Melrose 6 - 16 Hawick: Revenge for Hawick

HAWICK gained revenge for their defeat to Melrose earlier in the season with a hard-fought win to make a positive start to the second half of their Premiership season.

At the end of an attritional first half interrupted by match-ending injuries to Rory Hutton of Hawick and James Head of Melrose, the home side led 6-0 after Joe Helps had succeeded with two goals from four attempts.

Hawick’s only chance for points fell to Ally Weir but the full-back’s kick was short of the posts.

Weir quickly atoned with an early second-half penalty before converting his own try after Bruce McNeil had surged off the tail of a lineout, to put Hawick in the lead for the first time in the match.

Melrose threatened with a series of penalty-created lineouts, but a “steal” by Scott McLeod and then a break-out by Sean Goodfellow put Hawick on the attack, ending with Weir kicking a second penalty goal.

McLeod then was shown the yellow card, but Melrose could not make their numerical advantage count and when Weir nailed his third penalty kick six minutes from full time Hawick effectively sealed their win.