Caledonian clubs take a break this Saturday, giving coaches and players the opportunity to watch the national team play world champions South Africa at Murrayfield, while assessing the progress, or otherwise, of their own team.
But having an enforced break has brought a mixed reaction from clubs who while appreciating a chance to watch Scotland in action, are keen to keep the momentum going at their own club.
Cameron Hughes, player-coach at Moray, said: “The lads enjoy their day out at Murrayfield which is fine, but as we are top of Caley 2 North, I would be happier about pushing on with our objective of getting promotion to the top Caley league, especially as the weather is usually pretty good at this time of year.
“On the other hand, if we play every week, the league would be finished by Christmas, giving us too much time on our hands. It’s a complex issue.”
For Orkney, the leaders of Caley Division 1, getting the season finished is a high priority, particularly given their massive commitment to travelling in the winter months.
Orkney head coach Garry Coltherd said: “Successfully completing our fixtures as soon as possible is our target, and returning to the national leagues in the process.”
Elsewhere, Aberdeenshire will be keen to get their key games against Moray and 2nd Highland played and won in December according to head coach Charlie Catto.
He said: “The sooner we get back to retaining our hard earned momentum, the better.”
The four North Caledonian leagues have the additional problem of having odd numbers in each division which means at least one team is out of action in any given week.
