilia business, while SRU chief executive Bill Watson admitted he was saddened.

The SRU had offered Oswald, who comes to the end of a two-year contract in June, a new, open contract, but after playing key roles in the vanguard of professional rugby over the past six years, Oswald believed the time was right to quit.

He said: "The decision has not been taken lightly, but I believe it is the right one for me, and the timing of my departure is correct for Edinburgh."

Oswald was moved by the SRU to Edinburgh in 1998 from his chief executive role at the Caledonia Reds when the SRU merged the four professional districts into Edinburgh Reivers and Glasgow Caledonians.

Watson said: "Management of change has been hugely difficult since the advent of professional rugby and Nick has handled this very well. It is, personally, hard to accept losing someone who has been through so much in our game, ups and downs, but we wish Nick well in his new venture."

The search for a successor will begin this weekend.

TONIGHT

Glasgow (v Borders in Inter-District Championship at Dalziel Park, Motherwell, 7.30pm): From: C Shaw (Ayr), J Adams (Glasgow Hawks), R Armour (Glasgow Southern), G Morrison (Glasgow Hawks), N Barrett (Hutchesons’/Aloysians), R Couper (Boroughmuir), S Duffy (Glasgow Hawks), J Noonan (Glasgow Southern), I Monaghan (Currie), M Goldie (Ayr), R Au (Hutchesons’/Aloysians), G Sykes, A Kelly, E Logan (all Ayr), G Blackburn (Stirling County), C Docherty (Glasgow Hawks), E Milligan (Currie), T Wright (Ayr), C Afuakwah (Glasgow Accies), R Nolan (Glasgow Southern), J Shaw (Currie), G Tippett (East Kilbride), R Maxton (Glasgow Hawks).

Borders: C Farmer (Peebles); S Lightbody (Jed-Forest), G Douglas (Hawick), C Twigley (Peebles), C Macrae (Gala); G Dalgleish (Gala), D Irving (Hawick); A Johnston (Gala), W Mitchell (Melrose), M Murray (Selkirk), K Brown (Melrose), J Dalziel, A Clark (both Melrose), M Lee (Jed-Forest), J White (Peebles). Subs: J Henderson (Jed-Forest), D Paxton (Kelso), D Harvey (Peebles), G Brown (Gala), S Tomlinson (Selkirk), C Bruce (Hawick), J Blackwood (Melrose).

Caledonia (v Edinburgh at Woodside, Aberdeen, 7pm): B Price (Aberdeen GSFP); D Gray (Dundee HSFP), C Goodall, M Fleming (both Kirkcaldy), M Parsons (Grangemouth); M Strang, Tod Paterson (both Aberdeen GSFP); B Kenny (Ellon), K Dickinson (Dunfermline), B Prescott (Aberdeen GSFP), K Fraser (Kirkcaldy), G Broomfield (Dunfermline), A Brown (Dundee HSFP), A Wilson (Aberdeen GSFP), G Smith (Dundee HSFP). Subs: R Gilmour, R Mitchell (Kirkcaldy), D McLaren (Dundee HSFP), R Higgins (Kirkcaldy), S McKechnie (Grangemouth), A Thomson, J McKenzie (both Aberdeen GSFP).

Edinburgh: G Kinross (Preston Lodge); A Turnbull (Watsonians), F Deeming (Stewart’s-Melville), M Clapperton (Boroughmuir), G Sharp (Stewart’s-Melville); A Warnock (Boroughmuir), P McKee (Watsonians); G Talac, A McLean (both Heriot’s), C Quigley (Watsonians), J Officer (Currie), W Thomson (Haddington), D Rycroft (Stewart’s-Melville), R Barrie (Heriot’s), E Thayne (Preston Lodge). Subs: S Mustard (Stewart’s-Melville), F Campbell (Biggar), M Morrison (Haddington), D Simpson (Preston Lodge), G Dykes (Haddington), A Cook (Musselburgh), C Dove (Murrayfield Wanderers).