Kelso 5 - 34 Selkirk: Selkirk progress to Border final with emphatic win

SELKIRK booked their place in the final of the Border League in a fiery derby last night at Poynder Park. The holders had to score four tries and win by eight points to clinch a final against Melrose at The Greenyards next Wednesday.

The game was punctuated by a succession of penalties and several skirmishes between players. But Kelso contributed to their own downfall when Steph Carnegie and Stuart Lowrie were each yellow carded in the first half and were reduced to 13 players.

Selkirk cashed in as Andrew Renwick was driven over for a try, and when Gregg Minto was sin-binned after the break, Scott Hendrie and Fraser Harkness, who came on at half-time after arriving late, raced 70 metres up the left-hand touchline for the vital fourth try.

Kelso shocked the visitors with a try from Kevin Utterson two minutes before David Cassidy narrowed the gap with a penalty. Darren Clapperton scored the opening try to put Selkirk ahead, but Kelso, despite their aggressive tackling, lost their way with the yellow cards and trailed 5-15 at the break, before Hendrie wrapped it up with his second try.

Scorers: Kelso: Try, Utterson. Selkirk: Tries, Hendrie (2), Clapperton, Renwick, Harkness. Cons, Hendrie (2), Cassidy. Pen, Cassidy

Kelso: G. Ponton; A. Haig, G. Minto, K. Utterson, M. Hartley; E. Ford, T. Wichary; C. Keen, C. Riddell, S. Lowrie, S. Laing, S. Patterson, D. Porteous, G. Riddell, S. Carnegie. Subs: A. Morris, C. Renton, D. Welsh, A. Frame, B. Thomson.

Selkirk: D. Cassidy; D. Clapperton, S. Hendrie, G. Craig, L. Jones; R. Banks, M. McVie; G. Patterson, D. Grieve. M. Murray, R. Aglen, S. Willet, R. Aglen, N. Darling, D. Gray, A. Renwick. Subs: F. Harkness, S. Forrest, R. Taylor, C. Johnston, S. Tomlinson.

Referee: N. Jackson.