Back-to-back defeats see former top dogs Melrose slip two places in table in as many weeks

Head coach Callum Anderson’s Greenyards club started October in pole position in the top flight but are now down to third going into November after losing 31-0 at home to defending champions and league leaders Ayr on Saturday, seven days on from a 39-22 derby defeat away to Kelso seven days prior.

Halfway through the regular season, they’re on 32 points from nine fixtures, trailing their visitors from South Ayrshire by eight points and second-placed Heriot’s by three, with fourth-placed Currie Chieftains only a point behind them and another two teams, Watsonians and Kelso, within a bonus-point win of catching them up.

Ayr’s try-scorers were hooker Adam McGowan at the double, locks Rory Jackson and Ed Bloodworth and fly-half Bobby Beattie, with left-winger Jack Craig adding two conversions and replacement Liam Brims another.

Conceding that the better side by far had won, Summing up the difference between the two sides, Melrose assistant coach Jerry Brett told the Offside LIne rugby news website “They showed just how professional they are in their approach to the game.

“They have a power pack that can dominate.

“We found it difficult to compete against a side like that, but the boys never stopped trying.”

Co-head coaches Nikki Walker and Bruce McNeil’s Kelso stay sixth, now on 27 points from nine matches, after drawing 29-29 away to Watsonians in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Their try-scorers in the capital were blindside flanker McNeil with his tenth of the season, full-back Murray Jackson, lock Cammy Thompson and No 8 Harry Borthwick, with fly-half Liam Herdman adding three conversions and left-winger Angus Utterson kicking a penalty.

Watsonians’ tries, two of them converted by full-back Bruce Weatherhead, were touched down by scrum-half Preston Brydon, outside-centre Gus Godwin, hooker Matt Pritchard and replacements Harry Fisher and Adrian Kotze.

Walker was disappointed to see his side let slip a 12-point lead with quarter of an hour to play but happy enough to return home with three points, saying: “We squeezed them in the forwards and I thought we got on top of them up front, especially in the second half.

“We were really clinical with the opportunities we had, so, overall, we’re fairly happy but there’s definitely a bit of disappointment mixed in there that we didn’t manage to get five points in the end.

“Obviously, we are disappointed that we didn’t seal it in the end, but Watsonians actually looked dangerous all day and missed quite a few scoring opportunities.

“It could have easily been very different, but we stuck in there and stayed in the fight.”

Hawick also remain static in the table, in eighth place, but they’ve put an extra four points’ distance between themselves and basement side Glasgow Hawks after chalking up their fourth win of the season, by 24-17, away to Edinburgh Academical at the weekend, taking them to 19 points from eight fixtures.

No 8 Connor Sutherland, scrum-half Gareth Welsh and full-back Bailey Donaldson touched down tries for head coach Graham Hogg’s Greens, all converted by the No 15, and outside-centre Harry Wear added a penalty.

Lock Toby Edwin and replacements George Barlow and Max Erasmus scored Accies’ tries, one of them converted by fly-half Vincent Hart.

“To get five points last week against Watsonians and then come up here to a place we haven’t won at often and come away with a win, we’re happy,” said Hogg.

“At the same time, we’re pretty disappointed, especially with our second-half performance.

“We felt that we should have got that bonus point – but that probably shows the growth in the group. We are wanting to be individually and collectively better.

“There were some really good things, especially in the first half.”