Gala and Jed-Forest end rugby season with defeats on road
Gala and Jed-Forest both wrapped up their latest Arnold Clark National League Division 1 rugby seasons with defeats on the road on Saturday.
Head coach Ewen Robbie’s Maroons were given a 93-5 battering at third-placed Glasgow Academicals and Michael Harshaw’s Jed lost out by 55-43 at already-relegated basement side Gordonians.
Gala’s 12th loss of their 18-game season leaves them in seventh place, on 33 points, and Jed’s 14th sees them finish eighth, on 29 points, thanks to a four-try bonus point lifting them above second-from-bottom Biggar, beaten 76-7 away to second-placed Stirling County at the weekend.
Edinburgh Academical, 46-12 winners at home to Boroughmuir on Saturday, sign off on this season as champions, four points clear of Stirling on 86.
Gordonians end this term five points adrift of Biggar at the foot of the table on 23 and the Aberdonians are now on their way back to National 2 after being promoted as champions a year ago.
Jed’s try-scorers up north were right-winger Matthew Beaton with a hat-trick, inside-centre Owen Cranston at the double, lock Jamie Hynd and fly-half Aaron Weatherhead, with openside flanker Finn Scott adding four conversions.
Replacement Grant Stevenson scored Gala’s try in Glasgow.
A division down, Peebles were also in action at the weekend, losing 21-10 away to table-toppers Newton Stewart.
Right-winger Buster Davidson scored their only try, with fly-half Cree Britee-Steer adding a penalty and conversion.
That was head coach Graeme Paterson’s side’s 11th loss of this campaign and it leaves them eighth in the table, on 33 points from 17 fixtures, with one left to play, at home to fifth-placed Stewart’s Melville this coming Saturday, with kick-off at the Gytes at 3pm.
They go into that season finale looking for a winning double after getting the better of the Edinburgh outfit by 25-22 in November’s reverse fixture in the capital.