Peebles up to third after fourth win from five games but Selkirk, Gala and Jed-Forest lose out

That latest loss, by 21-15 away to Glasgow High Kelvinside on Saturday, leaves head coach Derek O’Riordan’s Souters on six points, four adrift of second-bottom Biggar, 49-43 winners hosting Musselburgh at the same time, at the foot of the table.

The Philiphaugh outfit’s afternoon to forget at Old Anniesland was part of a full house of beatings for the division’s Borderers at the weekend, shipping 186 points between them, with Gala going down 82-7 at home to league leaders Stirling County and Jed-Forest 89-26 away to Glasgow Academicals.

Those other fifth-round results see head coach Ewen Robbie’s Maroons slip from second place to fourth, now on 16 points, and opposite number Michael Harshaw’s Jed fall one from seventh to eighth as one of three teams on ten points, the others being seventh-placed GHK and Biggar.

Jed and Selkirk are both at home this coming Saturday, respectively to GHK and Biggar, and Gala are on the road, to sixth-placed Musselburgh, all those matches being 3pm kick-offs.

That will be Selkirk’s first competitive meeting with the South Lanarkshire side since a 26-3 home win in what was then BT National League Division 1 in December 2014 and Jed and GHK are also unfamiliar opponents. Gala and Musselburgh have been rivals since the East Lothian outfit’s relegation from the Arnold Clark Premiership last year, with last season’s corresponding fixture going the way of the hosts by 59-34 last September.

The Souters’ try-scorers against GHK were full-back Josh Welsh and left-winger Robbie Macdonnell, with scrum-half Oliver McClymont adding a conversion and a penalty.

Left-winger Ben Gill touched down Gala’s sole try against Stirling and it was converted by right-winger Cameron Brydon.

Touching down for Jed were blindside flanker Jamie Hynd, loosehead prop Tomoki Nobeta, openside flanker Charlie Lewis and right-winger Christian Beaton, with No 8 Finn Scott adding three conversions.

A division down, Peebles have edged up one place to third after chalking up a fourth win from their five opening fixtures away to Dundee on Saturday, by 34-19, taking them to 18 points, trailing second-placed Falkirk by three and unbeaten table-toppers Highland by seven.

Hooker and captain Matt Carryer touched down two tries for head coach Graeme Paterson’s visitors, with No 8 Ewan Hunter and replacement Lewis George adding one apiece and fly-half Liam Irvine kicking all four conversions and adding two penalties.

Next up for the Pees is a visit from Preston Lodge this coming Saturday, with kick-off at the Gytes against the second-from-bottom East Lothian outfit at 3pm.

The two teams last went up against each other competitively in January 2023, with Peebles winning 15-0 at home, though they have since met for a pre-season friendly at the Gytes in August 2024, with the Borderers coming out on top that time round too, by 26-19.