​Wins for Gala and Selkirk reserves as rugby’s Border junior league wraps up for 2023

​Gala’s reserves beat Kelso Sharks by 31-17 at Netherdale and Selkirk’s got the better of Peebles Reds by 42-24 at Philiphaugh.

Those results, after nine sets of fixtures, leave the Galashiels outfit second in the six-team table with 32 points, Kelso third with 27, Melrose Storm fourth on 25, Peebles fifth on 22 and Selkirk bottom on 15.

Nine rounds having been played, there’s one more to go in the new year potentially but Hawick Force are already confirmed as champions, nine points clear of Gala on 41 following their 24-14 win away to Melrose on Friday, December 8, thanks to tries from Fergus Bell at the double, Fraser Anderson and Cian Riddell.

Dating back to 1906, the regional reserve league was last contested in 2010, with Gala A winning that time round.

It was reintroduced for the 2023/24 season to replace last term’s Tennent’s East Reserve League divisions 1, 2 and 3 to cut the amount of travelling required by players involved and to try to reduce the number of games called off.

The revived league was originally seven-strong but Jed-Forest A’s withdrawal forced a fixture list rethink.

Hawick, Melrose and Selkirk played in east regional division 1 last season, travelling to Edinburgh, Musselburgh and Biggar, and they ended up fifth, sixth and second bottom of their table respectively.

Kelso, Peebles, Gala and Jed were in division 2, involving trips to Linlithgow, Edinburgh and Midlothian. Kelso ended up top of the table, with Peebles fifth, Gala sixth and Jed eighth.

The only Borderers in division 3 were Walkerburn – up against opposition from Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian – and they finished tenth out of 12 teams.