The draw for the First Round of the Scottish Plate was concluded today, with 
several intriguing ties in prospect.
The mens Scottish Plate had a fantastic total of 14 entries, with no fewer than seven team from outwith the National League setup taking up the opportunity to join at the first knockout stage. Coupled with Volero and Orkney, who battled through qualifying, this serves to demonstrate the healthy state of the game at the local level.
Bellshill Cardinals, the only Division Two team in the draw, were handed a bye to the quarter-final, along with Edinburgh University. There will be at least two other non-league teams in the quarter-finals, emerging from the Perth v Orkney and Dundee University v Shetland ties.
The womens Plate participants are inclined even more to the teams from outside the league, with the possibility of eight non-league teams in the competition, depending on the result of the Edinburgh Jets II v Orkney tie postponed from November.
The full draw is as follows (ties scheduled for Saturday 21st January 2012)
Mens Scottish Plate 1st Round
Perth Vs Orkney
Beacon Vs Kinross
Edinburgh Jets III Vs Volero
Troon Kyle & Carrick Vs Linlithgow
Dundee University Vs Shetland
Heriot Watt University Vs Lenzie
Byes to Quarter-Final
Bellshill Cardinals
Edinburgh University
Womens Scottish Plate 1st Round
South Ayrshire II Vs Jex
Byes to Quarter-Final
Edinburgh Jets III
Edinburgh University
Shetland
Heriot-Watt University
Edinburgh Jets II or Dundee University
North Grampian
Orkney