Jacob and Annabelle and great grandfather of Carson Funeral service in Sandholes Presbyterian Church on Monday 5th May 2025 followed by private family burial in the adjoining churchyard donations may be made in Roy’s memory to Cancer Research UK payable F Dungannon BT70 1RY Sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his sorrowing wife Share this sad news with friends and loved ones [email protected] Link The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has today confirmed that the three Steeple Chases scheduled to take place at Kelso’s fixture on Wednesday 7 May have been abandoned and will be replaced with two Hurdle races The decision to abandon the Steeple Chases has been taken following an inspection of the course by the BHA Course Inspectorate This has been approved in order to allow the racecourse to concentrate their watering efforts on the Hurdles course to ensure the fixture has the best possible chance of going ahead. The two new races will form a six-race card and will close for entries at noon on Friday 2 May Declarations will take place at the 48-hour stage along with the rest of the card Like any new website you might come across things that need fixing, please let us know and we will get these resolved as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we would love to hear your feedback. Email us at [email protected] to tell us what you think Call the BHA: 0207 152 0260 A Scottish Borders man who experienced a year of difficulties trying to swap his electricity meter says vulnerable people could be cut off by changes to household energy More than 300,000 UK households could lose hot water and heating when Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters are switched off at the end of June The system uses radio signals to switch between peak and off-peak energy rates Industry regulator Ofgem has said the risks associated with not having a functioning meter include heating and hot water left continually on or off electric storage heaters charging at the wrong time of day and the supplier being unable to confirm electricity usage during peak or off-peak times The UK Government says the service is stopping because the technology underpinning it is reaching the end of its operational life The charity Advice Direct Scotland helped David Ashton with installing a smart meter after he experienced a "very stressful" year of trying to change his old system David had to wait for a specific component after his energy provider was initially unable to install a compatible meter He said: "I use the computer a lot and I'm researching it all and I realised that the end date was the end of June and we didn't want to be without central heating for the winter We don't want that because it will increase our energy bills." Speaking about the deadline to upgrade home meters by 30 June 2025 he added: "It's almost like armageddon the ones who are going to be hardest hit by these changes are going to be left with either no heating and hot water or it's all going to go on the same bill which is going to be through the roof." says customers who have not upgraded their meters by the 30 June deadline risk having their heating and/or hot water left constantly on or off Advice Direct Scotland warns this could leave some people without access to their heating and hot water Energy UK says more than 400,000 RTS meters were still active across the UK - with 130,000 in Scotland - in early April 2025 Energy companies are switching around 40,000 meters each month 5,011 meters still hadn't been replaced in the Scottish Borders Energy UK's Deputy Director for Customers said it wasn't "completely impossible" but admitted it will be "very challenging" to switch all meters by the deadline If you live in England or Wales, you can contact Citizens Advice for free and impartial advice about your energy supply If you live in Scotland, you can get advice and information on energyadvice.scot Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know… DEFENDING champions Kelso made ground on the current leaders Melrose in the race for the Kings of the Sevens title this season by triumphing at the Langholm tournament with a 38-12 victory over Edinburgh Accies in the final at Milntown The result means that Kelso move into joint second place alongside Edinburgh Accies and with five tournaments remaining the title race is looking more open than it did after the Melrose double at Hawick and Berwick last weekend Kelso started cautiously with a narrow win over Hawick and a one score victory against Peebles in their Pool A matches by defeating a strong and stylish Jed-Forest side 26-14 Arnold Clark Scottish Premiership Final: Ayr and Watsonians player ratings URC: Franco Smith concerned about three fresh Glasgow Warriors injuries Edinburgh park URC play-off pressure to focus on Bath’s Challenge Cup visit Kelso undoubtedly left their best to last by running in six tries two of them by player of the tournament Robbie Tweedie to take the title with a 38-12 win over Accies the other Kelso scores coming from Hamish Tweedie with Dwain Patterson adding four conversions W6N: Scotland stun Ireland in frantic finale and website in this browser for the next time I comment Stuart Hogg facing