​Win takes Gala level with Melrose on points in rugby’s Scottish National League Division 1

​Both are now on 33 points, though Melrose have only played 11 fixtures to Gala’s dozen and have got a points-scored difference 69 better, keeping them in fourth place, with their neighbours sitting fifth.

On the scoresheet for Gala at Netherdale at the weekend were Cameron Pate, Murray Wilson, Glenn McCrum, Jack Easson, Murray Wilson, Jack Niven, Ritchie Mitchell twice, Russell Kerr and Ben Gill with tries and Kerr with three conversions.

Melrose’s try-scorers at the Greenyards were Keiran Clark at the double, Connor Spence and Matty Bertram, with James Brown adding three conversions and a penalty.

This coming Saturday sees Gala on the road to eighth-placed Biggar and Melrose at table-toppers Ayr, the former kicking off at 2pm at Hartree Mill and the latter at 3pm at Millbrae.

The Galashiels side go into that away-day to South Lanarkshire three league places and 11 points better off than their hosts but Melrose trail Ayr by three places and 20 points.

Both reverse fixtures in September were won by scorelines of 35, with Gala hitting that mark to outdo Biggar’s tally of 21 at Netherdale but Melrose losing 35-13 to their South Ayrshire visitors at the Greenyards.

The following Saturday, December 2, sees the two sets of Borderers going head to head at Netherdale, with kick-off at 3pm, and the hosts looking to make amends for their 53-31 defeat in the reverse fixture at the end of September.

That previous meeting was a Border League double-header and it leaves Melrose fourth in the table, on four points from that one fixture, and Gala second from bottom, on none.

Gala’s next Border League game is away to Scottish Premiership basement side Jed-Forest on Saturday, December 16, with kick-off at Jedburgh’s Riverside Park at 3pm.

Melrose’s follows on Friday, February 23, on the road against another top-flight outfit in the form of Selkirk, with kick-off at Philiphaugh at 7.30pm.