Published: Thursday, 28th August, 2008 4:00pm

Dunfermline refuse to back down in rival home fixture row

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DUNFERMLINE Knights" promotion charge is still on track but the club is refusing to back down over Corstorphine"s controversial "home" fixture row.

The Edinburgh side switched a match over 30 miles away to Stirling, a clear breach of the rules according to their title rivals Dunfermline and Stoneywood Dyce.

Corstorphine"s win kept them in the hunt until Saturday, when their grudge match with the Knights at McKane Park was called off late.

The postponement means it"s Dunfermline that go into Saturday"s play-off with West Lothian at Arbroath – 'poetic justice' according to Tom Gibson.

The club treasurer said, 'A match must start by 4pm and at 3.40pm the umpire decided that it should not take place.

'They reckoned the run-up from the bakery end was dangerous.

'Corstorphine thought it was playable and Dunfermline were arguing that it was unplayable.

'By that time we knew the Stoneywood Dyce game was going ahead and they were well on top.'

The Aberdeen side took the Second Division title with Knights pipping Corstorphine for the play-off position.

However, Mr Gibson said he wouldn"t let the row over Edinburgh side"s previous "home" fixture die away.

The problem arose when Scottish National Cricket League"s Stewart Oliver gave permission to Corstorphine to move their game because their ground was waterlogged.

Mr Gibson said the rules only allowed for a match to be switched when a pitch was 'unavailable' rather than 'unplayable'.

Last week he said, 'Effectively what they"re saying is that if your ground looks like it"ll be unplayable you can go all over the country looking for another pitch.'

Both Stoneywood and Dunfermline complained and yesterday (Wednesday) Mr Gibson said, 'They came back and said they allowed Corstorphine"s game to go ahead in Stirling for a "valid reason".

'But they didn"t explain what it was! What a joke!

'It"s total rubbish and I"m going to pursue this appeal as so many other clubs have agreed with us that it"s a shambles and they want this latitude taken out.'

Knights will contest the play-off on neutral territory and Mr Gibson said, 'I"d be very disappointed if we didn"t win against West Lothian.'

Dunfermline also have the Twenty/20 semi final to play on Sunday at Poloc but must pray that the weather holds to allow both matches to be played.