East 1: Todd takes Broughton over the border for Berwick opener

The newly promoted Wardie men make the cross-border trip looking to build on last season’s impressive run which saw the side remain undefeated throughout the 18 match domestic campaign.

With Pre-Season already underway, Head Coach Richard Todd is looking forward to his first full term at the helm.

Todd, who hung up his Broughton playing boots to lead the 7s side to end of season silverware success prior to the summer break, said, “Taking on the 7s role was a good platform for me to continue pushing the club forward, however the foundations for me to build on were laid by the hard work that Stuart, Alison and the boys put in over the last 12 months.

“Already we’ve seen during the opening two weeks of pre-season training the high standards this club expects working hard in training and developing as a squad.”
Continuity for any Coach is key and Todd is boosted by almost all the Title winning personnel returning back to Wardie for at least another year.

The former Preston Lodge and Boroughmuir man added, “I think it speaks volumes about the kind of club that we are. It’s also great to welcome a few new faces to the club too which helps boost the squad and bring new dynamics to the party. The family feel is ever constant at training and the culture that lads are setting down is a positive one, and something I find really encouraging. Everyone is looking to push the guys beside them.”

The East 1 league takes shape in a slightly lop-sided way, with 11 entrants for the season ahead however the logistics aren’t an area of concern for Todd who is simply keen to get things underway.

“I'm pretty happy with the way the fixtures have worked out and I don't think we could have had a better introduction to the league than with a trip down the A1 to face off against the Auld Enemy.

“The team and I just can't wait to get the league campaign underway and I would encourage as many club members to cheer us on at our games whether home or away. The lads need your support from the touchline – come along and be the 16th (wo)man!”

The fixtures in full:

August
Saturday 26th Berwick v Broughton

September
Saturday 2nd Broughton v Hawick Harlequin
Saturday 9th Portobello v Broughton
Saturday 16th Broughton v RHC
Saturday 23rd Dunbar v Broughton
Saturday 30th Broughton v Forrester

October
Saturday 7th Livingston v Broughton
Saturday 14th Free Week
Saturday 21st Broughton v North Berwick
Saturday 28th Duns v Broughton

November
Saturday 4th Broughton v Linlithgow
Saturday 11th BT SHIELD EDINBURGH R1 Broughton v Linlithgow
Saturday 18th Broughton v Berwick

December
Saturday 2nd Hawick Harlequins v Broughton
Saturday 9th Broughton v Portobello
Saturday 16th RHC v Broughton

January 2018
Saturday 13th Broughton v Dunbar
Saturday 20th Forrester v Broughton

February
Saturday 10th Broughton v Livingston
Saturday 17th Free Week

March
Saturday 3rd North Berwick v Broughton
Saturday 24th Broughton v Duns
Saturday 31st Linlithgow v Broughton

Footnote:
Division 1, shall comprise 11 teams, and be played as H/A over 22 Saturdays. Note dependant on what happens in National 3 and to return to a ten team league, up to 3 teams may be relegated this year.
Division 2, shall comprise 16 teams, and be played as a first session of playing each other once, and then splitting 6 / 5 / 5. Giving clubs either 15 plus 5 games, or 15 plus 4 games.

The Edinburgh and Borders Shields competitions shall be played by the respective area clubs from both Div 1 & 2 as per competition rules.

Updated 13:30 - 2 Sep 2019 by Mark Brown