GRAEME Beveridge is hoping to use a return to his old stomping ground to force his way into the Bristol team for the Guinness Premiership.
Beveridge left Glasgow last summer after seven years to join Bristol and, while his first year among England's elite was far from plain sailing, the recently married scrum-half feels settled and happy to be preparing for a second term at the Memoria
l Stadium.
Intriguingly, his hopes of wresting the No9 jersey from England scrum-half Shaun Perry, could rest back at Firhill as Bristol face Glasgow in a pre-season clash next Friday night. The 32-year-old does not yet know whether he will figure against his old club as the squad are rotated through the pre-season friendlies, but is hopeful he will be given the chance to renew acquaintances on the field.
"We are in Exeter at the moment, clearly perfecting our wet-weather training," he laughed, "but Shaun Perry is starting against Exeter this weekend and I'm on the bench, and we don't know what the selection will be for Glasgow.
"We're playing Pontypool on Tuesday as well, and then heading up to Glasgow on Thursday. We have three quality scrum-halves and a talented young lad pushing through as well this season, so it's going to be tough and the coaches have told us selection is very tight, so how we perform when we get a chance in the pre-season matches will determine who starts the season.
"Obviously, I'd want to play against my old club anyway, and play well, but I'm desperate to get selected and remind people at Bristol and in Scotland what I'm capable of. So while Shaun is favourite, I'm going to do my best to put the pressure on for that starting jersey."
Beveridge is two years older than Perry, but the Bristol favourite has been something of a late-starter in Test rugby. He made his England debut less than two years ago and has picked up 14 caps in all. Beveridge was unlucky last season in that he and Haydn Thomas, signed by Bristol from Gloucester where he had been pushed out of the frame by another Scot, Rory Lawson, vied for the starting berth while Perry was at the World Cup with England and again when he returned, but suffered a fractured windpipe.
Beveridge, however, twice suffered rib injuries that kept him out and limited the six-times Scotland cap to nine appearances and one try, against Leicester, in April. But Beveridge has no regrets about his move south.
"Things didn't go quite as planned last season – the injuries came at really bad times – but I am loving the change.
"After seven years at Glasgow, I needed something different and while it's been tough this has broadened my horizons as a person as well as challenged me again as a player with regular games against the likes of Saracens, Bath, Leicester, Wasps. We're also getting challenges again with the new ELVs this season and I think we're going to see more of a quicker, more attack-orientated game, which won't suit everybody.
"But that's why you play the game and I'm looking forward to the new season. Myself and Ceri recently got married, we love the city and the life here, and our little boy starts school in September, so all I need now is to get into Bristol's team every week!"
The full article contains 580 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
