Gala and Peebles to end 2022 with first Border League game since 2018

They meet at the Gytes on Saturday, December 31, with kick-off at 2pm.

That derby might be a dead rubber, neither the Pees nor their Galashiels visitors being able to qualify for next year’s final, but the hosts will get a say in deciding Selkirk’s opponents for the trophy come their following Border League pool B match, to be played at the Gytes on a date yet to be fixed.

Their game against Melrose will be this season’s concluding pool B fixture and it will determine whether current table-toppers Kelso or second-placed Melrose go through to the final to take on the Souters, winners of pool A.

As things stand, Kelso, beaten finalists last season, are on 11 points from three matches and Melrose on nine with a game in hand.

Tennent’s National League Division 1 side Gala have lost both their games to date but have a losing bonus point to their name. Tennent’s National League Division 2’s Peebles have yet to pick up any points, having lost the only game they’ve played so far, by 28-0 at home to Kelso in August.

Both teams pulled out of last season’s competition, the former due to fixture congestion and the latter because of injury issues.

Gala have won the league 12 times overall, most recently in 2016, but Peebles are stll waiting for their first title.

The last time the two sides met in the league, in August 2018, it went the Pees’ way by 17-14 at home.

Gala finished that campaign bottom of their pool with one point from three games, Peebles ending up one place better off on four points.