Wins edge Kelso and Melrose closer to safety in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership

​Though they are yet to join Selkirk in being mathematically safe from fear of the drop, Melrose are all but there, along with Hawick, and Kelso aren’t too far behind.

Eighth-placed Kelso remain the most vulnerable of the region’s four representatives in the premiership but their 41-17 victory hosting Hawick at Poynder Park at the weekend, their first win against the Greens at national level since the 1980s, has put 11 points between them and the top flight’s three-deep relegation zone and, on 40 points from 19 fixtures, co-head coaches Bruce McNeil and Nikki Walker’s side have still got 15 left to play for.

Seventh-placed Melrose’s 45-14 win versus second-from-bottom Marr at the Greenyards takes them equal with Hawick on 45 points, 16 clear of the bottom three, though co-head coaches Scott Wight and Iain Chisholm’s team have played 19 games to the sixth-placed Greens’ 18.

Fifth-placed Selkirk’s hopes of a top-four play-off place were dealt a blow by their 28-22 defeat at home to fourth-placed Currie Chieftains at Philiphaugh at the weekend but – on 54 points from 18 fixtures, five behind their visitors from Edinburgh – head coach Gordon Henderson’s side are not out of contention all together yet.

Kelso’s tries were scored by drafted-in Edinburgh academy blindside flanker Liam McConnell at the double, fly-half Liam Herdman, left-winger Hamish Tweedie and hooker Jack Utterson, with right-winger and co-captain Dwain Patterson converting all five and also kicking two penalties.

Scrum-half Logan Henry and replacement Deaglan Lightfoot touched down for head coach Graham Hogg’s visitors and they were also awarded a penalty try.

Though glad to be going in the right direction, Patterson is well aware the black-and-whites aren’t out of the woods yet, telling Borders Rugby TV afterwards: “We know what’s below us and we know what’s in front of us.

“We’re far from safety just now. We know there are quality sides everywhere around us.

“There are points available everywhere, but we need to just keep playing game by game.

“We won’t be thinking we’re safe until it’s done.”

Hawick loosehead prop and captain Shawn Muir was equally cautious, adding: “First and foremost, we still need to secure our place in the premiership.

“That’s not dead and buried yet. There’s still plenty of rugby to play.

“We probably need a couple more wins. This season’s not done for us yet.”

No 8 Ruairidh Lindsay, lock Allan Ferrie at the double, inside-centre Roly Brett and right-winger Keiran Clark scored tries for Melrose, also given a penalty try, with Clark adding four conversions and a penalty.

Marr’s tries, both converted by Colin Sturgeon, were scored by Cammy Young and Callum Steele.

Melrose’s first win for almost three months means they can now resume looking up the premiership table rather than down towards the way back to Arnold Clark National League Division 1, according to Iain Chisholm.

That victory against Marr ended a six-game winless streak for Melrose and also saw them do the double against their visitors, having got the better of them by 22-12 in Troon in October.

“We are absolutely delighted to get five points,” said Chisholm.

“We can start looking up the way rather than down.”

Touching down for Selkirk were left-winger Ben Pickles twice, blindside flanker Dylan Bronlund and scrum-half Hugo Alderson, with fly-half and captain Aaron McColm adding one conversion.

Currie’s try-scorers were Gregor Christie, DJ Innes at the double and James McCaig, with Alex Harley converting all four.

​Selkirk are disappointed to have let Currie widen the gap between them from two points at kick-off on Saturday to five but are grateful to have picked up two bonus points to keep themselves within a win of the top four, according to lock Jack Fisher.

​That result saw the Edinburgh outfit notch up a winning double against the Souters at Philiphaugh after beating them 54-31 in the reverse fixture in the capital at the end of October.

“We knew it was going to be tough coming into it, it being fourth v fifth,” said Fisher.

“It was good at the end there to get two points but it was also really disappointing.

“Obviously, we went into that game wanting five points, so to come away with two is not the worst outcome, but it’s a disappointing one to take.

“People probably, at the start of the season, wouldn’t have had this one down as a close game, but just proving people wrong is important. It’s sort of an underdog story.”