​Hawick up for rugby’s Scottish cup next year but five other Borders sides eligible pull out

​The Greens won that trophy for the first time in 21 years with a 31-13 victory over Marr at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium in May, and this week’s draw reveals they won’t face any fellow Borderers as they look to retain it.

May’s final win was their third overall, following previous ones in 1996 and 2002.

This year’s beaten finalists – the only team to have got the better of Hawick in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, by 24-5 in Troon in September, though they lost the reverse fixture at Mansfield Park by 21-15 last month – are among 14 teams up for the cup next time round and they’ve been drawn away to Biggar in its first round, to be played on Saturday, March 9.

March 9 will also see head coach Matty Douglas’s cup-holders take on Scottish National League Division 1 side Glasgow Academicals away.

The winners of that tie will be on the road at Dundee – one of two teams given a bye, along with Heriot’s Blues – the Saturday after, March 16.

Next year’s other first-round ties see Currie Chieftains at home to Ayr, Edinburgh Academical hosting Glasgow Hawks, Musselburgh at home to Glasgow Hutchesons’ Aloysians and Highland away to Watsonians.

Hawick’s premiership rivals Kelso, Selkirk and Jed-Forest and the second tier’s Melrose and Gala have all cited a wish to prioritise Border League fixtures as their reason for withdrawing from the cup, only being contested for the second time since 2019.

Glasgow High Kelvinside are the only other team to pull out, with that opt-out following their forfeiture of their quarter-final tie away to Hawick in March.

Next year’s cup final will be played at Murrayfield on Saturday, April 27, following semis on Saturday, April 13.

Peebles are one of four teams pulling out of 2024’s national league cup, with Berwick among 26 taking part.

That competition’s final will also be played at the Murrayfield campus on April 27.

Scottish East Region League Division 2 sides Hawick Linden, Hawick Harlequins and Duns will be among almost 50 teams contesting rugby’s national shield next year.

Linden host Duns in round one on Saturday, January 27, with Quins among 17 teams given byes.

Quins host Haddington in round two on Saturday, February 17, with either Linden or Duns at home to Langholm.