Almanack: A Stirling crisis

SHAME and opprobrium in the halls of academe: Stirling University Rugby Club have been suspended from playing rugby, and all their results in Division Seven of the McEwan's National League have been deleted from the table.

What can have brought such terrible wrath upon them? The unfortunate club failed to play a postponed league match against Panmure on the official stand-by date set aside for the match. Why? Because Stirling University's team were abroad at the time, engaged on an unauthorised tour.

Sadly, Almanack was unable to contact any officials of the Stirling club to get their side of the story, or indeed to ask them how upset they were at having all their results annulled.

Stirling have lost all nine of their league matches this season, and were defeated 107-0 by the league leaders Annan. But any suggestion that the cunning university men may have planned their own expulsion from the league should be treated with the contempt it deserves.