Dalziel Rugby Club safe from drop

A Dalziel try during the 95-3 home league win over Orkney on Saturday (Pic by Jim Clare)

This thumping 95-3 triumph over the depleted islanders, coupled with rivals East Kilbride’s 38-10 loss at Perthshire, means Dalziel will be spending another season in Div 3 while East Kilbride face a campaign at regional level.

Tries by Craig Lewis (2), Eddy Ferguson, Douglas Clark, Kris Watters (2), Cameron King (2), Nathan Emery, Andrew Glover (2), James Baxendale, Lee McWhinnie, Ross Donnachie and Ryan Watters did the damage for Dalziel in this one sided contest. Nathan Emery kicked 10 conversions.

Dalziel RFC communications secretary Niall McKenzie said: “You could see how desperate our guys were to stave off the threat of relegation.

“They played with a lot of confidence and were relieved at the end.

“Going down to regional rugby would have been very harsh for our players as there is only one promotion place at that level so it is very hard to come back up.

“There was a great atmosphere around the club on Saturday because our second and third teams also won.

“The vibe was terrific. We ended up having a second Ladies Day.”

Dalziel Rugby Club are gearing up for this weekend’s 26th annual Festival of Youth Rugby at Dalziel Park – promising an action-packed event for all the family.

For the ninth year running, the Festival is dedicated to the memory of the man who started it all in 1991, Alan Calder. Pictures in next week’s paper.