Latest news with #Stewartry
Daily Record
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Thrilling match between Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie schools went to a penalty shoot out
Two Stewartry teams competed in the D&GSFA Small Schools Final at Queen of the South Arena in Dumfries recently. Dalbeattie High School Under 16s took on local rivals, Castle Douglas High School Under 16s on Queens 4G pitch, with both teams showcasing their talents in what turned out to be a thrilling contest. Both sets of players adapted well to the quick and large playing surface and the first half saw chances created by both teams but excellent goalkeeping and stout defending kept the match scoreless at half-time. The two coaches, Mr Mein and McNay, asked for more directness in the second half, and it was not long before David Perez latched on to a long ball from defence, nipping in and around the Dalbeattie goalkeeper, slotting the ball home for Castle Douglas' opening goal. For the remainder of the match, play and chances were fairly even, but the last five minutes saw Dalbeattie throw everything forward, and with 25 seconds to go, a fine build up put through Robbie Wykes, who composed himself, to equalise in the dying seconds. It has been agreed with Mr McGuffie, the official, that the match would proceed straight to penalties. Castle Douglas converted all of their efforts, whilst Dalbeattie found the Castle Douglas netminder in fine form. Castle Douglas edged the drama 4-2 and lifted the trophy in a thrilling affair. Well done to all players, coaches and fans for participating in a great final. Many thanks to QOS for their hospitality.
Daily Record
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Dumfries and Galloway rugby star seals move back to Scotland with Glasgow Warriors
A Stewartry rugby star will play his club rugby back in Scotland next season. And Alex Craig's move to Glasgow Warriors will reunite him with former Stewartry Shark Stafford McDowall. Craig, from Castle Douglas, will move ro Scotstoun after spending the past two years at Welsh BKT United Rugby Championship side Scarlets. The 27-year-old, who has six caps for Scotland, told the Glasgow Warriors website: 'For me, coming back home is a massive opportunity and I'm looking forward to getting stuck in. 'I'm from Castle Douglas, and I've always kept a close eye on how Glasgow were doing as I supported the club when growing up. To see the club go from strength to strength in recent seasons has been so impressive, and they just keep getting better and better as a team. 'I know quite a lot of the boys from U20s and from Scotland duty; I grew up playing minis with Stafford too, his dad was my first rugby coach and we played together from when we were seven until about 14 or 15. 'Stafford's probably the one I spoke to the most when making the decision to move up here, but everyone I've spoken to has had nothing but good things to say about the club. 'I like to get myself involved in the game as much as I can, whether that's with ball in hand or being physical in defence. I just want to put my best foot forward, work hard and earn the respect of my team-mates and coaches first and foremost – it's going to be exciting and I'm looking forward to getting started.' Craig, who plays in the second row, came through the ranks at Stewartry and Dumfries Saints. After impressing for Hartpury University, he joined Gloucester in 2019 and made 49 appearances before his switch to Scarlets two years ago. Click here for more news and sport from Dumfries and Galloway. His first season in Llanelli saw him voted the club's players' player of the season. He has played for Scotland at age group level and his most recent appearance for the senior side was against Australia last year. Warriors head coach, Franco Smith, said: 'Alex is someone who we've been keeping an eye on for a while, consistently impressing with his performances for the Scarlets over the last couple of seasons. 'He is a dynamic carrier with ball in hand, whilst his statistics underline his physicality and willingness to work hard in defence. 'We know that to be a competitive team across both the BKT URC and Investec Champions Cup that we first must have a competitive squad, and we look forward to welcoming Alex to Scotstoun this summer.'
