'These stories are the soul of Scottish rugby'

A COLLECTION of thousands of pieces of Scottish rugby union history is described as a “national treasure hiding in plain sight”.

- BY RICHARD ELIAS

Laura Tinch has spent the past four years collating the remarkable collection of forgotten match balls, yellowed photographs, and hand-stitched caps.

Her work with Scottish Rugby’s archive is part of the ongoing Murrayfield Memories campaign - a nationwide drive to collect and celebrate personal stories from across the country as the national stadium celebrates its centenary this year.

‘The project aims to highlight Murrayfield’s heritage through the memories of fans, shining a light on the social history of the game through stories.

Heritage lead Laura explained: “There are, of course, famous sporting moments that are synonymous with Murrayfield - the Grand Slams, the Calcutta Cups, magical rugby moments, but the archive is far bigger than that.

“Tt is about the local clubs, the volunteers who marked the pitches, the families who travelled every weekend.

“These stories are the soul of Scottish rugby - they deserve to be remembered.

“The collection is a national treasure hiding in plain sight.