Rugby: Haddington down after loss to Kelso

That loss, combined with a win for fellow strugglers Jedforest, extinguished the Neilson Park side's slender hopes of survival.

The outcome was decided in the first half, with Kelso 34-0 up at the break. Although Haddington battled gamely throughout the second period and had tries from Callum Mark and Dave Cunningham to show for their efforts, the damage was done.

Their demotion offers the possibility of an East Lothian derby against Musselburgh next season if the Stoneyhill men can preserve their Division Three status.

That possibility moved a step closer, despite 'Burgh suffering a 24-17 loss away to promotion contenders Falkirk. 'Burgh were still in touch at the break which they reached 12-8 in arrears, and a gutsy second half effort yielded a narrow defeat bonus point that could prove invaluable in the final reckoning. Willie Fleming touched down for 'Burgh, whose other points came courtesy of the boot of Brian Walls.

Elsewhere, Stewart's Melville coach Graeme Moffat ended his tenure at the club with a 49-3 loss away to Selkirk. Stuart Ker kicked a solitary penalty for the Inverleith men, who finished the game with 14 players after Blair Tweedie picked up two yellow cards. The result has moved Selkirk clear of the drop zone, meaning that Watsonians, Edinburgh Accies or West of Scotland will join StewMel in Division Two next season.

Meanwhile, Boroughmuir had their penultimate match of the season away to Dundee High. The Meggetland men succumbed 43-11 after the latest in a string of lacklustre performances and assistant coach Phil Smith said: "Some of our individual performances were basically not good enough. People will be retiring and moving on. We know where the gaps are going to be and we are trying to cover that. It looks as if it's a bigger job than we realised."

Of some consolation was the contribution of youngster Dale Gordon, who marked his top team debut with a try – the other 'Muir points coming through two penalties by Graeme Blackhall.