Peebles slip to fourth place in NL2 after 54-20 defeat at Hamilton Bulls

The Borderers lost 54-20 in South Lanarkshire, a defeat dragging them one place down the Tennent’s National League Division 2 table from third to fourth, on 29 points from nine games.

Next up for Peebles is a visit from Glasgow Academicals, in eighth place on 22 points from nine games, this coming Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm.

A depleted Peebles side arrived at Laigh Bent in Hamilton with no fewer than 14 first-team players missing due to injuries or work commitments and their hosts seized that opportunity to get stuck in, running up a 42-10 lead by half-time.

Euan Jackson Jnr was to thank for all the visitors’ points in the first half, scoring two unconverted tries, one from a line-out catch and drive and the other from a ruck in the hosts’ 22, but he went off injured after that second touchdown.

Peebles douubled their score after the interval with another brace of unconverted tries but still ended up well short of the Bulls’ total.

Their second-half tries were scored by scrum-half David Collins following a good run by Linton Brink and Ryan McConnell, for a bonus point, from a Greg Raeburn penalty in the hosts’ 22.

Three of Hamilton’s tries were scored by Ryan Burrell and two by Andy Wilson, with Grant McCowan, Euan Whelan and Adam Ryan adding one apiece and Owen McLeish chipping in with seven conversions to take their score past the half-century mark.