lengthy lay-off and … “If Langholm proves anything, we have to stay focused. As far as the title race goes, it was huge for us that Kelso got only three points at Earlston.” … “We did well to fight back at times, but we gave away some silly penalties, allowed them far too easy access into our 22. When you give them access to the 22 time and time again, it’s difficult to put that amount of effort in.” … Enjoyed this article? Quality journalism like ours is made possible by readers like you. If you value our in-depth coverage of Scottish rugby at all levels and want to see more, please consider supporting us with a subscription or donation It helps us keep delivering the news you love Thank you for being a part of The Offside Line community independent and up-to-date coverage of all aspects of Scottish rugby photographers and business minds bring their talents and enthusiasm to our unrivalled coverage of the game © 2016-2025 Scottish Rugby News from The Offside Line | Kept onside by webporty Kelso councilman Mike Karnofski talks on April 1 about the "balance" needed to handle city nuisance issues Kelso spent an average of about $37,000 in construction contract changes for recent updates to the Kelso train station and Catlin Hall as well as emergency repairs on Edinburgh Court and near the Peter Crawford Bridge with the first two projects being completely covered by state or federal funds One project came in under the original contract amount Construction spending is rising across the country Census Bureau data shows construction spending in March was 2.8% higher than in March 2024 spending was also 1% above the same time period last year A report by the national trade association Associated Builders and Contractors states reasons for the increase include high interest rates and global trade uncertainty amid tariff changes City reports released earlier this month show the contract for a new roof and exterior paint for the Kelso train station on First Avenue came in $76,291.57 over the original contract Updates to the building originally constructed in 1912 was funded through the Washington State Department of Commerce, OK’d in the state Legislature in 2024 which approved about $260,000 more than the city’s original contract amount The updates to Catlin Hall, which houses the Kelso Senior Center Association came in $66,057.42 over the original contract The original contract also had to be revised because tax was inaccurately calculated at 8.2% The work was covered by federal COVID relief money from the American Rescue Plan Act and included a new restroom building for men’s as well as a utility room and spray park control room Emergency repairs to a water main on Edinburgh Court came in $75,327 under the original contract The city’s water repair and maintenance budget covered the repair of an 8-inch water main Kelso Public Works Director Michael Kardas previously told The Daily News the court’s sewer main seemed to be installed incorrectly when it was first added in the 1990s Emergency work to repair a collapsed section of a storm line under the railway and Peter Crawford Bridge came in $5,475.79 above the original contract for the project that ran from Oct Work on the area known as Basin 14 was paid out of the city’s drainage capital reserve fund Revised contract amount: $530,372.11 (corrected at 8.1% sales tax) Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter Email notifications are only sent once a day Access the latest Lower Columbia news in The Daily News app that lets you select the topics that matter most to you Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Issues with signing in? 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Please check your spam or junk folder just in case It looks like JavaScript is not enabled in your browser AN impressive scoreline for Heriot’s on a day of big numbers across the board in the Arnold Clark Premiership But if the margin was comfortable for the home side Kelso still made a noble contribution – and worthy opposition – by collecting five of the 14 tries the game produced Heriot’s coach Bob McKillop admitted to mixed feelings at the end “They are a very good rugby team,” He said “I still think they are a top half of the table side when they have everyone available I’m pleased with the top line of the scoreboard at the end but probably less pleased with the 31 we conceded Kelso’s Nikki Walker was pleased with the fight his team put up “We knew that if we didn’t defend well we would concede a lot of points,” the former Scotland wing said but we showed a lot of character in the second A bonus point at the end after being pretty disappointing at the start is not a bad result.” Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Watsonians breeze past sorry Selkirk to secure play-off place 6N: France v Scotland live blog: Ireland squeak past Italy U20s 6N: France v Scotland: close but no cigar for visitors in Parisian thriller The Goldenacre stand was not exactly packed to the rafters but it still had a decent smattering of hardy souls who preferRed the idea of watching live rugby to parking themselves in front of the telly for a Super Saturday feast of internationals For that they were rewarded with bright sunshine and a willingness on the part of both teams to play rugby that matched the conditions Heriot’s were markedly more successful in their early endeavours for they attacked with a killer combination of ambition and accuracy and had three tries to their names before the game was 20 minutes old The first of those fell to full-back George Coull who broke through on the right side with just five minutes gone starting from a line-out on the right and finished by scrum-half Sinjin Broad just as the first quarter was drawing to a close the home pack churned through their phases in the Kelso 22 ground down resistance and created the space for Coull to collect his second and their followers didn’t have long to wait for its arrival A couple of minutes after scoring his second try With a forth successful conversion by Ross Jones they were comfortably ahead of a point-per-minute scoring rate – and Kelso looked as if they could do nothing about it worked a position in the Heriot’s 22 and sent centre Frankie Robson over between the posts Yet eve then it had the whiff of a consolation score an impression reinforced a minute later when the Heriot’s pack thundered back upfield and collected their fifth try through hooker Michael Liness who finished off with what could be described as a swallow dive if swallows weighed 18 stone and had significant hair-loss issues By the end of the first half we had witnessed two more tries one falling to Heriot’s No 8 and captain Ruairidh Leishman and one to Kelso flanker Ashton Asante If Asante’s score renewed hope in the Kelso ranks it had gone by the time of the break as they watched their fly-half Arran Jackson being shown a well-deserved yellow card for a late challenge on Coull that ended the home full-back’s involvement in the match Kelso suffered another psychological blow in the opening moments of the second period as they were twice forced into reverse by Heriot’s scrummaging power They managed to survive that passage and did even better a few minutes later when they successfully defended a scrum on their own line The customary round of replacements seemed to rob Heriot’s of some of their momentum and a flurry of unforced errors suggested they were struggling to find their shape they continued to dominate possession and territory and had little trouble mopping up Kelso’s sporadic attacks Heriot’s finally got the scoreboard moving again when they broke from deep and sent their Japanese centre Kenta Kutsuna scuttling off to collect their seventh try Yet if complacency was creeping into the Goldenacre side’s game they were given a salutary lesson when Kelso struck back with two quick tries around the hour mark gave the Poynder Park outfit their try bonus with full-back Archie Barbour adding the second soon afterwards But it was only fair that Heriot’s should have the final say and they duly hoisted their scoreline past the half-century mark with a try by Callum Anderson with Struan Cessford adding their ninth touchdown on the stroke of full time Scoring Sequence (Heriot’s first): 5-0; 7-0; 7-3; 12-3; 14-3; 19-3; 21-3; 26-3; 28-3; 28-8; 28-10; 33-10; 35-10; 40-10; 42-10; 42-17; 47-17; 47-22; 47-24; 47-29; 47-31; 52-31; 54-31; 59-31 Man-of-the-Match: Jason Hill is not really as old as the hills but having just passed his 35th birthday he has been around the block a few times the qualities that brought him a couple of pro contracts are still evident and the flanker’s abrasive style played a big part in Heriot’s establishing their dominant forward platform Talking point: Kelso probably gave themselves a relegation lifeline with their run of recent wins but they won a lot of respect – and a bonus point for good measure – with their never-say-die attitude Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Melrose triumph over Edinburgh Accies in game of two halves Arnold Clark is the UK’s largest independent car retailer With over 70 years of experience in the automotive industry As proud partners of Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) we’re committed to supporting both professional and grassroots rugby across Scotland aligning our passion for driving forward excellence on and off the field Whether you're looking for your next car or cheering on the national team Arnold Clark is with you every step of the way Website: www.arnoldclark.com IT was nip and tuck for the first 50 minutes of this game but thereafter only one team looked like they were really determined to secure a place in the top flight of Scottish club rugby next season (with a plan as to how they are going to achieve the goal) Kelso scored 24 unanswered points during that period of near complete domination with their relentless push defence harassing Accies into losing control of a game-plan which had served them well earlier in the match The Borderers will now approach next weekend’s return to Edinburgh to take on play-off chasing Currie Chieftains with a well-earned sense of belief off the back of achieving three hard-fought wins on the bounce since their 66-7 shellacking at the hands of Ayr at the end of January Their destiny is very much in their own hands with this bonus-point win taking them seven points clear of third bottom Accies with five regular season