Fun in the sun

The tail-end of the hockey season was marked by a women’s West District Cup finals day, postponed from the end of March.

Both games involved lower teams from the local club Milne Craig Western. Their fourth team won the Plate by an unconvincing single goal against Garnock. Their fifth team defeated the GHK second team by three clear goals to lift the West District Cup.

Meanwhile across the country, Western’s top team reached the final of the Arthur McKay Scottish Cup, defeating CALA Edinburgh by the only goal of the game.

But the students of Edinburgh University unexpectedly defeated perennial league champions Grove Menzieshill on penalties to set up a mouth-watering final which gives Western their best chance of silverware for years.

Back at Titwood, the first competitive action of the new cricket season saw PSL Team Sports Clydesdale’s second team grinding the visitors from East Kilbride to defeat by a massive 175 runs in the first round of the Western Cup.

Skipper Tim Hart showed the way with his first-ever senior century on home turf, with splendid support from Burhan Tariq and Andrew Scobie as Clydesdale piled on 249 for the loss of just four wickets in 40 overs.

Meanwhile the Clydesdale first team’s Scottish Cup game at East Kilbride was cancelled because of the state of the Torrance House ground. But both Poloc and Weirs were in action away from home, each losing badly, to Ayr and Drumpellier respectively.

The Titwood authorities counted it a successful weekend in other respects, as they celebrated last week’s announcement by the Scottish Government that they would receive a grant of £30,000 from the Commonwealth Games Legacy 2014 fund to enable their new Multi-Use Games Area to be fully carpeted.

The base of the MUGA development was constructed a year ago, but the money ran out before a proper playing surface could be added.

Now, the club hopes to complete the project within the next six weeks, to provide a community facility for local teams, schools and disabled sports groups, as well as catering for its own increased membership.

Clydesdale was also last week named the city’s Club of the Month by the Sports Council for Glasgow.