Caledonia Dreaming or Ian38018 Sporting Travels: Boroughmuir

Sunday, 19 June 2011

Boroughmuir - Meggetland

16^th December 2006

Boroughmuir 37-48 Heriots RFC

As with all of the more successful rugby clubs in Edinburgh, Boroughmuir RFC trace their links back to a school – in this case, as the name suggests, Boroughmuir High School. Where this instance differs from Heriots, Stewart’s Melville, George Watson’s and the like is that Boroughmuir is a state secondary school; very much a case of the Oiks mixing it with the Toffs.

Such dichotomy had long been reflected in the club’s facilities with Boroughmuir’s Meggetland, only a stone's throw from Watsonians' impressive home, oft described as a naught but a hut in a muddy windswept field. Until recently, the rugby pitch actually formed only a small part of Meggetland itself, then a vast sprawling swathe of grasslands towards the south of the City, housing a multitude of rugby, hockey and football pitches.

A number of developers had cast avaricious eyes on the land over the years, but were kept at bay until Edinburgh Council were finally persuaded by Wimpey to sell off a sizeable portion of the area. In return for the rights to build flats on their purchased land, Wimpey undertook to redevelop much of the remaining site into State of the Art public sporting facilities, as a well as erecting a new clubhouse and stand for Boroughmuir RFC. The deal polarised local opinion considerably but the development went ahead, with the facilities being handed over late in 2006.

This particular match was one of the first played by the club at their new ground, and rather impressive the place looked I have to say. The scoreline may suggest a highly competitive encounter, but in reality the Heriots’ Lads were just toying with their hosts. They repeatedly built up a big lead, had a wee rest during which time Boroughmuir managed to get within 8 points or so, then just upped a few gears.

It was entertaining in the same way witnessing a cat playing with a mouse may occasionally be.