HOWE of Fife yesterday launched a scathing attack on the SRU after digesting the fact that their youth team had been disqualified from the John Lewis Scottish Youth Cup.
The Cupar-based club are holders of the trophy, after the team secured both the youth and national schools cup last season with virtually the same team. Their quarter-final tie with Hawick Wanderers has twice been postponed and, after the club refuse
d to travel to Hawick on Wednesday night, the SRU, with their championship committee, handed the tie to the Hawick club.
Howe of Fife yesterday issued a statement that read: "Howe of Fife RFC deplores the unilateral decision of the Championship Committee of the SRU yesterday to disqualify the Howe team from the Youth Cup. As defending champions every effort was being made to fulfil the quarter-final tie… but logistically (Wednesday night's tie] was impossible to fulfil given school and work commitments of players and coaches.
"The Howe proposed playing at Murrayfield as an alternative, with which the Wanderers appeared sympathetic, but regrettably the SRU could not make any of its back pitches available.
The tie could have been played at Hawick this Saturday coming, weather allowing, but for reasons best known only to certain officials, the Howe were told, on less than 24 hours notice, that it must play at Hawick on the evening of the 16th or face disqualification. The spin circulated by the SRU to justify it decision that the Howe refused three alternative dates is wrong, reflects badly on those officials concerned and does Howe of Fife a grave injustice."
The SRU yesterday stood by its decision, confirming that Murrayfield's back pitches were waterlogged and that they felt they had to set a deadline to avoid leaving one finalist – Musselburgh reached the final on Wednesday night – with half the preparation time of the other, a problem that arose with Howe of Fife last season.
An SRU spokesman said: "Nobody takes any pleasure from having to make a decision like this. It was necessary because there is a fixed final date to the competition, on 26 January."
The full article contains 358 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
