Strong start for Edinburgh and Glasgow as regional series gets underway

The regional under-20 selects of Edinburgh and Glagsow & The West got their regional campaign underway with impressive wins over the counterparts from Caledonia and The Borders & East Lothian at Lasswade last night.Edinburgh and Caledonia got the night underway with the capital city side running in four tries (three converted) from Malcolm Jack, Ally Davidson, Robert Kay and John Grant, to the two unconverted efforts in response from Caledonia; Shaun Gunn and Mathew Fagerson both dotting down (23-10).The second encounter was not such a close affair as the men from the west made a big statement against the Borders & East Lothian, running in seven tries (four converted) without reply.Aaron Tait registered a hat-trick while Walker Graham, Ryan Sweeney, Ruairidh Sayce and Peter Burns all scored (43-0).The games were the first in a 24-match series across three competing BT Sport Academy age groups (U20, U18 and U16), with Galashiels playing host to all three age-groups this Sunday – admission is free (fixture list below).The following rounds will then take place in Cumbernauld and Aberdeen, before the finals day in Edinburgh at BT Murrayfield Stadium on Sunday 21 August.Images courtesy of Brian Sutherland, Flip Photography.Edinburgh U20 23-10 Caledonia U20Edinburgh: 15 Ben Appleson (Edinburgh Acies)*; 14 Jack Patterson (Fettes College/Edinburgh Accies ), 13 Alastair Greig (Stewart’s Melville), 12 Lewis Berg (Watsonians), 11 Robert Kay (Heriot’s); 10 Ally Davidson (Watsonians), 9 Jamie Troup (Edinburgh Accies); 1 Tyrone Heffron (Boroughmuir), 2 Malcolm Jack (Edinburgh Academy), 3 Fergus Bradbury (Oban Lorne), 4 Jamie Ure (Boroughmuir)*, 5 Jamie Hodgson (Stewart’s Melville), 6 Luke Crosbie (Currie)**, 7 Scott McGinley (Currie), 8 Jonny Goldring (Stewart’s Melville). Substitutes: 16 John Grant (Stewart’s Melville), 17 Ross Dunbar (Boroughmuir)*, 18 Callum Eastwood (Watsonians), 19 Gregor Nelson (Watsonians), 20 Thomas Gordon (Currie)**, 21 Fraser Peters (Watsonians), 22 Sam Cooke (Royal High School), 23 Tom Hall (Currie).Caledonia: 15 Logan Trotter (Stirling County); 14 Ben Enyon (Dundee High)*, 13 Kyle Rowe (Falkirk), 12 Paul Paxton (Aberdeenshire), 11 Ben Renton (Robert Gordon’s College); 10 Ewan Fox (Dundee High)*, 9 Harry Warr (Ayr); 1 Shaun Gunn (Caithness), 2 Keir Hail-Brown (Stirling County), 3 Owen Jackson (Aberdeenshire), 4 Angus Grindlay (Aberdeenshire), 5 Dean Roger (Edinburgh Accies), 6 James Pow (Kirkcaldy), 7 Jack Bruce (Unattached)*, 8 Matthew Fagerson (Glasgow Hawks)**. Substitutes: 16 Liam Brymer (Stirling County), 17 Connor Clark (Stirling County), 18 Grant Davis (GHA), 19 William Inglis (Aberdeen Grammar), 20 Fraser Black (Blairgowrie), 21 Kaleem Barreto (Dundee High)*, 22 Callum Boyd (Lochaber), 23 James Evans (Edinburgh Accies).Glasgow & the West 43-0 Borders & East LothianGlasgow & the West: 15 Bruce Sorbie (Stirling County)*; 14 Peter Steele (Biggar), 13 Stafford McDowell (Ayr), 12 Gregor Paxton (Ayr), 11 Aaron Tait (Ayr); 10 Josh Henderson (Glasgow Hawks)*, 9 Andrew Simmers (Heriot’s); 1 Michael Scott (GHA), 2 Robbie Smith (Ayr)*, 3 Adam Nicol (Stirling County), 4 Martin Hughes (GHA)*, 5 Jordan McLean (Hamilton), 6 Ross Jackson (Biggar)*, 7 Walker Graham (GHA), 8 Ryan Sweeney (Glasgow Accies). Substitutes: 16 Luis Barron (GHA), 17 Kyle McNulty(Ayr), 18 Ruairidh Sayce (Ayr), 19 Lloyd Clark (Moffat), 20 Paddy Dewhirst (Ayr), 21 Harry Brewster (West of Scotland), 22 Peter Burns (West of Scotland), 23 Sam Graham (Ayr).The Borders & East Lothian: 15 Craig Pringle (Stirling County)*, 14 Logan Gordon-Woolley (Hawick), 13 Robbie Yourston (Jed Forest), 12 Cameron Hutchison (Currie RFC) **, 11 Thomas Klein (Melrose); 10 Robbie Chalmers (Edinburgh Accies), 9 Nik Stingl (Kelso); 1 Finn Hobbis (Stewart’s Melville)*, 2 Fraser Renwick (Hawick)*, 3 Euan Blair (Currie), 4 Neil Turnbull (Dundee High), 5 Kieran Dunbar (Kelso), 6 Stuart Allison (Melrose), 7 Andrew Grant-Suttie (Stirling County)*, 8 Harry Borthwick (Melrose)*. Substitutes: 16 Josh Mackay (Selkirk), 17 Grant Paxton (Jed Forest), 18 Lewis Govan-Lock (North Berwick), 19 Garry Young (Jed Thistle), 20 Finlay Darrah (Dunbar), 21 Finlay Graham (North Berwick), 22 Kyle Brunton (Hawick)*, 23 Alex McKay (Musselburgh).*BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy Stage 2 Players**BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy Stage 3 Players