...FORTH VALLEY FOSSILS ARE BACK ALIVE & CREAKING...

Saturday saw the long anticipated return of the Forth Valley Fossils, making their overdue return to playing action at Glensburgh at the weekend.

Set up as a recreational side to allow the local over 35's a chance to meet old friends and foes and throw a ball around for a while, it has been resurrected in time to allow a team to be entered in to the Golden Oldies Rugby Festival which is being held in Edinburgh this year (Click here for more info).

As well as the rugby side of things, the team is aiming to raise some funds to assist ANYONE in the Forth Valley area associated to a local rugby club who may have a need of fianancial assistance on a small scale. The specific aim is to help individuals to perhaps adapt a part of their house for an impaired child, replace a clapped out wheel chair and so on.

The Fossils are drawn from all club sides within the Forth Valley area including Linlithgow, Falkirk, Hillfoots and of course Grangemouth who were hosts for the phoenix from the flames.

The intention was for the Fossils to make their return against an Aberdeen select, but clearly they got wind of the almighty line up being compiled and pulled the plug at the last moment the night before the game. However, as fate would have it, the Grangemouth Stags 2nd XV fixture was also pulled by the opposition at the last moment too, allowing a mouth watering prospect of The Fossils taking on a Grangemouth select. A highly competitive, if not fast game unravelled in front of perhaps one of the Stags biggest attendances of the season. Certainly there were signs the old magic as players rewound the clock to make an entertaining spectacle. The crowd were treated to an ebbing and flowing game which never had one team running away with it, finishing with the Grangemouth select narrowly squeeking home by a 6 point margin.This was perhaps inevitable as Grangemouth brought on some youngsters in the last quarter who made full use of their fresh legs and the tiring opposition. The score was never the focus though, and both teams mingled after the match over a pie and a pint, with the Fossils presenting the Grangemouth President with a quaiche that never seemed to empty of whisky.

There was also much recruiting going on with the Fossils committee keen to meet anyone over the 35 threshold and get their details down to create a pool of players for their upcoming plans of rugby domination, played at a leisurely pace! If you are interested in being part of the merry bunch, please get in touch with Alan McKenzie (Grangemouth Club President) or Davie Angus at Grangemouth RFC who will direct you from there. Look out for more reports from the Fossils as they re-establish themselves in the community, and strive to help others through rugby.