games still to play Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Currie Chieftains made to work harder against Musselburgh than scoreline suggests URC: Edinburgh v Zebre: Sean Everitt’s side out-gunned by fired up visitors Franco Smith “honoured” to be linked to Wales head coach role was it?” said Kelso player-coach Bruce McNeil with the wry smile of a man who couldn’t give two hoots about whether plaudits are being handed out for artistic merit they played on top of us for a lot of that game I just think we maybe squeezed them a little in defence and we put a lot of emphasis on being a really hard team to beat coming up here “We know that they can score tries and we know they can play from anywhere so we worked really hard on our defence this week and I think we got a lot of purchase from that we kind of got caught up in their game which didn’t really suit us We were pretty relentless on their line and retained the ball well to get the scores we needed “We’re fighting for our lives and so are Accies,” he added You try and do things that you maybe ordinarily wouldn’t I think that was the case for us in the first half we backed ourselves and maybe were a bit unselfish in how we approached the challenge – doing the hard yards as opposed to maybe looking to do something on our own “In that period before Christmas when we were numbers down Now we’ve got experienced guys coming back We’ve got more depth to choose from and the guys are really playing for that jersey we just need to keep working really hard and make sure that we don’t get away ahead of ourselves because we’re certainly not out of the dramas yet.” Accies coach Iain Berthinussen couldn’t hide his frustration at the end having seen his team slump to a third straight defeat against a team they would have targeted as a win at the start of the season meaning them Raeburn Place men have now been sucked deep into the relegation quagmire “You go 17-12 up at home and you would have thought emotionally you would be really charged but we then conceded 24 unanswered points so … I’m not really sure what has gone on there “We talked a lot about turning them because they don’t really want to play from their own half but we kept reverting to box-kicks and they were reading that we were doing that and I think they scored 14-points off charged down box-kicks.” “We were got some really good change out of our longer kicking game in the first half and I think we played some really good stuff during that period and emotionally it felt like we were in a really good place but fair play to Kelso because they really grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck.” Kelso struck first when Archie Barbour scrambled over on the right although Dwain Patterson couldn’t manage the touchline conversion and Accies bounced back when scrum-half Patrick Ritchie had the ball slapped out of his hands at the base of a ruck five yards from the try-line and had the wherewithal to take a quick tap and scuttle over for a try which was converted by Jamie Loomes‘ to edge the hosts into a narrow lead just before the half-hour mark Kelso were caught overplaying from deep following long Accies clearances and they rode their luck on both occasions with referee Mike Adamson first awarding them the scrum for an Accies knock-on whilst gathering the loose ball and then calling for the line-out to be retaken after Hamish Tweedie‘s quickly taken throw didn’t go to hand and was latched onto by Robbie Chalmers who was furious that his team were not allowed a chance to capitalise That luck ran out for Kelso when they were once again caught out in the backfield and penalised for holding on right in front of the posts allowing Loomes to slot three more easy points But the visitors had the last say of the first half when they ground down Accies’ try-line resistance with around a dozen heavy carries before flipping the ball out for Liam Herdman to slip through a gap and over for the try Patterson’s conversion made it 10-12 at the break Loomes did have long-range penalty effort which would have edged his team back in front just before the interval following an air-borne collision competing for a Kelso box-kick but his effort didn’t quite have the legs Accies fired out of the blocks to score a near length of the park try early in the second-half with Vincent Hart launching a counter from 10 yards short of his own line exchanging passes with Chalmers along the way before sending Robbie Kent on a final sprint to the posts You would have bet your mortgage on the home winger making it himself but Barbour did brilliantly to get back for the try-saving tackle on the line and Accies in turn did well to hold their nerve and clear the messy ruck to create quick enough ball for Loomes to scramble over Kelso second-row Cammy Thompson burrowed over after a l0ng period of pressure and Patterson’s conversion put the Borderers back in front again and they struck again just a few moments later when Barbour collected an aimless Accies clearance and launched an attack which culminated in Adam Hall stepping back inside Max Wallace then motoring home from 35-yards to claim the bonus-point with Robbie Tweedie collecting the bouncing ball and squeezing over in the corner