The Ciaran Pryce Appeal

Ciaran, who is 15 years old, was playing for his school – Cathkin High School – on 6 October 2007 when he suffered a serious neck injury, which has left him as a tetraplegic (paralysed from the neck down with some use of his upper limbs). Ciaran was taken to the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, which houses The National Spinal Injuries Unit, where he is receiving the very best possible care.

As many of you will know Ciaran also played rugby at Cambuslang Rugby Club and the Club, along with Cathkin High School and Scottish Opera (his parents play in the Orchestra and Ciaran has performed on stage with the Opera in the past) have established the Ciaran Pryce Appeal. The purpose of the Appeal is to raise funds through a series of events which will take place in the future, commencing with an evening of entertainment including dinner in the Clubhouse on Friday 15 February 2007, and to seek donations from everyone who has indicated that they wish to contribute to Ciaran’s future well being.

All the funds raised by the Appeal will be donated to a Trust which has been established to cater for Ciaran’s long term needs.

An Appeal Committee has been established with Ivor Menzies, Secretary of Cambuslang Rugby Club as Chairman. Full details of the Committee and proposed events will initially be published on the Cambuslang Rugby Club website www.cambuslangrugby.co.uk.

Should you wish to contribute to the Appeal by organising an event or make a personal donation to the Appeal, please contact Ivor Menzies (details below).

Ciaran and his parents, David and Frances, have had tremendous support from their friends and the rugby community, including the SRU through the Centenary Fund, and the Hearts and Balls Charity.

We hope you can help to support Ciaran during his time in the Southern General and make a contribution, however small, to his future long term needs.


The Ciaran Pryce Appeal Committee

Ivor Menzies
3 Turnlaw Farm
Cambuslang
Glasgow G72 8YU

Email jig.menzies@btopenworld.com
Tel No 0141 641 3066
Mob No 07745 611 877

In the first ever three-way vote for the post of President of the Scottish Rugby Union, George Jack, former rector of Selkirk High School and ex Edinburgh District and Leith Accies hooker, won a dramatic contest.

There was tension in the first round of voting as Jack polled 57 votes and Peter Brown and Jim Stevenson 56 votes each.

The two candidates tied on 56 votes were then to draw a card to determine who moved forward to the second round of voting, with the individual drawing the higher card successful.

At that juncture, however, the former Scotland captain Brown announced that he was withdrawing from the process and invited delegates to choose between Jack and Stevenson.

In the second round of voting, Jack won 91 votes to the tally of 75 for Stevenson, the 50-year-old who has fulfiflled every conceivable role for his club, Cambuslang.

Earlier in the evening, SRU Chief Executive Gordon McKie announced that Scottish Rugby has agreed to pay 100% of club accident insurance premiums with effect from the start of the forthcoming season.

“This will help our clubs to save a six figure sum, money which I’m sure you can put to good use in growing the game,” he told delegates.

McKie said that, subject to audit, he expects the Union to report a “near break even” position when it unveils its annual accounts later in the year.

He hailed the relaxation on the sale of alcohol announced by the new SNP Holyrood administration and praised his staff for their partnership work with clubs which had helped to grow the numbers playing the game – a 7% increase in the adult game and 19% in the youth sector.

Outgoing president Andy Irvine spoke warmly of his two years in office and also praised the vibrancy of the club game. Of the last season he said: “We have some great youngsters coming through in this country and we deserve to give an awful lot of credit to the coaches that work with them. What we have to do is when these kids get to 18 or 19 we have to hang on to them (in the game).”

A motion to reintroduce the office of vice-president did not attract sufficient support; a motion to allow discretion to the Championship Committee to vary the number of permitted replacements up to a maximum of seven, at different levels of the game, was carried; the championship rule that placed a limit of two non-European players was deleted.

Within the Cup competition, clubs voted to allow regionalisation up until the last 64 in the Cup.

Following the AGM, newly elected President, George Jack, was elected to chair the Scottish Rugby Council.

In his post as Chair of the Council, Jack (Leith) now becomes a member of the Scottish Rugby Board.

Malcolm Gillies (Lismore) was elected Vice Chair of the Council whilst Jim Fleming (Boroughmuir) was returned by the Council to serve a second term on the Scottish Rugby Board.

With the election of Jack as President, a vacancy now arises on the Council in respect of the Edinburgh Regional League representative.

A bye election will be held in August to fill this vacancy

Capn Pete says team meetin on Thursday at haf 6 for the U18s
b there. If you are not going tell Capn.
Cheers
John