GRAEME Stirling, Edinburgh Wanderers' new wing from Carnoustie, is

closing up on the lead in the list of Scottish rugby's leading

try-scorers, writes Bill McMurtrie. His two against Leith on Saturday

took his tally to 15, only one fewer than David Michie, the Glasgow

High/Kelvinside wing.

Another Wanderers recruit, Bryan Craig, is second to David Shiel, the

Jed-Forest stand-off, in the drop-goal list. Wanderers' young fly half,

previously with Haddington, has 11 -- with one against Leith -- whereas

Shiel has 14 after his three for Scotland in the B international against

Ireland. Leading scorers:

Points -- C T MacDonald (Stirling County) 159; C M Chalmers (Melrose)

156; M Walker (Boroughmuir) 137; A Donaldson (Currie) 132; D Gillespie

(Corstorphine) 131; R L Pow (Selkirk) 127; E R J Stewart (Kilmarnock)

122; A B M Ker (Kelso) 121; B M Craig (Edinburgh Wanderers) 116; S W

Welsh (Hawick) 115; D N Barrett (West of Scotland) 113; C G MacGregor

(Glasgow Academicals) 101; P W Dods (Gala) 99; D R D Pulfrey (Edinburgh

Wanderers) 98; P J Hewitt (Heriot's FP) 91.

Tries -- D Michie (Glasgow High /Kelvinside) 16; G Stirling (Edinburgh

Wanderers) 15; E S Gillies (Edinburgh Wanderers), P J Hewitt (Heriot's

FP), I Tukalo (Selkirk) 12 each; S Forrester (Currie), G T MacGregor

(Glasgow Academicals) 11 each; M R DeBusk (Boroughmuir), R E Douglas

(Hawick), D R T Gill (Corstorphine), Brian Hughes (Jed-Forest), K J

Johnston (Selkirk), M Lightbody (Glasgow Academicals), I Murchie

(Hillhead-Jordanhill), A G Stanger (Hawick) 10 each.

Drop goals -- D K Shiel (Jed-Forest) 14; B M Craig (Edinburgh

Wanderers) 11; I C Glasgow (Heriot's FP) 6.

Club tries -- Edinburgh Wanderers 73; Boroughmuir 66; Glasgow

High/Kelvinside, Melrose 59 each; Corstorphine 57; Kilmarnock 53;

Selkirk 52; Glasgow Academicals, Heriot's FP 49 each; Currie 47; Hawick,

Jed-Forest 45 each; Edinburgh Academicals 44; Kirkcaldy, Musselburgh 41

each.

* * *

RUGBY'S proposals to relax the strictures on amateurism will be

subjected to public debate. Tomorrow morning the International Rugby

Football Board, far from keeping their thoughts under wraps, will be

announcing the details of a paper that has been circulated the member

unions.

Gordon Masson, one of the Scottish representatives on the IRFB, and

Sir Ewart Bell, a former president of the Irish Rugby Football Union,

prepared the paper to draw in the views which member unions had

expressed in answer to a questionnaire. The board discussed the paper at

last month's interim meeting.

Bill Hogg, secretary of the Scottish Rugby Union, said yesterday his

committee had not had time to look over the paper. In considering it,

though, the SRU would pull in the views of a wide scope of generations,

inviting opinions from current players and past presidents of the union.

* * *

ENGLAND'S B team to play the USSR at Northampton on Saturday week is:

S Langford (Orrell); F Packman (Northampton); J Buckton (Saracens); F

Clough (Wasps); E Davis, D Pears (both Harlequins); S Bates (Wasps); M

Linnett (Moseley); J Olver, A Mullins (both Harlequins); D Baldwin

(Sale); A Blackmore (Bristol); M Skinner (Harlequins); M Teague

(Gloucester); D Pegler (Wasps) captain. Replacements -- A Buzza

(Cambridge University), P Hull (Bristol), D Morris (Liverpool St

Helens), J Leonard (Saracens), K Dunn (Gloucester), B Clarke (Saracens).