Glasgow Hawks 20 - 5 Edinburgh Accies: Glasgow have the edge

There is a theory that a rugby referee could blow his whistle for an infringement at every single breakdown in a game and Mr Campbell went a long way to proving it in this rescheduled cup match yesterday at Old Anniesland.

In fairness these two teams had "enjoyed" a two-month break, courtesy of the Scottish winter, and the inevitable rustiness was augmented by horizontal rain thanks to the gale-force winds, so the unedited highlights of the action would be hard pressed to fill a 30-second commercial break.

Hawks won club rugby's very own version of the inter-city derby, as they were always going to, and the fact the final margin wasn't a lot bigger says something about the obdurate nature of the Accies defence and a lot more about Hawks' lack of match practice as the home side set about breaking the world record for unforced errors. If they didn't get there it wasn't for the want of trying as almost everyone in the team contributed something to the count.

On a dry track with a couple of games under their belt you'd expect Hawks to put 50 points past the Edinburgh club and the proof may come next season if Simon Cross can get Accies promoted into Premier One. The Glasgow team were fitter, faster and infinitely more physical in everything they did, at least they were when they could be bothered to raise a head of steam. This victory means that Hawks lead the group after two rounds in the cup.

Accies took first advantage of the wind and Jamie Sole's booming boot kept Hawks at bay from time to time. Still the home side opened the scoring when scrum half Peter Jericevich nipped over the line, coming straight through the unguarded middle of a ruck. Amazingly, Accies replied with a try of their own when prop Johnny McSorley was the last man up after the visitors drove an attacking lineout over the Hawks line without breaking sweat. The same can be said for the Hawks' defenders who stood to one side and watched them.

Only a Mike Adamson penalty divided the two teams at half time but the second half was a slightly different story with Accies playing long periods of the 40 short-handed due to some appalling indiscipline. Chris Dickie and Greg Campbell both collected yellow cards either side of the half time break while Ruaridh Bonner and Dan Teague followed them to the sidelines midway through the second half. Still Hawks struggled to find a way over the line.

Eventually the pressure told and No.8 Ross Miller claimed his team's second score after the big men finally bullied a five-metre scrum back over the Accies try-line.The final score was made a little more respectable when winger Sean Murray got on the end of the only flowing move of the entire match to touch down in the corner.

Mike Adamson added the extras to give the twin kickers a combined success of two out of eight, which may be another record.

Scorers: Hawks: Tries: Jericevich, Miller, Murray. Con: Adamson. Pen: Adamson. Edin Accies: Try: McSorley

Hawks: Gossman, Murray, Kelbrick, Milne, Hair (K Hamilton 55); Adamson, Jericevich; Smith, Milligan (Nyamba 65), Strain, Hamilton, Campbell, McKay, Strang, Miller (A Hill 55).

Edin Accies: Sole, Dickie, Berthinussen, Browne, Pacqueur; Bonnar, Letham, McSorley (MacLeod 65), Liness (Jeffers 67), Blyth, Campbell (Stuart 61), Snape, Teague, Lamb, Drennan.

Referee: A Campbell.