Over the last few years, the 1st XV have slipped into the bottom league of regional rugby, but with the current crop of players at the club, this was going to make for a very exciting season. Plying our trade in East League 3, this season was always going to keep us on our toes and to continually look over the SRU fixtures page or was that just me? With returning Captain Jamie Simpson at the helm and deputy Scott Rae alongside him, the players had experience in the ranks to lead them through the season.

Pre season training started on the12th of June and continued throughout the summer. Numbers on a hot Tuesday and Thursday were very encouraging. No less than 8 weeks later we were preparing for our first competitive tournament. In July, we competed well in the Moffat 10s and were worthy winners of the quaich by beating Stewartry in the final.
Next up was our own Dalkeith RFC XV a-side tournament where we beat both Liberton and a Dalkeith Presidents XV to win the tournament outright. To finish pre season we played Forrester RFC at home. A marker for the season ahead was put down, as we eventually went down 35-40 to a team mid table in East League 1 from the previous season.
The structure of East League 3 saw Inverleith, Edinburgh Northern, Lismore, Queensferry, Liberton, Walkerburn, RDVC and us competing for the league.

And so onto league business. Our quest for East League 3 began on Saturday September 8th away to Liberton. Game Day, conditions were not ideal as it was sunny overhead and a biting wind playing down the Double Hedges pitch. Would this be a factor? After a nervy start to our campaign and some excellent rugby from the home side we were trailing 21-19 at half time. Into the wind and the sun bearing down on us. Was the fightback on? Scott Rae at number 8 had an outstanding game as did Kris Tokarski at number 7. Both converted from their familiar roles as prop and winger respectively for this game.

Our first game in East League 3 was hard fought, but we eventually came through it with a 28-36 win. Played 1, won 1 - the first 5 points of the new campaign in the bag. The next few games saw us sitting proudly at the top of the table with having played 4 and won 4, with a maximum 20 points. We saw off Liberton, Inverleith, RDVC and Walkerburn in the process.
Over the season, we scored some remarkable individual and team tries, with Scott "Scobbie" Graham scoring his first league try v Walkerburn and "Big" Gavin Davidson scoring his first senior try v Musselburgh, one for the old guard and one for the new guard. This season alone we have scored over 130 tries, which shows we can play an open style of attacking rugby. In all the games we played, our top try and points scorer was full back Euan Lockhart, scoring an incredible 29 tries (including 40 conversions) for a personal tally of 225 points for the season, a great individual effort. Andy Hamilton 16 tries, Mitchell Goodman 14 tries, Kris Tokarski 12 tries, Scott Rae and James Howden both on 11tries apiece. Captain Simpson also waded in with 10. Double figures for try scoring over a season is a truly remarkable achievement. Congratulations and well done to all who crossed the white wash in a Dalkeith shirt. With the Dick Vet & Walkerburn pulling out of the league and Bowl, the league was cut to only 6 teams. All previous results against the two were now null and void. The season now looked like a 3 horse race. Over the festive period and the 6 Nations, numbers at training dwindled. Yet come game day, we still managed to get a 22 player squad together.

During the cold winter months we managed to stay fit by attending 'the campus' on Tuesday nights and doing a good, solid hour of fitness with some rugby drills thrown in.
Our first loss of the campaign came against Edinburgh Northern. The result was disappointing, but it made the players determined to achieve more in this league.
With only a few games left, 5 points per game was now a must to put pressure on Inverleith and Edinburgh Northern. First up was Lismore away and the first 5 points acquired, Dalkeith winning this game 50-12. The following week we played the same club but not so much the same team, going down in the Bowl game 15-38. With just two games to go, Edinburgh Northern's progress in the Bowl saw us play our first ever 1st XV league game under the lights at home against Queensferry on Friday 15th March. The team stuck to what they know best and attacked the big Queensferry team from the off. We eventually came out winners 36-5 with James Howden scoring the pick of the tries. Another 5 points in the bag and now all to play for!

Next up and last league game of the season was against Edinburgh Northern. With the home side only trailing by 4 points, a bonus point win would see them jump into 2nd place and gain promotion. The boys came away with a loss (18-12) but more importantly a losing bonus point which saw us go top of the league with only Inverleith v Lismore to come and complete a very hard, yet enjoyable season.

Inverleith clinched the East League 3 title three weeks later by winning at home v Lismore. This was probably the longest three weeks I've had to wait for a game of rugby. Luckily I don't bite my nails or I wouldn't have any left. Fair play to Inverleith and congratulations to them, as it's the first time in their short history that they have won a regional league and been crowned champions.

For me, this season has had many highs and some lows, namely the defeats against Edinburgh Northern, both home and away. As Head Coach it has been a very enjoyable season as the players have worked really hard both in training and on match days. We have a special group of players at the club, and with more development and improvement, I can see a very bright future ahead at Dalkeith. We may not have won the league, however we gave it a damn good shot all the way to the last game of the season.

We have had success this season by gaining promotion to East League 2 which is a massive achievement for all of us, and something we should be building on. It is going to be another exciting year ahead at Dalkeith RFC and everyone should be so proud of what they have done to make this season special. I would like to thank both Jamie and Scott for their help and assistance throughout the season.

Well done to all and here's to the new season in East League 2 – bring it on!

Yours in rugby
Mike Goodman
Head Coach
Dalkeith RFC