This season’s Kings of 7s now a two-horse race as Accies cut Melrose’s lead to seven points

This year’s competition is now a two-horse race, though, and the hosts’ only title rivals still standing, Edinburgh Academical, will be happier with their day’s work after picking up seven points for reaching the final, cutting Melrose’s lead from 11 points to seven, with ten left to play for on home turf in this season’s finale at the capital’s Raeburn Place this coming Saturday.

Happier still at the end of the day, however, was Selkirk’s Ciaran Beattie after seeing his Scottish Thistles national development side negotiate four rounds on their way to beating Accies 22-10 in the final.

That was the Thistles’ first 1883 Centenary Cup victory since they got the better of Leicester Tigers by 31-12 back in 2008 and Beattie was cock-a-hoop at picking up such a prestigious prize just a matter of months on from the launch of the Great Britain and Scotland sevens programme he’s overseeing.

His squad, featuring Gala’s Ritchie Mitchell and Peebles’ Stevie Hamilton, knocked out Musselburgh 32-7 in round one, Hamilton’s home-town club 28-0 in round two, Melrose 21-17 in the quarter-finals and Kelso 33-5 in the semis, with that last result taking the Poynder Park outfit out of the running for this year’s title.

“It’s hard to take in,” said the 40-year-old. “I was emotional in those last three minutes as the eyes of Scotland were watching us and we wanted to impress.

“The last minute or so was a tough watch and I had a real tear in my eye.

“There was a lot of humility and it was good to be showing that accuracy when we really needed it.

“There was a range of experience throughout the squad, all from a range of academies, some club players and two guys with world championship experience, so to do it like this, it’s just unreal.

“People may have thought that it was a foregone conclusion given we’re a Scotland team, but we were put to the test by some really strong sides, and to produce at the level we did, especially against a really well-drilled Melrose team, is something for us to be proud of.

“Some have said it’s been one of their best rugby experiences.”

Thistles’ try-scorers versus Accies, both at the double, were former Southern Knight Freddie Owsley and Brent Jackson, with Robbie Chalmers and Bobby Beattie replying, the latter being one of four Ayr players drafted into the Edinburgh outfit’s squad as injury cover.

Making up the rest of Thistles’ 15-strong line-up, captained by Finn Callaghan, were Murray Waugh, Gregor Johnston, Mitchell Newell, Isaac Coates, Leo Munro, Lewis Wells and Sam Leweni.

Accies’ route to the final consisted of wins against Heriot’s by 22-7 in round two, an Edinburgh side captained by Melrose-born Charlie Shiel and coached by ex-Gala fly-half Craig Dods by 19-12 in the last eight and Ayr by 15-7 in the semi-finals.

Four-tie round one’s other results were victories by 17-12 for Currie Chieftains against Durham University, 35-14 for Newcastle Red Bulls versus Glasgow Hawks and 17-5 for Edinburgh against Stirling County.

Eight-tie round two also saw the hosts knock out Gala 31-10, Boroughmuir dismiss Currie by 19-14, Kelso get the better of Watsonians by 17-10, Jed-Forest thumped 54-5 by Ayr, Hawick lose out by 42-5 to Newcastle and Selkirk handed a 38-5 hiding by Edinburgh, featuring Melrose’s Harri Morris and the Souters’ Hugo Alderson in their squad of 11.

Saturday’s two other quarter-finals yielded wins by 19-7 for Kelso against Boroughmuir and 24-21 for Ayr versus Newcastle.

Melrose go into this weekend’s 11th and final round of the series on 70 points, with only Accies, on 63, now in with a chance of catching up with them.

Kelso are third on 53, Gala fourth on 22, Selkirk fifth on 21, Jed and Boroughmuir joint-sixth on 19, Watsonians eight on 17, Heriot’s ninth on 14 and Durham University tenth on 13.

Monaco Umusa won the women’s tournament, beating their hosts 22-5 in their final, and Newcastle’s academy won the under-18s cup, seeing off Perth’s Strathallan School 24-14.

This Saturday’s sevens, the first Kings of the 7s round to be played in Edinburgh and only the third to take place outwith the Borders, following Langholm and Berwick’s, will be contested in four pools of three, followed by semi-finals and a final.

Melrose share a pool with Selkirk and Stewart’s Melville, Accies with Musselburgh and Boroughmuir, Kelso with Peebles and Watsonians and Gala with Jed-Forest and Heriot’s.

Play gets under way at 1pm and the day’s final is scheduled for 6pm.

Entry is £15, £10 for concessions and free for children under 12.