Cashmore has been plagued with selection problems all season but thinks the performances of some of his younger stars on Saturday shows the future could be bright for the team.

He said: “We had chances and were up 13-5 at half time but we made a couple of mistakes and at this level that’s all it really takes.

“We were able to blood some younger players though and they have come in and played really well. Alistair Lamb at hooker, Kyle Stevenson at number 10 and Sam Clark all played well.” With the selection issues facing his side due to injuries and work commitments for various players, Cashmore wasn’t too disappointed with going out of the cup, believing it to be a blessing for his team’s season.

He said: “It’s out of the way and we can focus on the league now. The cup is a bit of a pain to be honest, we are playing the same teams that we play in the league, ideally you want some variation to keep it interesting.

“To lose 19-18 is hard to take but the boys weren’t too disappointed after the game. I just told them it’s done now and let’s move on to next week,” Their next fixture will see Burgh travel to Newton Stewart on league duty, a side level on points with them in the table and Cashmore expects at tough test.

He said: “This will be a tough game against Newton Stewart, they’ve been going well but hopefully we can get the win.

“Selection wise we’re struggling at the back to be honest, forwards we’re okay but that is just something we have to deal with.”