Peeblesshire News | Sport | Peebles look to Violet Bank as ground crisis mounts

Friday, 9th January, 2009

Published: Friday, 7th November, 2008 12:30

Peebles look to Violet Bank as ground crisis mounts

By Atholl Innes

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PEEBLES Rugby Club has more or less kicked playing at Hay Lodge Park this season into touch.

The state of the pitch has seen the 2nds play at The Gytes and the Colts at the High School or even at Walkerburn.

Now Peebles is looking at erecting posts at Violet Bank to get games played.

“We have had discussions with local councillors about the state of Hay Lodge, but the ground is so wet that I doubt if any work will be possible there at present and there is not a lot we can do,” said president Jim Currie.

“I am also concerned about the state of The Gytes as the players have to train there.

“So we are looking at putting up posts at Violet Bank (for the 2nds and Colts), but the players will still have to change at Hay Lodge.

“But that would be only a short-term solution.”

Peebles 2nds are due to play Hawick 2nds tonight at The Gytes – which will only exacerbate the problem there.

Meanwhile, Peebles’ 1st XV face a banana-skin fixture at Hamilton on Saturday.

But a full club programme this weekend on international Saturday is almost certain to confuse supporters.

With the Scotland-All Blacks clash at Murrayfield kicking off at 5.15, clubs have been told they must finish their games to allow fans time to get to Edinburgh for the game.

But how many clubs will tell the nation? So expect kick-offs varying from 12 noon to 2 p.m.

Last Saturday, four of the Premiership 1 matches kicked off at 3 p.m. – yet these times were given as 2 p.m. in the national press and on television’s teletext.

Borders journalist Laing Speirs said: “I do not think that an hour-and-a-half is long enough for supporters to get to Murrayfield after a club game.”

The Peebles game kicks off at 2 p.m. with the visitors again without Drew Moore with David Anderson wearing the No. 9 jersey with Craig Borthwick at centre.

Adam Clark is missing for three weeks as he is in Australia as is Craig Hunter with a hernia problem.

Biggar now prop up the Premiership 2 table and need to win at home against Stewart’s Melville to avoid being drawn into a late-season dogfight.

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