Rugby starlet from North Lanarkshire set to give it a try in the United States
Cailin Lardner has gained a scholarship at Queens University of Charlotte
A teenage Scottish international rugby player from North Lanarkshire is set to take up a university scholarship in the United States.
Cailin Lardner, 17, who lives in Hartwood, was amongst the forwards named by the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) for the Scotland Rugby U18 Women's squad for the Six Nations festival tournament earlier this year.
The tournament was held at Wellington College in England in April this year. Cailin enjoyed a superb time away for her first caps and played from the start against France and Ireland, and was a replacement against Italy and in a historic win over England.
The teenager, who previously lived in Allanton, is a former pupil at St Patrick's Primary in Shotts and has been playing rugby since she was 13 years old.
Her talent and hard work led her being offered the opportunity of scholarships at two universities in Miami and Charlotte. Cailin has made the decision to study and play rugby at Queens University of Charlotte, North Carolina.
She completed her school studies at Greenfaulds High in Cumbernauld and is now looking forward to starting at the university in August where she will major in Sports Management for her degree.
Cailin said: 'I'm really excited to play rugby in the USA and to learn more in a multi cultural environment.
'Charlotte is a beautiful city and Miami is super cool but Queens play NCAA Division One rugby in the USA which would be the equivalent to Super BUCS here in the UK.
'Miami was offering Division 2 for next season so the decision around the course and rugby was easier to make. I've been in the performance pathway with Scotland for almost three years now and have to continue playing at the highest level I can.'
As well as moving across the Atlantic, Cailin will also to sacrifice playing international rugby for the time being.
As Cailin's dad Steven explained: 'Due to the fact she's leaving the country she'll lose her Scotland Rugby contract for now, but she's still young at 17 and with plenty of time to pick that up again.
'Scotland will of course keep an eye on her progress.
'It's not lost on Cailin or any of us that rugby has been the catalyst for this opportunity along with her studies at Greenfaulds High in Cumbernauld.'
While the teenager is looking forward to the move she will miss some of the comforts of home and family.
'Obviously my mum, dad, sister, and my Border Collie Gin will be missed so much along with my wider family,' said Cailin. 'I will definitely miss a crispy roll and square sausage too!
'Queens is a fully residential university and I think coping will be made much easier with roommates, teammates and a strong student welfare culture'.
*Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
38 minutes ago
- Scotsman
£21m Celtic exit mooted, Rangers deal 'expected', Hibs forward departs
The latest Scottish football transfer news on Saturday evening, including the latest rumours from Rangers, Celtic, Hibs and Kilmarnock. Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... This evening's latest Scottish transfer news from Celtic, Rangers, Hibs, Kilmarnock and more. Hibs forward departs Hibs forward Jair Tavares will be allowed to leave the club on a free transfer this summer after the Edinburgh club agreed to terminate his contract. The 24-year-old spent time on loan at Motherwell last season, making 12 appearances at Fir Park, but is now set to leave Easter Road on a permanent basis after a frustrating two-year stint in Leith. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tavares become the fourth player to depart the club this summer following the departures of Dylan Vente, Nathan Moriah-Welsh and Dwight Gayle (retired), while Swansea City forward Mykola Kuharevich has returned to his parent club following the expiration of his loan deal. Head coach David Gray is thought to remain hopeful of bringing back Nectar Triantis this summer, following his extremely impressive loan stint from Sunderland. It is understood the Black Cats are looking for a fee of around £1million for the Australian. Jair Tavares has spent last year on loan to Motherwell. | SNS Group Killie star makes Euro move Ex-Kilmarnock winger Danny Armstrong has completed a move to Romanian side Dinamo Bucharest following his departure from Rugby Park. The 27-year-old has been chased by several European clubs following the expiry of contract this summer, Armstrong had been strongly tipped to move to Hearts, with reports claiming he had met with Tynecastle officials to discuss a potential pre-contract agreement as far back as January. However, a move to Tynecastle did not materialise, allowing Dinamo Bucharest to swoop for the Taunton-born winger. Armstrong has penned a two-year contract, with Dinamo holding an option to extend by a further year. Danny Armstrong has signed for Dinamo Bucharest. | SNS Group Rangers deal 'ongoing' Rangers striker Hamza Igamane is edging closer to the Ibrox exit door, with a new report from Belgian transfer guru Sacha Tavolieri claiming the Glasgow club 'remain in discussions' over deal with French outfit Lille. The Moroccan striker is reported to have agreed terms on a three-year-deal with the Ligue 1 team, with Rangers reported to be looking for a fee between £15-20million for the 22-year-old. Marseille have also registered their interest. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Igamane, who joined Rangers from AS Far Rabat for a fee of around £2million last summer, enjoyed a fine debut campaign in the Scottish Premiership last year, scoring 16 league goals, including a memorable late winner in a 3-2 win over Old Firm rivals Celtic in March. Capable of playing through the middle, or on the left-hand side of a front three, Igamane also shone during Rangers Europa League campaign, scoring four times. According to a report from The Rangers Review, Igamane is 'is expected to leave Ibrox this summer with Marseille the second-in-line at present'. Maccabi Tel Aviv striker Dor Turgeman has been mentioned as £5million potential replacement. Hamza Igamane is 'expected' to complete a move to Lille. | Getty Images £21m Celtic exit mooted Celtic could be tested in their resolve to hang onto star striker Daizen Maeda, with English Premier League side Brentford considering an 'immediate' approach for the Japanese international. Last season's SWFA Player of the Year, Maeda was a standout performer for the Hoops, scoring 33 goals for Brendan Rodgers' side as they secured another domestic double. His outstanding form led to rumoured interest from Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United in recent weeks, though it is Brentford who appear the most likely to launch an ambitious bid with a report from Sportiva claiming new Bees head coach Keith Andrews is looking to make 'big changes heading into the new season.'
