Gunners Fans Fired Up for New Season
Mansell Cup Press Release
Forget the Fringe; the best show in town this weekend is at Goldenacre, where thousands of rugby fans will be gathering on Sunday 24th August for the annual pre-season celebration of rugby in Edinburgh. This year there is an added attraction, as members of the newly-formed Edinburgh Rugby Supporters' Club will be out in force recruiting new members.
The MANSELL Cup, now established as the traditional curtain-raiser to the rugby season in Edinburgh, involves several senior Scottish Clubs playing shortened matches. The Cup competition itself will be preceded by age group rugby in the morning, and after the final Edinburgh Rugby will be playing a warm-up match against Pertemps Bees (Birmingham & Solihull Rugby Club), who include former Scotland fly-half Craig Chalmers on their playing staff.
Edinburgh Rugby will be unveiling their new bus in team colours, and this will be the focus of the Supporters' Club activities on the day. Supporters' Club chairman Howard McKenzie said, "Edinburgh Rugby Supporters' Club not only support Edinburgh Rugby but are supporters of all rugby in the Edinburgh District. Local Club supporters who have watched players develop will want to follow their heroes as they progress to the next stage of their careers with the professional teams, whilst Edinburgh supporters will be looking to spot the players who will one day be the main-stay of the Edinburgh team. The MANSELL Cup gives us a unique opportunity to bring Club Supporters and Pro Team Supporters together to celebrate our shared love of rugby."
Membership of Edinburgh Rugby Supporters' Club is available free to all Edinburgh Rugby Season Ticket holders, whilst Associate Membership is also available for a small fee. Members of the Supporters' Club committee will be available at the Edinburgh Rugby bus throughout the day on Sunday to answer questions and sign up new members
Notes for editors
About Edinburgh Rugby Supporters' Club
The Edinburgh Rugby Supporters Club (ERSC), which was formed in July 2003, exists to promote support for Edinburgh Rugby and for rugby in Edinburgh. It aims also to represent the interests of Edinburgh supporters to Edinburgh Rugby and to the SRU. To this end it is run for and by supporters. Benefits available to members include an exclusive match-day clubroom at Meadowbank, Travel Packages to away games, discounts on Edinburgh Rugby Social Events and a regular e-Zine. ERSC has approximately 1000 members.
About Edinburgh Rugby
Edinburgh Rugby are entering their third consecutive season and are now firmly established within the capital at Meadowbank Stadium as an integral part of the Edinburgh Community. "The Gunners" start the season as Scotland's leading pro-rugby team. Brimming with current, future and past International stars, Edinburgh Rugby is also becoming one of Britain's pre-eminent rugby clubs.
Edinburgh Rugby have signed up 5 former club players to full-time contracts and 11 club players to part-time contracts for the 2003/2004 Season. They are Rory Lawson (Heriots), Matt Dey (Heriots), Andrew Kelly (Currie), Tom McGee (Boroughmuir) and Alistair Warnock (Boroughmuir) on Full Time contracts; and on Part-Time contracts: Malcolm Clapperton (Boroughmuir), Rob Dewey (Kirkcaldy), Alexander Monro (Heriots), Emosi Naisaramaki (Heriots/Royal Scots), Hugo Southwell (Worcester), David Callam (Hawick), David Cunningham (Boroughmuir), Alasdair Dickinson (Dundee High), Nathan Pike (Boroughmuir), Apolosi Satala (Heriots/Royal Scots), Alasdair Strokosch (Boroughmuir)
About the MANSELL Cup
The MANSELL Cup was first contested in 1999. Heriots FP RFC are not only the hosts, but also the current holders of the cup, having beaten Boroughmuir in a thrilling final last year. Both teams will be back this year, as will be Musselburgh, Kirkcaldy, Stewarts Melville, Murrayfield Wanderers, Glasgow Hawks and Edinburgh Academicals. The MANSELL Cup is named after the MANSELL construction group, primary (and shirt) sponsors of Heriots FP RFC.