Hawick 74 - 10 Berwick: Twelve tries hasten Hawick to showdown

Hawick cruised into the Border League final at Philiphaugh on 25 April against Gala after running in 12 tries at Mansfield Park to crush Berwick at a canter, writes Alan Lorimer.

This was little more than a practice match for Hawick and perhaps not what they needed for their final XV game before facing Gala. While some of the tries came from sublime passing, others merely illustrated the difference in physicality between the levels of rugby experienced by the two clubs.

For their part, Berwick tackled bravely and had their moments in attack, notably from several breaks by stand-off Gareth Hill and good support play from back row Alistair Grieve.

Top scorer for Hawick was full-back Lee Armstrong, who finished with a 29-point tally from three tries and seven conversions. There were double try contributions from prop Rory Sutherland and winger Graeme Anderson and one apiece from flanker Keith Davies, hooker Matt Landels, back row Bruce McNeil, prop Sean Linton and Greg Cottrell, who posted a useful performance at stand-off in the absence of Rory Hutton. Berwick’s tries, both scored in the first half, came from winger Mike Brennan.