History made as Biggar Rugby Club pass 100-point barrier in season

The prolific Matthew Stewart (1st right) is leaving Biggar Rugby Club this summer to join Glasgow Hawks (Pic by Nigel Pacey)

The 50-29 Tennent’s National League Division 2 success at Preston Lodge put Biggar onto a mammoth 101 points after 21 wins from their 22 league fixtures, the first time in club history they’ve managed to break the 100-point barrier in a season.

Delighted Biggar head coach Gary Mercer told the Carluke and Lanark Gazette: “Reaching 101 points is a great achievement.

“It is a compliment to the team and the hard workthey did during pre season and then the season itself.

“Their work ethic and ethos when playing rugby has been absolutely fantastic.”

Biggar star Matthew Stewart – who scored a phenomenal 191 points during this campaign – is leaving to join Tennent’s Premiership side Glasgow Hawks.

And bigger clubs have also been sniffing around some of Biggar’s other prize assets, but Mercer is keen to take as strong a squad a possible into the higher level of National League Division 1 next season.

He added: “It is a blow losing Matthew but he has aspirations to play at the highest level.

“He is a quality player and very professional. It is frustrating in a way, as we are victims of our own success.

“We have also had coaches targeting other players in the squad.

“They are picking our boys because they have been playing good rugby individually and collectively.

“But if we lose players like Matthew we just have to move on. It is part and parcel of life.

“When you are successful and doing well, other clubs will try and poach your players.

“We are going to try as hard as we can to keep pretty much the same squad that was out there this season and then we will add to that.

“We are going up another level next season so we are looking at potential new players at the moment. We are on a recruitment drive.

“We hope to strengthen the squad because we need a bigger squad. We will be speaking to people in the next couple of weeks.”

Mercer said that he hopes to sign bigger players to compete in a bigger league.

“We are looking to strengthen up front,” he said.

“We need to be as competitive as possible in the pack.

“We definitely want to stay in the league next season but we don’t want to be in the predicament of battling relegation.

“I want to be in the top four.”