Strathaven coach Grant Neilson admits it’s horrible to see teams lose league titles after Scottish Rugby declared the campaign null and void - denying his side the chance to be crowned champions.
Biggar Rugby Club have been hardest hit after being presented with the West League Division One title last month and now being stripped of the trophy.
Strathaven were leading West League Division Two by 15 points, although they could arithmetically be caught by Dalziel, having played four games more than their challengers.
Neilson said: “For the teams that had already secured the league, that must have been horrible.
“Getting that title taken away from you really would have been awful, and I would have been devastated.
“We weren’t in that position just as much; even though we were sitting top of the league with one more game to play, if Dalziel had won all their remaining games with a bonus point they could have just clinched it.
“There was no saying that we were absolutely going to claim the title, so that has made it a wee bit easier to take.
“Those guys who are getting titles taken off of them and stuff must be devastated. If the SRU went down one of the other avenues, like finishing the league as it was, it would have had another load of teams in uproar. It was a really tough one, but we just need to get on with it.”
Neilson wasn’t surprised by Scottish Rugby’s decision, but says it hasn’t been a wasted season.
He said: “We were sitting top of the league and I’m absolutely chuffed for what the boys have done this season.
"It certainly hasn’t been a wasted season. A lot of the boys have come on leaps and bounds, and at the end of the day they’re still getting to play rugby."
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