Fixtures

LATEST BORDERS RUGBY NEWS
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Sep 25th
The spoils in the four high profile local derby games this weekend went to the visitors in all cases. In Premier 1 Melrose stormed back with 30 points in the second half to beat Selkirk 45-22 at Philiphaugh and claim another try bonus. Fraser Thomson scored another brace to take his total to 9 in just five games, while Callum Anderson crossed for two tries, with Richard Higgins getting the fifth. Scott Wight was successful on eight occasions with the boot, kicking four penalties and four conversions.

Jamie Murray on the attack at Philiphaugh for Melrose
Picture courtesy Grant Kinghorn

For Selkirk, who were ahead 22-15 at the break, thanks to a Fraser Harkness try converted by David Cassidy, who also scored 5 penalties, it was a fifth straight loss with just one bonus point to show for their efforts in Premier 1 this season. Highlights are available here. Melrose move up to third in the table on 20 points, clear also at the top of the Borders Rugby Rankings, while Selkirk are down in 11th and face bottom team Stew-Mel at Inverleith next Saturday.

Gavin Craig gets a pass out for Selkirk as Graeme Dodds looks on
Picture courtesy Grant Kinghorn

In Premier 2 Gala raced to an 18-0 lead at Mansfield Park and went on to win 27-10 with their biggest ever league victory against their rivals. Two first half tries from Andy McLean and Shaun Law as well as the boot of Gregor Hunter with two penalties and a conversion, gave the Maroons a cushion, and when Hunter added another penalty after the break, the game looked over. To their credit Hawick came back with a Neil Renwick penalty and a conversion of Bruce McNeil's try, but two further Hunter penalties, thanks to indiscipline in the Hawick ranks, gave them an historic win. Highlights of this game here.

Chris Charters hands of Chris Dalgleish in the big local derby on Saturday.
Picture courtesy Kenneth Baillie

Jedforest took advantage of an eight minute injury time conversion miss by Kelso captain Kevin Utterson to win 20-19 at Poynder Park. Jed won the try count 3-2 thanks to Ewan Scott, Lewis Young and former Kelso player Darren Gillespie. Scott bagged a penalty and conversion. For Kelso Utterson scored a try and three penalties with Gary Mulroy going over for a try.

Peebles went down to a heavy home defeat by neighbours Biggar 34-13 after an uninspiring first half which produced just 12 points shared between them. Donald Anderson's two penalties for Peebles in the first half was added to in the second by a Donald Sangster try converted by Steve Gee.

Hawick are fifth in the Premier 2 table, ahead of Peebles on points difference. Gala are still 7th despite their win while Jedforest are eighth and Kelso prop up the table.

In National League 1 Berwick beat Linlithgow with Dave Gilchrist, Aaron Hall and Matthew Hackett all scoring tries. Hackett kicked all three conversions as well as adding a penalty. Langholm went down 76-0 at league leaders Dalziel and are still without their first win of the season. Hawick YM scraped home 23-22 against Lasswade in NL2 thanks to a comeback. Gregor Welsh was man of the match with a try, two conversions and three penalties. He is now the top scorer of all Borders sides playing in the Premiership or National Leagues with 61. Hamish Neish scored YM's other try. Hawick Linden lost at home to Forrester 43-15 in NL3 with their points coming from Stuart Campbell and Steven Harkness, with a try apiece, and Steven Beattie with a conversion and a penalty.

Into the East League and Earlston were the only local winners, beating Edinburgh Northern 32-10 at The Haugh. They scored a try bonus thanks to Alan McDowall, Steven Renton, Barry Watson and Ben Douglas, with Chris Shand kicking two penalties as well as converting three of the tries.

Hawick Harlequins lost for the first time this season at Dunbar (23-10) while Duns went down at home 25-21 to Portobello.

In EL2 Gala YM beat Walkerburn 55-20 and St Boswells won on the road at Liberton by 19-12. In the 2nd XV Development Cup Final Kelso 2nds beat Gala 2nds 23-20.

Sep 24th
Former Scottish international and Gala legend Gregor Townsend was recognised today with an Honorary Fellowship of Borders College at the institution's graduation ceremony at Springwood Park in Kelso. Two years ago Townsend helped launch the Borders Academy of Sporting Excellence (BASE) which offers students the opportunity to combine academic and vocational study with competing at the highest level in their chosen sport. The 82-times capped player said he was "very honoured and pleasantly surprised."

Meanwhile Jim Thompson and Kelly Brown will attend the Selkirk re-anactment of the old game of Carterhaugh Ba' tomorrow at Bowhill, near Selkirk, as part of the Homecoming celebrations.

