Kelso stay top of rugby’s Tennent’s National League Division 1 with Melrose close behind but Gala title challenge fading

Kelso halting an Aberdeen Grammar attack on Saturday (Pic: Howard Moles)

Kelso have kept hold of pole position in rugby’s Tennent’s National League Division 1 with their fourth victory on the bounce but Borders rivals Melrose are keeping up their title challenge and remain within three points of top spot.

Both racked up bonus-point wins on Saturday, Kelso by 47-10 at Aberdeen Grammar and Melrose by 47-13 at home to Stirling County.

Gala, last season’s nearly men, look to be dropping out of the reckoning for promotion after a 52-10 thrashing at Edinburgh’s Watsonians, however,

Those results, with 12 games played, take head coach Kevin Utterson’s Kelso side up to 53 points and Bert Grigg’s second-placed Melrose to 50, with Ayr third on 48 and Stuart Johnson’s Gala fourth on 36.

Another Kelso tackle going in against Aberdeen Grammar (Pic: Howard Moles)

Kelso and Gala are both at home this coming Saturday for games kicking off at 3pm, the former to seventh-placed Dundee and the latter to Ayr, but Melrose are on the road to Edinburgh to take on basement side Stewart’s Melville, with kick-off there an hour earlier.

Kelso’s tries at Rubislaw were scored by Keith Melbourne, Kevin Dryden, Bruce McNeil, captain Frankie Robson and Nick Stingl at the double, accompanied by a penalty try, with five conversions being added by Dwain Patterson.

Grammar’s only try was scored by Donald Kennedy, with captain Tom Aplin adding a penalty and conversion.

Kelso No 8 and coach McNeil was delighted to head back down south from Aberdeen with a handful of points, telling Borders Rugby TV: “It was a good result.

Kelso and Aberdeen Grammar vying for the ball during the Borderers' 47-10 away win on Saturday (Pic: Howard Moles)

“It was very pleasing to go away up to Aberdeen and get five points, which was the most important thing.

"Performance-wise, there’s a lot to work on.

“For the first 20 to 25 minutes, we played really well, with some great structure, then, if I’m being honest, we went away from that, and credit to Aberdeeen as they disrupted us all over the park, offensively and defensively.

“We’ve got lots to work on but it was job done up there.”

Mitch Richardson in possession for Melrose against Stirling County (Pic: Douglas Hardie)

On the scoresheet for Melrose at the Greenyards with tries were Mitch Richardson, James Brown and Struan Hutchison all at the double, plus Bruce Colvine, with Hutchison converting six.

Though emphatic victors in the end, it was a game of two halves for Melrose as they were only 19-13 up at the interval.

“It was just a case of sticking to our shape and our game-plan and probably converting a few missed points,” said Colvine.

“We were turned over too easily in the first half numerous times in their 22, so it was probably about cutting out silly penalties, looking after the ball a bit better and reaping the rewards from that, which thankfully we did in the secoond half.

James Brown on the attack for Melrose versus Stirling County on Saturday (Pic: Douglas Hardie)

“The real positive as well was that latterly in the game the guys making line-breaks had two or three options, not just one, which was great to see.”

Looking ahead to Saturday, he added: “There is no easy game in National 1. Some scores may give that impression but it’s not at all, especially when you’re away from home.”

County’s scorers were Gregor Smith with two penalties and a conversion and Liam Carroll with a try.

Callum Pate and Euan Dods scored Gala’s tries in the capital, both unconverted.