after another sustained bombardment of the Accies line, and it looked like the replacement winger had scored again straight from the restart when he broke down the right touchline but Hart managed to get back to make the try-line tackle A late Patterson penalty completed the scoring and the final whistle was celebrated uproariously by the away team Edinburgh Accies: R Chalmers (N Brown 61); R Kent P Ritchie (B Brannan 77); C Imrie (P Hayes 61) H Tweedie (R Tweedie 52); L Herdman ((M Shaw 77) R Tweedie; Con: Patterson 4; Pen: Patterson Scoring sequence (Edinburgh Accies first): 0-5; 5-5; 7-5; 10-5; 10-10; 10-12 (h-t) 15-12; 17-12; 17-17; 17-19; 17-24; 17-26; 17-31; 17-34 Player-of-the-Match: Edinburgh Accies scrum-half Patrick Ritchie scored a fine opportunist try provided the physicality of a fourth back-rower and battled throughout but it has to be a member of the visiting pack who squeezed the hosts into submission through relentless line-speed and dogged determination at the breakdown with Cammy Thompson just edging it ahead of Bruce McNeil and Jack Utterson Talking point: Accies have scope to rescue themselves from the web they have become entangled in but they will need to sit down as a player group and try to figure out why they decided to change from a kicking strategy which was working and turn themselves into human skittles lined up to be knocked down again and again by Kelso’s increasingly confident blitz defence Next weekend’s home match against fellow strugglers Marr really could be make or break Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Currie Chieftains made to work harder against Musselburgh than scoreline suggests they’ve a great chance now of staying up Keep this up and they will show why they are one of the greatest sleeping giants of scottish rugby KELSO gained revenge for their narrow loss away to Melrose earlier in the season and gave themselves a major shot in the arm in their bid to avoid relegation their skipper Angus Runciman and flanker Allan Ferrie providing a tremendous lead but the hosts worked their way into the game with a crowd of close to a thousand – bolstered by a sold-out Farmers’ Lunch and big visiting support – roaring them on to claim a deserved victory with the teams sharing six tries Kelso co-coach Nikki Walker said: “There was a good crowd here today and a good atmosphere so it was good to put on a good show I’m happy with the overall performance and there’s just a twinge of disappointment that we didn’t get the five points but if you’ve given me that win before we started I’d have taken that quite happily Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Heriot’s blow Musselburgh away Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Glasgow Hawks pick-up important home win over Edinburgh Accies Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Selkirk get the better of Hawick to climb into the play-off seedings “The boys didn’t realise the score when they were on the pitch because the scoreboard wasn’t working which is why they went for the posts to make the win certain and Dwain [Patterson] was kicking brilliant all day so while it was the wrong decision we still had chances to get the fourth try after that “We’re four wins in the last six games now and we’ve turned a corner getting more consistency in the 15 that are playing and getting across my principles having come in just last year There are some very good teams in this league and we maybe aren’t quite at the level of some in terms of our resources but what we do have is an amazing rugby club with boys who are willing to fight for that jersey And we’ve put ourselves in a good position now to get ourselves out of the relegation area.” Disappointment was etched on the face of Melrose co-coach Scott Wight who admitted: “Kelso played a really sensible game of rugby in the conditions and you could see how desperate they were today for that win with the position they’re in “We didn’t manage the territory well – we probably spent more than half an hour in our 22 – and didn’t have enough ball and when we made errors we compounded them with others “We know that we haven’t performed at the level we expect yet in 2025 but we don’t want boys going into their shell and we’ll analyse this and pick ourselves up for next week against Ayr.” As disappointed as Melrose were at the finish in a ding-dong first half this was anyone’s game ‘Rose opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Allan Ferrie twisted through two tackles to crash over finishing a concerted period of pressure in the home half in which former Kelso lock Angus Common and prop Jack Dobie were prominent figures As rain started to sweep into Poynder Park Kelso came back strongly with half-backs Andy Tait and Liam Herdman pinning Melrose back in their half with adroit kicking Kelso struggled to pierce the solid Melrose resistance until the 15th minute when that man Bruce McNeil took possession and Allan Ferrie making a remarkable 30-metre run from halfway left wing Corey Goldsbrough dived over among a melee of bodies With home props Dan Gamble and Grant Shiells enjoying a great battle with Dobie and Zen Swarzagak in the scrum both line-outs being feverishly contested but largely going with the