Gregor Townsend

Sep 24th
John Coutts has quit Hawick to join Melrose. The Greens back who scored three braces in his first three games for Hawick was always talking about it being difficult to combine studies in Edinburgh while playing for Hawick, and there were rumours going about that he would perhaps join Edinburgh Accies or Watsonians, but for him to sign up with Melrose (for a second time) is a bitter blow for Hawick Rugby Club.

John Coutts (left) joins Nick McTaggart (centre) at Melrose, while
Neil Renwick moves to full back to face Gala on Saturday.

Hawick President Donald McLeod said: "We have done all we can to keep him here and this is a big disappointment for the club and its members."

An official club statement on its site said that Coutts had informed the club by text on Wednesday following a training session at The Greenyards on Tuesday. Statements of this kind from clubs usually go on to wish that player well, using phrases like "by mutual agreement" but the curt tone of the statement puts over the impression that this move from Coutts has not gone down well at the club - particularly as it is Melrose he will be moving to.

Clearly this is a big and bitter blow to the club who will undoubtedly miss the talented player. It comes ahead of one of their biggest games of the season as they prepare to meet Gala at Mansfield Park on Saturday. Dean McCracken will play at fly half with Neil Renwick at full back.

Hawick coach Deke Armstrong told us: "I'm really disappointed in John. I've nothing against players moving to better themselves but he could have done it at the start of the season. He's let us down and typical Melrose, Craig Chalmers was never off the phone to him, and I think that's too much pressure. I'm really disappointed in Melrose the way they've acted but that's rugby and if that's what he wants to do then that's what he wants to do. But a lot of his mates are sick at what he's done four games into the season when we're trying to get promotion. If he can bear that then that is up to him."

Craig Chalmers, coach for Melrose, has signed several local players to Melrose including Fraser Thomson, Bruce Dick and Tim Miskelly from Gala, Nick McTaggart (Hawick) and Garry Elder from Jedforest, but when quizzed on the subject he has always taken the opinion that if players want to come and play for Melrose he will welcome them with open arms. Chalmers also made the point that at least Coutts is not being lost to Borders Rugby. Coutts will play in the 2nd XV against Dalziel this weekend and will need to impress his new coach before getting a game with the 1st squad.

Sep 24th
It's Super Saturday tomorrow and no less than four local derbies will take place starting with Selkirk against Melrose in Premier 1. Selkirk cannot even trace the last time they lost three times at home at Philiphaugh but that is what they are facing against Melrose, who are out for revenge after being beaten twice last season by the Souters. Selkirk hope to have Alex Dunbar back in the centre following his run out for new team Gael Force during the week, while Melrose will want to play a lot better than last week at the Greenyards when, despite a below-par performance, still won against Stewart's Melville with a try bonus point.

In Premier 2 the big game is at Mansfield Park. Hawick will play Gala in a competitive league or Cup match for the first time in many years, and administrators are pulling out all the stops at Hawick to make it a day to remember. A special lunch, an old crocks game between the two sides and a junior match will precede the main event. Hawick will be without one of their stars John Coutts who has walked out on the club to join Melrose - a source of bitter disappointment for Hawick - particularly after his six tries in three games. There were many who thought he would go to a city club due to his studies, but to return to Melrose will be a surprise to many. Gala have managed to secure a bonus point in each of their four games so far but a win against Hawick will be a real boost to George Graham's side.

Kelso will play Jedforest at Poynder Park. Both teams have had poor starts to the season despite winning their first games of the season, and with Kelso in particular averaging just 10 points in each game so far, they will want to increase that average. Jed have averaged just under 20 a game and young Ewan Scott could well take over at the top of the Borders Rugby Rankings points table if he kicks a few of his goals on Saturday. Former Kelso player Darren Gillespie will return to his old club three weeks after signing for Jedforest.

Peebles have a local derby against Biggar, and this will be an almighty tussle. Peebles tasted defeat on the first day of the season at The Gytes against Aberdeen and they don't like home losses. After three straight wins they are confident of a win to consolidate their position at the top of the Borders Rugby Rankings table.

Elsewhere, Berwick are at home to Linlithgow in National League 1 while in the same division Langholm hit the road with a game at Dalziel looking for their first win. In NL2 Hawick YM take on Lasswade at The Mansfield Haugh, while Hawick Linden are also at home against Forrester.

In the East League 1 matches involving local teams, Duns host Portobello, Hawick Harlequins are away at Dunbar looking to protect their unbeaten record and Earlston have a home game against Edinburgh Northern. EL2 pits Gala YM against Walkerburn with St Boswells travelling to Liberton.

Finally, in the 2nd XV Development Cup Final it's Kelso 2nd XV v Gala 2nd XV.

Andy Haig, Kelso 2nd XV skipper, receives the trophy from John Davidson