Edinburgh surrendered the 1872 Challenge Cup to Glasgow Warriors after a bitterly disappointing defeat at Firhill Arena with Dan Parks running the show for the home side.

Despite suffering a costly late slump, Edinburgh started brightly and that level of enterprise was translated into the opening try in the third minute.

Ben Cairns punctured the Warriors’ defence with an incisive break from midfield before delivering an expertly timed off-load to late call-up Andrew Turnbull. The diminutive winger executed the score cleverly, pausing before he reached the try line to ease his path to the try, although Phil Godman unfortunately missed the conversion.

Glasgow’s response Graeme Morrison was driven to within one metre after Parks and Opeta Palepoi had both threatened. From the resultant scrum Morrison had another pop and Glasgow eventually recycled for Parks to go outside the forlorn challenge of a forward and claim a cracking equalising try. His conversion gave the Warriors the lead 7-5 after eight minutes.

Cairns’ second superb break with Godman once more the provider hinted that Edinburgh were very much in the mood but his try-scoring pass to Alan MacDonald was ruled forward.

Far from being down-hearted by this missed opportunity, Edinburgh regained the lead in the 26th minute. The animated Cairns had threatened anew after Mike Blair had taken a quick tap penalty on the left and when Andrew Henderson was penalised for going to deck after a tackle, Godman landed his first penalty for 8-7.

The loss of Craig Smith with a lower leg injury when the big prop chugged at pace in support of a break did not help the visitors’ cause and Parks’ first drop-goal three minutes from the interval saw Glasgow back in front once more at 10-8.

With Blair picking up the pace, Glasgow were penalised in first-half injury time again for not rolling away after a tackle, Godman doing the necessary with a well-struck kick from 33 metres.

Parks miscued with a penalty on the restart but grand ambition by the home captain in unison with Thom Evans from a quickly-taken lineout ultimately led to a home score as Matt Mustchin loitered on the wrong side of a ruck. Parks goaled and Glasgow led 13-11.

Godman replied in kind with a lineout penalty on 50 minutes as the scoreboard ping-pong continued.

The match was coming nicely to the boil and in 67 minutes Parks set the seal on a night of high personal satisfaction. A delicate chip-kick over the advancing Edinburgh defence was gathered adroitly by John Barclay on the right touchline. The flanker slipped an inside pass to Thom Evans and, it was inevitable that Parks would be on his winger s shoulder to go over for a superlative try which he converted.

Not content with that Parks completed his night’s work with his second drop-goal, awarded after consultation with the TMO, though even before that strike he had been named as Man of the Match.

Glasgow Warriors: Bernardo Stortoni; Max Evans , Graeme Morrison, Andrew Henderson, Thom Evans; Dan Parks CAPTAIN, Colin Gregor; Justin Va a, Fergus Thomson, Moray Low, Opeta Palepoi, Dan Turner, Kelly Brown, John Beattie, John Barclay.

Subs: Dougie Hall for Thomson, Ed Kalman for Va a and Scott Barrow for Henderson (all 61 mins), Andy Newman for Palepoi (65 mins), James Eddie for Brown (85 mins)

Edinburgh: Hugo Southwell; Simon Webster, Ben Cairns, John Houston, Andrew Turnbull; Phil Godman, Mike Blair; Gavin Kerr, Ross Ford, Craig Smith, Matt Mustchin, Ben Gissing, Allister Hogg CAPTAIN, Dave Callam, Alan MacDonald.

Subs: Augusto Allori for Smith (33 mins), Calum MacRae for Turnbull (40 mins), Andrew Kelly for Ford (60 mins), Ben Meyer for Blair (65 mins), David Blair for Godman (71 mins), Scott Newlands for MacDonald (73 mins).

Referee: David Changleng (Gala)