throw and the back-rows all having their moments the passions in this Border derby never relented but Melrose wasted a let-off when miscommunication at a line-out five metres from their line denied the Kelso pack a maul which was a big weapon for Kelso in this match but Ferrie tackled Hamish Tweedie unnecessarily after a knock-on by the Kelso winger Although the visitors resisted the first onslaught they had no answer to the brilliance of Kelso full-back Archie Barbour when he fielded a clearance on halfway took on and beat the first three defenders He might have scored himself but a well-timed pass inside to Murray Woodcock sent the young flanker diving over with 30 minutes played to ensure the score and make the conversion easier And the kicks proved the difference as Dwain Patterson converted both tries and then added two penalties – the second from more than 40 metres – to hand the home side a 20-12 half-time lead Melrose came out after the break in determined mood and the ding-dong style of game continued with one team then the other enjoying a concerted period on the front foot Home hooker Euan Knox denied Goldsbrough a certain try with a last-ditch tackle and ‘Rose supporters were cursing when a line-out five metres from the home line was lost and then a dangerous attack cut short by a forward pass Kelso soaked up the pressure and then seized their chance on the hour-mark It stemmed from a line-out on the far side of the pitch Knox and McNeil making the hard yards into the Melrose 22 before scrum-half Tait popped up to dart in behind a ruck to score It was the game’s crucial moment as it sucked the confidence from the visitors after their good third quarter and Patterson’s conversion opened up a 15-point lead Kelso opted to kick a penalty on the Melrose 22 minutes later – the players revealing afterwards that they were not sure of the score as the home scoreboard wasn’t working – and they would rue that as they finished the game without a fourth try and bonus point Melrose earned reward for their efforts when Allan Ferrie finished the game as he’d started it with a well-taken try after Kelso gave up a series of penalties defending their own line and Tait was yellow-carded by referee David Young for cynically going offside Woodcock almost added a fourth for the hosts when Runciman lost the restart and the Kelso back-row latched onto the loose ball but it wouldn’t sit up for him as he chased it to the line and the chance was lost There were more opportunities but Melrose pride was too great to allow an easy score and a crossing in midfield ruined Kelso’s final chance The Tweedsiders now head to Edinburgh Accies for what is now a crucial clash in the relegation battle while Melrose may be clear of the bottom three worries but now face a trip to Ayr with play-off hopes dented Walker added: “The big thing for us now is to take that spirit to Edinburgh next week It was great to win at home in front of that brilliant crowd; now we have to do it on the road if we’re to keep up this momentum and get ourselves out of the relegation places.” Tait; Cons: Patterson 3; Pens: Patterson 3 Scoring sequence (Kelso first): 0-5; 0-7; 5-7; 7-7; 7-12; 12-12; 14-12; 17-12; 20-12 (h-t) 25-12; 27-12; 30-12; 30-17; 30-19 Player-of-the-Match: There were various contenders on both sides this week with Allan Ferrie a stand-out for Melrose Bruce McNeil and props Grant Shiells and Dan Gamble were key to Kelso’s victory But the player who impressed on both sides of the ball and came up with a crucial try was flanker Murray Woodcock Talking point: The clash between Al Ferrie and Bruce McNeil was worthy of WWE at its best The two were outstanding figures in the game and the fact both hail from close to each other in the south-west of the country adds an intriguing twist Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Heriot’s blow Musselburgh away Rugby Radio is the best place to get all the live updates on a Saturday afternoon @BordersScores on twitter will keep you up to date Congratulations to poster boy Angus Common on his first ever man of the match performance for Kelso I have been critical of Kelso recently but respect where respect is due to both Kelso and Mr McNeill “physicality made them look like boys vs men” Thank you for the report of the Kelso versus Melrose match the Tweed flows through Kelso where Poynder Park is some distance from the Tweed Excellent point but I think you will find that Peebles are actually closer to the river Tweed than either side so should retain the titlle No clarification required and apologies accepted inl advance Peebles for pleasure- Walkerburn RFC called- they’d like a word Kelso won this game by a good margin and those in the crowd were wondering why the Kelso bench weren’t aware of their big lead especially as it was announced several times The 4th try was easily obtainable on at least two occasions as Melrose were out on their feet well before the final moments very disappointing that the club gave no game or score updates on any of their social media sites indeed it was over two hours after the final whistle until the final score went up I was unable to make the game today so these score updates are important to me Similarly last night there