Kelso 36-31 Watsonians: Kelso can still improve says co-boss

"The result’s amazing in terms of ‘we won’,” Bruce McNeil - Kelso co-coach with Nikki Walker - told Borders Rugby TV.

"But it was nip and tuck there for a while. We feel that we probably should have controlled the areas slightly better when we got ahead.

"We could maybe have played a bit more in their half and been a bit more composed.

"The result was outstanding but we’ll keep our feet on the ground knowing that there is loads to work on.

"But the pleasing thing is there’s a serious amount I want there, playing for the jersey, playing for each other.

"So we’ve not lost that which is very pleasing. But we just need to put a bit of meat on the bones in terms of structure and controlling things.”

Kelso had earlier controlled the opening period of the game, spending plenty of time deep in the Watsonians half.

And they got their reward after 10 minutes when Harry Borthwick ran over for a converted score, converted by Dwain Patterson.

But after Kelso lost scrum-half Andy Tait to injury, the Edinburgh visitors struck back. With a fine individual effort, Ronan Kerr finished off the first real attack where they’d held onto possession through more than two phases, Dom Coetzer and Josh Mitchell having set up the chance with fine attacking forays.

Jason Baggott’s conversion made it 7-7.

But the Borderers then went 10-7 up at the interval as Patterson stepped up from almost on the halfway line to slot three more points from a long distance penalty.

And things got better for Kelso early in the second half courtesy of a Patterson try following brilliant set-up play involving Murray Woodcock, Liam Herdman and Cammy Thompson.

Although the away side hit back via a Stuart Allison try after Kelso had dropped the ball, Patterson was soon in down the left flank again to make it 22-14 for his side.

Watsonians responded with a Baggott penalty, but Kelso kept dishing out punishment and ex-Southern Knights star Adam Hall went over after a counter attack – converted by Patterson for 29-17.

Lewis Ball crashed over for Watsons, converted by Baggott, to bring the away side within five points.

Archie Barbour then broke away down the right flank for Kelso to touch down – converted by Patterson – before the scoring was rounded off at the other end when Ally Davidson finished from close range, again converted by Baggott.

The hosts also celebrated winning some silverware as this was the first time that Kelso and Watsonians had met since the passing of Clive Millar, a Berwickshire farmer who attended George Watson’s College and played for Watsonians, before becoming a key member of the Kelso team which won the Scottish Championship in 1989.

A special trophy was commissioned in his memory, and it will reside in his former Poynder Park clubrooms for the first season.