Left-winger Ben Pickles being halted by inside-centre Frankie Robson during Selkirk’s 22-12 derby win away to Kelso on Saturday in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)Left-winger Ben Pickles being halted by inside-centre Frankie Robson during Selkirk’s 22-12 derby win away to Kelso on Saturday in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)
Left-winger Ben Pickles being halted by inside-centre Frankie Robson during Selkirk’s 22-12 derby win away to Kelso on Saturday in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership (Photo: Grant Kinghorn)

Flying start earns derby victory versus Kelso for Selkirk in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership

​Selkirk go into round four of the new Arnold Clark Premiership rugby season as the Borders’ top dogs in their division after racking up their second derby victory away to Kelso on the bounce.

​Heach coach Gordon Henderson’s Souters followed up edging out their hosts by 21-19 at Poynder Park last October by running up an even bigger winning margin of 22-12 on Saturday.

That win, their second of the new campaign after handing out a 41-10 hiding to Glasgow Hawks at home seven days prior, leaves Selkirk, second from bottom of the standings last time round, fourth in the table, on 11 points from three fixtures, with Hawick eighth and Kelso ninth, both on six points, and Melrose tenth, on five.

That was the first Borders derby of the new top-flight season, with the next one, Melrose hosting Selkirk at the Greenyards, following on Saturday, September 28, with kick-off at 3pm.

In the interim, the Souters host table-toppers Ayr and Kelso hit the road to seventh-placed Hawks this coming Saturday, both also at 3pm.

Selkirk’s try-scorers at the weekend were scrum-half Hugo Alderson, full-back Callum Anderson and right-winger Josh Welsh within the first 20 minutes, with Alderson adding two conversions and a penalty.

Kelso’s tries were scored by full-back Archie Barbour and co-head coach and No 8 Bruce McNeil, with outside-centre Dwain Patterson converting one of them.

Selkirk’s Jack Fisher, recruited from Boroughmuir Bears in June following the scrapping of the Fosroc Super Series franchises, credits their flying start for Saturday’s victory, telling Borders Rugby TV afterwards: “We knew Kelso would be a physical side so we put an emphasis on starting well.

“We just blew them away in the first 10 to 15 minutes, got the three tries and then went in at half-time saying ‘look, they’re going to come out fighting’, and they did, but credit to the boys, for 35 minutes of the second half we kept them to nil, even with a couple of us getting sent off at the end with yellow cards.

“We know this is going to be a tough year, but what you put in is what you’ll get out and we’re aiming up.

“A lot of people wouldn’t have predicted those results against Hawks and Kelso but it’s those of us on the pitch that are going to get us those results.

“We’re going to make Philiphaugh a fortress when we play at home and we’re going to go out for every game hoping to get a win. That’s our aim and we’ll see where it takes us.”

Looking ahead to this weekend’s visit from Ayr, on a 100% haul of 15 points from three fixrures after giving Musselburgh an 82-0 thumping at home on Saturday, former Preston Lodge lock Fisher, 24, wants to see more of the same from his new team, adding: “I played against a lot of Ayr’s squad last year in the Super Series so I know what to expect.

“They’ll be a big, physical side and we’ve just got to start how we started against Kelso and take the game to them.

“They don’t like it when you’re in their faces, so we’ll try to get in there.”

Kelso won’t be panicking after losing two of their first three fixtures of the new season as there’s still a long way to go, according to co-captain Patterson.

Saturday’s derby defeat at home to Selkirk followed a 21-17 loss at Musselburgh seven days previously, leaving his side, fourth-place finishers last season, fourth from bottom of the 12-team table.

“We went off script too much,” said Patterson afterwards.

“We were on the back foot too much and we just panicked too many times.

“We need to stick to our structure, stick to basics and get those basics nailed down and then you’ve actually got a platform to play off, but if you’ve not got that and you’re on the back foot the whole time, you’re going to struggle to get any points, as it showed today.

“It’s raw just now but we need to have a real look at what we can do and what we’ve not done so far and make a change.”

Kelso have still got plenty of time to turn a faltering season around, however, according to Patterson.

“I don’t think it’s quite time to hit the panic button,” said the 22-year-old.

“We’re three games in – we’ve still got 19 to go – but we need to really put some more work in.

“It’s a squad effort. It’s going to take at least 30 or boys to be anywhere near competing in this league.”

Paying credit to derby-day victors Selkirk, he added: “They were outstanding and they beat us in all aspects of the game.”

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