Final four confirmed for the Sarah Beaney Cup

The Plate and the Bowl competitions are also entering the latter stages with some semi-final spots being confirmed at the weekend.

In Glasgow, reigning champions Hillhead Jordanhill took on Stirling County in their quarter-final match. The visitors took the lead at the beginning of the match with the score line sitting at 17-0 early on. The Hills ladies were determined to reach BT Murrayfield again and fought their way back into the game. This effort gave them the confidence they needed to win the game 54-22.

Hillhead Jordanhill coach Aird Jardine said, “There was a lot of brilliant individual performances that really drove the team on during the match, but it was the all-round team cohesion and willingness to never give up that allowed the ladies to get the win. We are taking a lot of positives from that game in both our attack and defence. Looking forward to building on from that game with a good weeks training before our semi-final next week.”

Ayr hosted Garioch for a nail biter of a quarter-final. The visitors opened up the scoring which Ayr quickly responded to. This set the tone for the rest of the match with both teams remaining within five points of each other. As full-time approached, Ayr scored one final try to bring them in line with Garioch. Catherine Shennan’s boot took them into the lead 22-20 when she successfully converted to take them through to the semi-finals.

Head Coach of Ayr said, “It was a fantastic competitive match between two determined teams, and I am pleased that Ayr managed to hold on for the win and we are looking forward to the semi-final against Hillhead Jordanhill next week at Millbrae.”

Heriots claimed victory over Howe of Fife in their quarter-finals. The newly formed team made an impressive start to their Cup campaign and have made it into the final four after an impressive 42-8 away win over Howe of Fife.

Heriots led the scoring from eight minutes into the match. Another two tries from the visitors, including one from Scotland Women internationalist Emma Wassell, put the half time score at 3-15. Howe of Fife opened the second half scoring but it wasn’t enough as Heriots put another five over the line to leave the final score 8-42.

In the fourth quarter-final, Watsonians faced Corstorphine Cougars at Myreside. Charlotte Runcie scored a hat-trick to help Watsonians secure a semi-final spot with a 43-7 win. Despite the score line, Watsonians had to work hard for the win in this Edinburgh derby.

Head coach Dave Flynn said, “We definitely have some work-ons from today but there were lots of positives to take from the performance. As with any cup competition it gets tougher towards the end so the squad will have to up their game another level again for the semi-final. I know they can do that. We are looking forward to the next game vs Heriots on Sunday at Myreside.”

There are still a couple of outstanding matches in the National Women’s Bowl and Plate competitions.

In the National Women’s Plate quarter-finals, Kirkcaldy had to concede the win to Stewarty RFC due to insufficient numbers. Inverness Craig Dunain RFC had a narrow win over Orkney Dragons (21-17) and Kelso walked away with the win against Lismore with an imposing 65-0 victory.

In the Bowl quarter-finals, Livingston RFC beat Hamilton Rugby club with an impressive 69-0 final score at Hamilton. Greenock Wanderers took the win over Liberton due to insufficient player numbers for Liberton. West of Scotland was the final team to confirm a semi-final spot this weekend with a win over Huntly RFC (7-30).

Semi-finals

Sarah Beaney Cup (to be played on Sunday 14 April)

National Women’s Plate

National Women’s Bowl