The build up to the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership final on December 13 is well underway, but before that there is one big final regular season game to be played on Saturday.
Cartha Queen Park are hosting Garioch at 2pm at Dumbreck in a stage two clash that will decide who will finish bottom of the eight-team top flight this term.
Going into last weekend’s final scheduled regular season games in the bottom half of the league, Cartha were bottom on 10 points and Garioch were seventh on 11 points.
Now Cartha are on 15 points and seventh after an emphatic 51-16 triumph at sixth placed Biggar while Garioch are bottom on 12 points after taking a four-try bonus from a 56-27 defeat to fifth placed Hillhead Jordanhill at home.
It means that the rearranged match has everything on the line, the team that finishes seventh will go into the Sarah Beaney Cup in the new year and the eighth placed side will go into the Regional Play-off series with feeder league winners to battle it out for a 2026/27 top flight spot.
“There is a sense of excitement in the squad ahead of playing Garioch on Saturday,” Cartha skipper Carolyn Baker-Hughes said ahead of the clash.
“We were annoyed not to get the game played on its original date a few weeks ago, but seeing as Torvill and Dean could have performed a full Bolero on the Friday night on the pitch it was sadly postponed.
“We had a great run out last week against Biggar, you could see some of the work we’ve been doing at training really coming off. Our solid looking front-row enjoyed ourselves at the scrum too. Personally, I am hoping to capitalise on our dominance at scrum time this week too.
“Our back line was fantastic last week and we have a very similar set up this week with the addition of judo Commonwealth Games gold medallist Kimmi Renicks on the wing to tackle anything and everything that comes down that channel.
“We are disappointed that this game determines our fate.
“However, we only have ourselves to blame for being in the situation and we need to bring the fire and intensity we played with against Biggar and turn up as the best version of Cartha on Saturday. That is the version that that plays as a team, celebrates every success and has fun playing good rugby.”
Cartha Queens Park squad for the game: Jennifer Treacy; Sam Cockburn, Shona Jessiman, Carys Hall, Kimmi Renicks; Ellie Sutherland, Anna Bain; Breagha Charlton, Sammy Djoh, Carolyn Baker-Hughes (C), Erin Gilmour, Katie Gray, Julie McAslan, Rebecca Moffat, Hazel King. Subs: Tiia Semenoff, Izzy Desoindre, Jemma Moir, Molly Gribben, Michelle Cullen, Sam Donnelly.
The last time Cartha played Garioch in November, when the Inverurie side won 50-26, is pictured – thanks to Gareth Falls
From November 14 to December 14, GH Media will be featuring on all aspects of women’s rugby in Scotland including the exciting conclusion to the domestic Premiership, news on Scots playing down south and lots more during a busy month.