Kelso back in Scottish club rugby’s top flight for the first time in almost quarter of a century after win at Highland

Kelso being presented with this year's Tennent's National League Division 1 trophy after beating Highland 7-5 in Inverness on Saturday (Photo: Owen Cochrane)

That victory will see them leave behind fellow Borderers Melrose and Gala to join Hawick, Selkirk and Jed-Forest in the Tennent’s Premiership next season and that’s a prospect head coach Kevin Utterson is relishing.

“They’re a great bunch of boys – Hawick, Jethart and Selkirk – and you can’t beat local derbies,” he told Borders Rugby TV after Saturday’s win in Inverness.

“We’re looking forward to it, and it’s another challenge.

Archie Cowens making a catch for Kelso at Highland on Saturday (Pic: Owen Cochrane)

“We’ll seriously look forward to it and it’ll be great to be back in the top flight.

“There’s not much happened at Kelso for a long time, since maybe back in the 1980s, so these boys have now created a bit of history and their names deserve to be spread about. They’ll be remembered for a long time.”

Looking back over Saturday’s match, he said: “You could see it was a nervy, edgy game. There wasn’t much structure in the game. It was just about getting over that final hurdle in the last game of the season.

“The boys dug in and again our defence was just outstanding. Basically, that’s what won us the league. Our defence has been outstanding all season and it was again today.

Keith Melbourne on the charge for Kelso at Highland at the weekend (Pic: Owen Cochrane)

“I never thought 7-5 would be the score, but we got there and I’m just absolutely delighted for the boys. They’ve put so much work in all season and they thoroughly deserve it.”

Captain Frankie Robson is also looking forward to moving up a division, saying: “I’m thoroughly delighted.

“There’s been a lot of boys put in a lot of hard work to get here.

“It was 7-5. It wasn’t a spectacle but we got there.

“Today probably wasn’t our best showing, and there were quite a lot of people watching here as well.

“We came up here to defend and I think we defended really well but didn’t get our attack going.

“They had a good go at us at scrums. We’ve dominated pretty much every team at scrums this year but Highland had a good crack at us. They made a real good go of it. They really wanted to win this game.”

Looking ahead, he added: “Just to be involved in this team is a real honour.

“Knowing the boys and the hunger in this team, we’re not going up to make up the numbers. We’re going up to have a real crack at some teams.

“I think the physical nature of the way we play will help as well. In the past, some teams have gone up and struggled with the physicality of the league above. That will not be a problem for Kelso, so we’re just ready to rip in, to be honest.”

Kelso’s win at Canal Park – only Highland’s second defeat of this season on home turf, the other being to Melrose by 36-30 in November – was secured, despite the visitors being reduced to 13 men at one point by sin-binnings for Robson and Hamish Tweedie, by player-coach Bruce McNeil’s 14th try of the season, converted by Dwain Patterson, with Grant Jamieson replying for their hosts with an unconverted touchdown.

It leaves the Poynder Park team on 96 points from 22 fixtures, ten points clear of second-placed Melrose and out of reach of third-placed Ayr, currently on 82 points with two games left to play.