Highland launch new season with shield clash
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
THE competitive season gets under way for Highland tomorrow when they take on Hillfoots in the BT Caledonia Shield.
Coach Dave Carson is just about over his chemotherapy and has kept in touch with developments at training and the squad has prepared well for the trip to Tillicoultry.
It has been up to the coaching team of Morris Dillon, Alisdair Wemyss and Bruce MacGregor to prepare the players in Carson’s absence.
The retention of the Jack Henderson Cup shows that the squad is heading in the right direction.
This Saturday will be a big challenge, however, as there have been some niggling injuries which means a good number of last season’s regulars are sidelined and a few others are working away.
Craig Little, James Taylor and Nathan McLaughlan continue their recovery while powerful prop Sinclair Patience is still competing on the Highland Games circuit.
So many injuries and unavailable players might have been a problem last season, but with the relaunch of the second XV the numbers at training have been very impressive with nearly 50 attending.
A strong pack with many familiar faces is joined by young Ben Gordon and Stuart MacDonald, both just back from university and playing with Edinburgh Accies, and will bolster the second row. Ruaridh MacDonald comes in at scrum-half while Steven Rutledge starts on the wing.
With the league perhaps being the main focus of the season, starting with a Shield tie gives the squad and coaches a chance to evaluate their performance in advance.
The under-18s continue in the National Youth League with a trip to Hamilton. Coach John Carson has already got a good squad ready and they embark on the challenge of going one better than joint second place last season.
On Sunday the under-15s travel to Huntly in the North Caledonia League, while the Mini & Micro sections have their usual training session at Canal Park at 11am.
