6 years in the making

“it’s not every day you get to say “I coached that lot when they were wee” and then watch them lift a senior trophy on home soil”

Ben Cartwright

Penicuik 1xv Coach

From Kirkcaldy to Penicuik – A 7’s story, 6 Years in the Making

Back in 2019, a bunch of U16 lads from Penicuik turned up to the Kirkcaldy Sevens full of enthusiasm but not that much expectation. What followed was a cracking day of rugby, a fair bit of shouting from the sidelines, and somehow, despite dodgy weather and even dodgier strips, we ended up lifting the trophy. It was a brilliant moment for the boys, and for the coaches too. Myself, Brian Doyle and Alfie Fraser-Harris were delighted.

Craig Doyle was slicing through defences like a hot knife through butter, Ollie Smart was flattening anything that moved, and Blair Gilligan was in the thick of it, doing Blair things; fast feet, big grin, bit of chat, all helping the U16’s to victory.

Fast forward 6 years to last Saturday. Only 1 coach this time,  same club, but this time it was our senior Sevens squad—playing at home, in front of a proper crowd, and we only went and won it again.

What made it extra special? Four of the lads from that Kirkcaldy squad were involved: Craig, Ollie and Blair all pulling on the senior jersey and playing like old hands, and Alfie, no longer coaching but giving a masterclass on the field, was special. But let’s not forget the other guys in the squad who all played a blinder: Luke Randall and Stevie Ketchen, scoring for fun on the outside; Semesa Maiyale crashing ball and tackling like a demon; Alan Haynes and Aidan Dean bringing poise and experience to the midfield; Andrew Cartwright distributing quick ball around the field and late injury replacement Roni Vatuloka striking fear into the opposition with his destructive running.

Watching those same boys from Kirkcaldy, now grown men, run out in a Penicuik shirt again and help us win our home tournament was a proper full-circle moment. The rugby was, at times, sublime, the sun even made a brief appearance, and the bar was bouncing afterwards. All in all, a good day.

We’ve had wins and losses over the years, but this one will stick in the memory, not just for the result, but because it felt like a celebration of what makes our club tick: good people, good youth players coming through, good rugby, and a proper sense of community.

And let’s be honest—it’s not every day you get to say “I coached that lot when they were wee” and then watch them lift a senior trophy on home soil.

written by : RMT

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