Buccs to kick new season with Falkirk friendly

BUCCANEERS kick off the new season with a home friendly against touring Scottish club Falkirk under the Dubarry Park floodlights on this Friday night. Kick-off at the Athlone venue is 7.30pm. Buccs' build up to the coming competitive campaign has been relatively low key, although league action gets an early start this year with the opening round of the Connacht Senior League taking place on August 27th when Buccs travel west to Connemara. The Ulster Bank All-Ireland League, in which the midlanders will again campaign in Division 1B, starts on October 1st when Bruff travel to the midlands. Buccaneers have lost some key players since last season, mostly for reasons outside the club's control. Both Stephen Burke and Conor Higgins have emigrated to Australia seeking work while Colin Watters is sojourning in USA for a year. Connacht did not extend contracts for Aidan Wynne and Shane Monahan while a third Connacht player, Dylan Rogers, is ineligible this season due to a rule change limiting clubs use of 'foreign' players to just one, with Kolo Kiripati filling that role for Buccs. So there will be new faces in the Buccaneers squad that lines out against Falkirk on Friday. The Athlone club has concentrated on youth in its recruitment policy and thus attractive and enterprising rugby is anticipated at Dubarry Park throughout the season by Hendrik Marnitz's charges. Supporters of the Pirates will get a first opportunity to check out some of the newcomers against the Scottish visitors, so all are encouraged to come along for what should be an entertaining encounter.