Last-ditch penalty keeps Kelso on top of rugby’s Tennent’s National League Division 1 table

Only a try bonus point and a losing bonus point separate Kelso, currently on 79 points from 18 games, and Ayr, on 77, setting up the South Ayrshire side’s visit to their Tennent’s National League Division 1 title rivals’ Poynder Park home ground on Saturday, March 11, as a potential promotion decider.

They’ve both got a game to play in the meantime, though, and two afterwards, so what’s shaping up to be a two-horse race could remain in the balance until the last day of their seasons – Saturday, April 15 – depending on what happens between now and then.

Third-placed Melrose look to be out of the reckoning, however, following their 18-15 defeat at Kelso on Saturday, leaving them on 70 points from 18 fixtures.

On the scoresheet for Kelso, 12-8 down at the interval, were Cammy Brown and Kevin Dryden with tries and Dwain Patterson with a conversion and two penalties, the latter of them the match-winner just ahead of the final whistle.

Touching down for Melrose were Connor Spence and Harry Makowski, with captain David Colvine adding a conversion and a penalty.

Kelso captain Frankie Robson was relieved to see his team snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, telling Borders Rugby TV afterwards: “They came out and for the first ten minutes and really took the game to us, scoring a couple of tries.

“They were feisty and they were just really up for it, and from then on in we were just fighting a battle to get back in the game.

“It was quite a good battle. It was hard-fought definitely.”

Looking ahead to Ayr’s visit, offering the Borderers the chance to do the double against them after edging them out 22-21 away in the reverse fixture at the end of November after being 21-5 down at half-time, he added: “We went over to Ayr and found ourselves 14-0 down in the first ten or 15 minutes, so that’s something we need to address.

“We’re not going to win every game when we go ten or 12 points down so it’s definitely something we need to address.”

His opposite number Colvine said: “It was kind of a cup final day for us.

“It was all or nothing really, so it was disappointing, but nothing changes about the way we conduct ourselves around the club.

“We’ve got a Border League final against Selkirk to look forward to and we’ll get ourselves up and ready for that.

“It’s a case of getting back into that one-game-at-a-time mentality.

“Nos 1 to 20 put in a solid effort. It was just that small errors came into play and Kelso took advantage of that.”

This coming Saturday sees Kelso on the road to Edinburgh to take on eighth-placed Watsonians and Melrose at home to fifth-placed Highland, both those fixtures kicking off at 3pm.

Both will be looking to do the double after winning the reverse fixtures, Kelso by 31-15 at home in mid-November and Melrose by 36-30 in Inverness that same weekend.