In pictures: Sun brings crowds out for Peebles Sevens

Proceedings at the club’s Gytes home ground got under way last Friday afternoon with a past players-versus-exiles match, followed by an ex-Pees’ reunion and under-16s’ sevens tournament.

A cup and bowl were at stake for the youngsters, and it ended up with Peebles’ youngsters and Gala Red Triangle contesting the former and Jed-Forest and Hawick the latter.

Peebles were hoping to retain the cup they won last year but lost out 17-12 to Gala, and a fightback from Jed to go 17-12 in front wasn’t enough as the Greens ran out 19-17 winners.

Gala captain Nairn Moncrieff was delighted with that trophy win, telling Borders Rugby TV: “We’ve not had a lot of time together but we just worked hard throughout the whole tournament and I think that really pulled us through.

“We started off not really in our proper sevens form – it was a bit solo-ish – but as the tournament went on, we just kind of built together as a team and that really showed.”

Losing skipper Ruaridh Docherty added: “I thought the boys did really well.

“A lot of them are really young, so it was a big step up for them and it was just unlucky at the end, but we were up against a very strong, good Gala side. We played well.”

A women’s sevens contest followed on Saturday morning and it saw Edinburgh-based charity side Hearts and Balls successfully defend the Helen Cleghorn Memorial Trophy they won last year, unlike their male counterparts, beaten 19-12 by eventual winners Watsonians at the pool stage of the main event.

An under-18s sevens contest rounded off the weekend on Sunday and it was won by Peebles Colts Reds for the first time in 18 years, thanks to a 38-14 victory against Hawick Youth, last year’s winners, in the final.