By Darin Hutson

Copyright thesouthernreporter

Earlston got the better of Penicuik by 35-22 and Hawick Harlequins edged out Edinburgh’s Corstorphine Cougars 37-36, both at home, in division 2. A division down, Duns and Hawick Linden were both on home turf too, with the former handing out a 112-0 spanking to newcomers Caledonian Thebans at Castle Park and the latter beating Edinburgh Northern 24-17 at Volunteer Park. The Dingers’ century-plus winning margin was the heftiest of the day and also their biggest since the club’s reformation in 1959, overtaking a 104-3 home victory against Penicuik in 2009. Scrum-half and co-captain David Hutchison’s hat-trick of tries took his tally for the club to 151 since 2006, extending his lead as their all-time top-scorer to 15. The hosts’ other tries were touched down by No 8 Liam Logie four times over, outside-centre Ryan Mania at the double, openside flanker Adam Urwin, lock Scott Millar, full-back Diezel Hume, inside-centre Harry Fuller, fly-half Andrew Duff, left-winger Rio Akpokavi and replacements Michael Kelly, Callum Angus and Harris Mitchell, with Hume adding three conversions and Angus another eight. Division 3 rivals Linden’s try-scorers were captain and loosehead prop Aiden Fairbairn, right-winger John Frew and replacements Filip Kubicki and Logan Robertson, with fly-half Riley Muir kicking two conversions. A division up, hooker Nathan Chisholm, outside-centre Keith Young, fly-half Clark Young, No 8 Ethan Deakin and tighthead prop Oliver Smith scored tries for Earlston at the Haugh, with Smith converting all five. Inside-centre Scott Young and right-winger Rory Stanger scored two tries apiece for ’Quins at Wilton Lodge Park, with replacement Greg Walker touching down another and scrum-half Adam Hall contributing three conversions and two penalties. Saturday’s results, two rounds into the new season, leave Earlston third in their table, on nine points, and ’Quins fifth, on six, with Linden top of the division below, on ten, and Duns fourth, on five. They resume their league campaigns on Saturday, September 27, with Earlston and ’Quins both on the road to Edinburgh, to take on bottom-of-the-table Royal High and second-from-bottom Forrester respectively, both 3pm kick-offs. Linden and Duns have got away-days in the capital lined up at the same time and they’ll be up against third-from-bottom Trinity Academicals and basement side Inverleith. In the interim, all four have got trophy ties to look forward to this coming Saturday. Earlston and ’Quins are in first-round national shield action away to Arnold Clark East Region League Division 1 opposition, Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Wanderers and Dumfries and near-neighbours Langholm respectively, both 3pm kick-offs. Linden contest an east bowl quarter-final at home to fellow division 3 side Edinburgh University Medics, with kick-off at 3pm as well. The Dingers have been granted a bye to the semi-finals, however, because scheduled opponents Lismore are unable to get a team together.