Biggar Rugby Club's appeal over voiding of their title win is finally heard

After a saga which has dragged on for over eight months, Biggar Rugby Club are to finally find out if their appeal against being denied the National Division 1 title and promotion to the Premiership is successful.

Biggar celebrate their National League Division 1 title triumph. The season was later voided.

Back in March, the Scottish Rugby Union announced that all domestic leagues in the 2019-20 season – finished early due to coronavirus – would be declared null and void, wiping out Biggar’s Tennent’s National Division 1 title triumph and denying them promotion to the top tier of the club game.

Those two achievements could be salvaged this evening, though, if two-thirds of member clubs vote in favour of Biggar’s appeal at part two of the SRU’s annual general meeting, which will be held online.

Biggar’s case at the meeting will be argued by club secretary Mike Booth and club president James Orr.

“Our argument hasn’t really changed all along,” said Booth in an interview with the Carluke and Lanark Gazette.

“It’s been that it was only fair that Biggar, Dalkeith and any other clubs – Aberdeen Medics and, I think, Allan Glen’s seconds – that had already won their leagues should have that reinstated.

“To take it off us was done in haste. The actual consultation process was flawed. When the process is done in haste and flawed, then you have to fight it, and that’s what we’re still doing now.

“I do expect to win this Thursday because I think throughout this process we’ve had a lot of sympathy from clubs, and I think that sympathy will now turn into support when they see what we’ve had to be fighting all the way through.”

If Biggar do win their appeal and are promoted to the top flight, their participation won’t start until after spring 2021 after the SRU abandoned competitive fixtures for the 2020-21 season at all levels of the club and school game due to the impact of Covid-19.

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