Edinburgh Live
an hour ago
- Edinburgh Live
Former Edinburgh Airport base commander retires after high-flying career
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A Scottish pilot who safely delivered countless air passengers to sun-kissed destinations has hung up his captain's hat. On Thursday, June 26, 60-year-old Duncan Munro retired from the captain's chair after decades of dedicated service to budget-friendly airline, Ryanair, reports The Daily Record. Duncan, who has served as both a pilot and base captain at Edinburgh Airport over the years, has flown for more than 20 years. Often in and out of Prestwick Airport, his most regular route was the run to Malaga and back. But on Thursday, he took charge of his final Boeing 737 flight back from Spain, as he prepares to settle into a more 'grounded' lifestyle. And Duncan got the perfect welcome back as he touched down on the Prestwick tarmac - a water cannon salute from his ground colleagues. Proud dad Harry said: 'Duncan's last day at work was Thursday, June 26 and he landed from Malaga early afternoon. 'On June 20, 2001, the Ayrshire Post actually published an article about my son, who had just been engaged as a pilot for Ryanair, operating from Prestwick Airport. 'He is now about to retire and his last flight was 26 June, landing at Prestwick. 'Duncan rose through the ranks of Ryanair to captain, training captain and base commander at both Glasgow and Edinburgh. He also had a spell with Norwegian Air flying transatlantic. 'He was also a simulator instructor at Gatwick. In addition, he maintains his RAF connection in Glasgow.' Former Belmont Academy pupil Duncan took his first steps on his fascinating career journey when he studied General Science at Strathclyde University in 1982. Duncan then joined the RAF, rising to officer in the RAF Regiment and taking his Masters Degree at Glasgow University. A career in computing then followed, which led him to London and Singapore - before he gained his commercial pilot's licence. Duncan eventually progressed to captain one of the Ryanair fleet - and he's been loving his job ever since. And in a pleasant surprise to Duncan, wife Jane and son Fergus, flew out to Malaga on Wednesday - so they could enjoy his last flight home from Spain the following day. Fergus said: 'It all went really well. I gave him a call before we got on the flight home and asked him if he'd welcome us on as VIP's! 'It was definitely an emotional day and I think it only hit him when we landed and he was carrying out his final shutdown. Then he realised it was all over.' Duncan's life in aviation isn't quite over however; he's going to be the Deputy Chief Flying Instructor at Acron, based at Gatwick, where he'll put the next generation of airline pilots through their paces in their state-of-the-art flight simulators.
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Sir David Murray's Rangers mea culpa is 14 years too late but his other £10 gesture still makes me laugh today
I had a complex relationship with the former Ibrox chairman but something he did back in the day still makes me laugh The Murray mea culpa is 14 years too late. It's unable to undo the damage suffered by Rangers due to his decision to sell the club to a man of dubious character. But it's a terrific hook on which to hang on a new book, I'll give him that much. I had a complex relationship with Sir David Murray. In the good times, I was the one who got the quote from him about Celtic putting down a fiver and him putting down a tenner. It was a line I splashed all over this newspaper three decades ago. There were some awkward times with him too. One day, I picked up the sports desk telephone and, when he heard my voice, David said: 'Ah, my former friend.' End of conversation. The best part of his Ibrox legacy might be that he had complete faith in Walter Smith and let him take charge of the team when Graeme Souness left for Liverpool. It was the best thing Murray ever did for Rangers. The saddest part came on the day they took down the sign saying Murray Park at Rangers' training complex and started to call the place Auchenhowie instead. It was a move that symbolised a name being removed from a club's history. But I still laugh at the day when I was sitting in his office in Edinburgh and he called on his secretary to bring me in a bottle of wine to take home as a present. And he told her to make it a good one. Of course, I Googled the name on the bottle later on to see just how expensive it was. Then I could decide whether I could drink it or put it up on eBay. It cost ten pounds. Once again, Sir David had put down a tenner. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here. Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