were no updates from the Storm game The supporters are the lifeblood of the club so I feel that keeping members updated with scores should be considered important certainly more than it has been this weekend anyway Its just as important to report on losses as well as wins If you would be happy to volunteer or know someone who would please do Or if you’d be happy to fork out to pay someone for their time to do so This sort of thing is reliant on volunteers and it’s the same folk doing absolutely everything in the place – maybe there’s no one to do it Get along to the office to see Hilary or Doug and offer your services next week and I’m sure you will be welcomed with open arms FYI follow @BordersScores on Twitter and you’ll get updates there as that’s how I followed the score throughout Have a commentary and up to date scores for games on a Saturday IT is one of those final scorelines that many might be blinking and reading a second time as the side sat sixth in the table were comprehensively turned over by the one in ninth and fighting relegation Kelso have been an improving side since the turn of the year with their experienced players all back from injury and so that they gave Hawick a real game was not a surprise but the way in which they dominated the first half at a packed Poynder Park this afternoon and went into the break 27-5 up on the scoreboard was met with disbelief in the stands Hawick had to dig deep as they emerged from the break and knew they had to score first and when Kelso scored twice in four minutes before the hour-mark it was game over Having shipped more than 100 points in their last two games at Mansfield Park this win had a sweet taste for Kelso co-captain Dwain Patterson Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: conversions key as Currie Chieftains banish play-off rivals Selkirk Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Melrose pile misery onto Marr Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: pack power key to Heriot’s win at Glasgow Hawks “We have really suffered at their hands in the past two seasons at Mansfield and we really wanted to show that that wouldn’t happen here,” he said “The Poynder factor does help a lot and we’d really like to praise our supporters for how they backed us today and the backing they give us home and away to be honest “From one to 22 the boys really stuck in very well today to get the win The first half there was quite a stiff breeze and we put a big emphasis on getting a good start to the game and we got ourselves on top and managed to get the tries “They have some very good players and they can be very dangerous if you let them But our forwards were outstanding again – Jack Utterson was immense and he goes into the front-row and plays like a veteran; Liam McConnell coming in just immense; and boys like Murray Woodcock and Cammy Thomson are really punching above their weight And that makes it much easier for us backs to play off front-foot ball.” There was utter dejection in the other camp Just how frustrated Hawick felt was visible in a couple of all-in rammies in the final minutes where players – and replacements – were launching themselves into the melee for the sake of taking out their frustrations on someone The fact that the game’s man-of-the-match McConnell was a key target underlined as much The most frustrating thing is probably that there was nothing surprising about what happened out there today We highlighted this week the effect of the crowd here if you let them get on the front foot early on and talked about how we had to match them physically from the start and so you can’t say that scoreline is a surprise The Kelso we played at Mansfield in October [and beat 52-12] was a team of lots of young boys but we are missing a few older heads at the moment and with guys like Bruce McNeil and Keith Melbourne they just dominated us from the start but we’ll learn from it and pick ourselves up We have to because our next game is at home to Ayr I’ve beaten Ayr several times at Mansfield so we’re not scared of them but we need to have a good look at ourselves after this and bounce back quickly or we could find ourselves in that relegation battle.” As critical as Hawick will be of their performance it is difficult to know how they could have dealt with the early Kelso onslaught any differently Every time they picked up ball and made a couple of yards they met one of the most aggressive defensive lines witnessed at Poynder Park; one which knocked ball-carriers back metres Their totems Muir and Andrew Mitchell fought like dogs but were regularly battered backwards and that visibly hurt the team’s confidence Utterson has been allowed to develop in the adult game with Kelso as a back-row but with Scotland under-18 games to come he was switched to the No 2 jersey And he produced an incredible performance in defence and attack with impressive ‘darts’ – his lineout throwing was very dart-like He was far from alone with notes made at one stage or another for every player in the pack But the all-round quality of blindside forward McConnell released for a second time this season by Edinburgh to his draft club was another element that put Kelso on a superior level in this encounter