Hawick Force within a single point of winning revived Border junior rugby league

​Force currently top the six-team table, with 36 points from eight fixtures and two left to play, but they’re eight points clear of second-placed Gala A’s tally of 28 from eight so they don’t even need a win or draw this week as a try or losing bonus point would secure the title.

Last Friday’s 66-17 win for Hawick’s reserves at home to Gala was one of two games played that night, the other being a 65-10 victory for Kelso Sharks hosting Peebles.

Force’s penultimate fixture at home to Reds, with kick-off at 7pm, is one of three lined up for this week.

The others see Selkirk A hosting Melrose Storm on Thursday, with kick-off at 7.30pm, and Gala away to Kelso Sharks on Friday, with kick-off half an hour later.

Going into that hat-trick of fixtures, Storm are third in the standings, on 24 points from eight matches; Sharks fourth, on 22 from seven; and the Souters bottom, with eight from seven.

The following Friday, December 8, sees Storm host Force, with kick-off at 7.30pm, and Selkirk are at home to Kelso the day after at 2pm.

That leaves only one further fixture to fulfil, a trip to Selkirk for Peebles on Thursday, December 14, with kick-off at 7.30pm.

This year’s junior league season is the first since 2010, the competition, first staged in 1906, having made a comeback to replace last term’s east reserve league divisions 1, 2 and 3 to cut the amount of travelling required by players involved and to try to reduce the number of games called off.