Thomson seals title for Melrose

Published on Friday 13 May 2011 17:22

MELROSE added two trophies to a stunning season by beating the hosts 31-24 in a pulsating Jed-Forest Sevens Final and so pipping Jed to the Kings of the Sevens title.

Jamie Murray, their stalwart centre and the oil in a fluid Melrose team, also walked away with the Player of the Tournament to put the seal on a hat-trick of silverware and a fine season for the Borders club in which they won their own sevens tournament, along with four others, and the Scottish Premier One Championship for the first time in 14 years. Scott Wight, the Melrose captain heading to Glasgow Warriors next season, commented: "We knew that there was probably no team that would beat Jed in the bottom half today, so we knew we had to get there. It was physical and the boys were desperate to win and to finish this season on a high."

There was little doubt that the two best teams on the circuit brought the curtain down on it, and so there were fireworks. Jed had been humiliated by 'Rose in the final of the Kelso Sevens, losing 57-7 and players and coaches vowed that that would never happen again.

This was their chance for revenge and with the stand and bankings around Riverside packed with an estimated 3,000 supporters, vying for a clear view, the players showed their appetite from the first whistle.

Darren Gillespie nudged John Dalziel off the ball from the kick-off, followed up with some verbals at Graeme Dodds, then drove into Dodds at the first scrum and broke up throwing punches at the Melrose forward. He was fortunate to stay on the field, having lit the blue touch-paper. Marshalled by the ever-impressive Ross Goodfellow Jed were strong in defence, but Melrose were patient and then struck, Allan Dodds breaking on the right to score the first and wing Callum Anderson following with the second after good off-loading. However, the momentum then swung when Lewis Young, who with brother Gregor were stars in the Jed side, burned off the Melrose defence with great runs for two tries, Ewan Scott converting the first. Talented young prop Andrew Nagle then lifted the atmosphere to fever pitch with the first try of the second half, nudging Jed 17-14 in front.

But this is a quality Melrose side and two flashes of sevens brilliance from 33-year-old player-coach John Dalziel, the first a lesson in how to exploit a three-on-two overlap from a log way out and the second underlining the value of winning the restart, resulted in tries for Callum Anderson and Fraser Thomson, who came on for an injured Anderson, pushed Melrose back in front, 26-17.

The controversy was not over yet though. Murray blitzed to a fine try, but a fight broke out involving Scott Wight, Dodds and Gillespie in the 'Rose half and referee David Changleng disallowed the try and awarded Jed a penalty. The hosts did not need a second invitation, and feverish attack in the 'Rose 22 ended with Scott bursting through for a try, and converting, to bring he final back to a nerve-jangling 26-24 with a minute left.However, Melrose had the superior composure and a neat bit of opportunism by Thomson, who chipped and chased the ball, decided the final, and the title, in Melrose's favour, the winger diving on the ball deep in injury-time for what is likely to be his last act before joining Sale and tackling the Aviva Premiership next season. It was a pulsating finish to a fine tournament and historic first Borders spring circuit with ten tournaments.