Win for Kelso at Gala gifts rugby’s Border League title to Hawick

​Ahead of kick-off at Netherdale in Galashiels at the weekend, the hosts were the only team still in mathematical contention to deny the Greens their 51st title.

That was never anything but a tall order, though, as not only would Gala have had to get the better of Scottish Premiership play-off semi-finalists Kelso but they’d have then needed to beat Hawick – undefeated since September – not once but twice, in an as-yet-unscheduled regular fixture and the resulting play-off to secure their 13th title.

Gala’s loss to a makeshift Kelso side, seven of their first-team regulars being unavailable after being named in South of Scotland’s match-day squad for their national inter-district championship-winning 36-18 victory away to Caledonia Reds in Inverness at the same time, took them out of the running, however.

That result, following on from a 19-19 draw for 20-times winners Melrose away to Jed-Forest last Thursday, leaves outgoing head coach Matty Douglas’s Greens four points clear, on 20 from five fixtures, at the top of the table, with Gala fourth, on 12 from five.

Melrose, Kelso and Jed have now played all six of their games in the regional competition, leaving them respectively second on 16 points, third on 12 and sixth on six.

Only two games are now left to play, neither of them scheduled yet – Gala’s visit from Hawick and a trip to Selkirk for Peebles.

Head coach Gordon Henderson’s Selkirk side will go into that finale in fifth place in the table, on eight points, with opposite number Graeme Paterson’s Peebles bottom on two.

Kelso’s try-scorers at Netherdale were blindside flanker Murray Woodcock, right-winger Robbie Tweedie, tighthead prop Ashton Asante and No 8 James Glendinning, with fly-half Angus Utterson kicking all four conversions.

Touching down for their hosts were No 8 Tim McKavanagh, openside flanker Liam Scott and tighthead prop Kyle Scott, with replacement Ethan Wilson adding a conversion.

On the scoresheet for Melrose at Jedburgh’s Riverside Park were Logan Kirk and Angus Runciman with tries and Roly Brett with a conversion, and they were also awarded a penalty try.

Harvey Keith, Mark Glen and Nathan Chisholm scored tries for Jed, with Finlay Scott adding two conversions.

The Greens’ title win in the Border League – the oldest rugby union competition of its kind in the world and now being contested in a league format again, rather than pools, for the first time in years – keeps them on course to follow up last year’s premiership and Scottish cup double, their first since 2002, with a treble.

If they can pull it off, it would be their first treble for 22 years, their last one having seen them win the premiership for the second year on the trot and the regional league for the third year running.

In pursuit of that further silverware, they’ve got a cup semi-final at home to Edinburgh’s Currie Chieftains at Mansfield Park this coming Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm, and a premiership play-off final, also against Currie and at home, to follow on Saturday, May 4, at 2pm.