Selkirk win home sevens for third year in succession

Published on Sunday 23 August 2009 23:27

SELKIRK made history in winning their own sevens tournament for the third time in a row yesterday.

The first round of the Halbro tournament was almost a wash-out to compare with the weather, but just as a healthy crowd braved the downpours, so some of the best young Borders talent hit their straps in the latter stages to produce a thrilling final.

In Selkirk and Jed-Forest, the crowd witnessed two of the youngest teams playing on the sevens circuit, and the fact that virtually all the players on show had also played in tough XV-a-side pre-season friendlies the day before merely underlined the zest they have for playing in the abbreviated game.

Selkirk made a name for themselves in Division One last season with a clutch of home-grown players in their early twenties and Jed, in reaching their second final in successive weeks, showed they, too, have some great stars of the future emerging at Riverside Park.

Jed had gained revenge for their defeat to Melrose last week by putting out another strong Melrose team 12-5 in the first tie and then, with James and Robert Hogg and Gregor and Lewis Young showing the quality two local families are contributing to the Jethart cause, edged past Peebles and Watsonians to set up another final appearance.

Selkirk beat Gala, Edinburgh Accies and the Scottish Academy to delight the home support, and in a cracking final they looked set to cruise to victory with three first-half tries from Lee Jones, Calum Marshall and Fraser Harkness. However, Jed burst to life with a try from Lewis Young and another from one of the Scottish club game's best sevens performers, Ross Goodfellow, on half-time, both converted by Ewan Scott.

Gavin Craig had missed one conversion for Selkirk so there was just three points in it, but another scintillating score by Player of the Tournament Jones nudged Selkirk further in front. Scott pulled a try back with a fine effort, but despite a few minutes of nerve-wracking, end-to-end play, complete with controversial refereeing calls and some moments of madness from players, Selkirk hung on to be 24-19 winners.

Kevin Barrie, their coach, said afterwards: "It was great to watch two teams with terrific young talent producing a cracking Border final. I've no doubt that that Jed team will win tournaments this season, and I'm delighted for my boys.

"They showed today what they can do, with a great home support again, and this confidence boost is massive going into the season. Only two teams have won the Selkirk Sevens three years in a row – Gala in the 1960s and the great Kelso team of the late 1970s – so this is something special for these Selkirk boys."

Jed-Forest: D Grieve, R Ferguson, G Young, R Goodfellow, E Scott, J Hogg (repl by D Anderson), R Hogg, M Weekley, L Young, D Gobby.

Selkirk: C Marshall, S Hendrie (repl by E Ford), R Taylor, F Harkness, R Nixon, G Craig, L Jones, C Johnston, A Renwick, C Beattie.

Referee: C Rudkin (Hawick Linden).

Results: First round – Jed-Forest 12 Melrose 5, Peebles 19 Selkirk Select 5, Perthshire 31 Langholm 0, Haddington 0 Watsonians 38, Berwick 0 Edinburgh Accies 40, Gala 0 Selkirk 20, Kelso 30 Kirkcaldy 0, SRU Academy 40 Hawick 7.

Quarter-finals – Jed-Forest 17 Peebles 7, Perthshire 7 Watsonians 24, Edinburgh Accies 0 Selkirk 22, Kelso 7 SRU Academy 12.

Semi-finals – Jed-Forest 17 Watsonians 5, Selkirk 38 SRU Academy 7.

Final – Jed-Forest 19 Selkirk 24.