finishing off a series of forward breenges to the Hawick line after ten minutes before stand-off Liam Herdman showed his alacrity when he latched on to Utterson’s one mistake of the day – an overthrown lineout – and duly beat a sleeping Hawick defence to touch down Scrum-half Logan Henry pulled one back for Hawick with a neat loop of Matt Reid to score in the corner to take a wonderful Finn Russell-esque miss pass from Herdman after hard work by his fellow forwards to score in the corner Patterson converted again from the touchline and Hawick were staring down the barrel at 27-5 down at the break The third quarter was scrappy as Hawick fought tooth and nail for a way back Hamish Tweedie showing his power and pace after 53 minutes and Utterson finishing off on 57 minutes – Patterson converting both – took the game to 41-5 and out of sight Hawick’s pride meant they finished strongly winning a penalty-try with ten minutes to go – home replacement Euan Knox was yellow-carded for a high tackle though he insisted it was a case of mistaken identity – and Deaglan Lightfoot darted round a maul to score in the final minute as the game ended in all-in scuffles there was no hiding the visitors’ frustrations this win takes them 11 points clear of Edinburgh Accies in ninth spot for all the historic delight of claiming a first national league win over Hawick since the Kelso championship-winning team of 1989 claiming the Border League bragging rights and getting their name engraved on the Bill McLaren Shield co-captain Patterson is not about to relax and to win like that against Hawick … well it’s certainly been a long time our supporters have had to wait for that Our club logo is ‘history is our strength’ and we’re trying to make our own history at this club so getting that monkey off our back with beating Hawick and putting our name on the Bill McLaren Shield “But after tonight our focus is back on the next one We have to go to Goldenacre in two weeks’ time Marr have still got Accies and Musselburgh to play and will back themselves to win those so we still have games to win to make sure we stay in this league and keep writing our history.” Utterson; Cons: Patterson 5; Pens: Patterson 2 Scoring sequence (Kelso first): 3-0; 8-0; 10-0; 15-0; 17-0; 20-0; 20-5; 25-5; 27-5 (h-t) 32-5; 34-5; 39-5; 41-5; 41-12; 41-17 Man-of-the-Match: There were contenders right across the home team this week with the experienced players Bruce McNeil Andy Tait and Frankie Robson key pillars of the victory and still under-25s Liam Herdman and Dwain Patterson took Kelso to a new level of performance that had their club president Eric Paxton saying it was the best Kelso team he’d seen in 15 years McConnell claims the MoM gong for a terrific all-round display Talking point: There were two that dominated the clubrooms after this one – the unexpected margin of victory and players and supporters of several generations trying to work out the last time Kelso defeated Hawick in a national league game Teri legend Jim Renwick’s suggestion that it was ‘when Moses was a boy’ turned out to be incorrect Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: conversions key as Currie Chieftains banish play-off rivals Selkirk Kelso very hungry and thoroughly deserved their big win Quite why the shameless Struthlo has to bring his bile to a report on a game that he had no other interest in is quite beyond us mere mortals you need to think long and hard about allowing such denegration of our great game to sully your pages This needlessly unpleasant conduct has no place in modern society What’s Interesting is you take my comment as being directed as an insult to Hawick rather than a compliment to Kelso Basically he is just a sad sanctimonious hypocrite Pathetic over-reaction by the over-sensitive RB – to a DS comment that appeared essentially to compliment Kelso Maybe both should be banned from future commenting along with the perpetually snide and shallow Joe Smith they add nothing to the conversations here on TOL Oh the irony from the perpetually hypocritical Einy and asserted their dominance over this hapless Hawick side Onwards and Upwards Kelso – an interesting mini battle for the ‘best of the borders’ trophy awaits in their pursuit to top the middle of the table Good evening Mr Strutho hope your bearing up You clearly Sir have a particular dislike of Hawick Rugby for whatever reason does a somewhat infantile disservice to Kelso who we’re absolutely magnificent yesterday Bruce McNeil and the Kelso boys played out their skins yesterday aided by a tremendous Coach in Nikki Walker Without doubt Hawick were absolutely outplayed by a committed skilful and totally focussed Kelso team who from 1 to 15 plus subs were totally focussed on attempting to remain in the top ranks of Scottish Rugby Nobody will feel it more than Shaun Muir and the Hawick lads but Hawick of course will come again and being in the Poynder Park bar after the game yesterday even as a disappointed “ teri “ I’ve never been as proud of the Border Rugby Scottish Rugby as a whole is without doubt Mr Strutho in a much stronger place going forward the more Borders representation it has but you may clearly have a different angle which I totally respect It’s of course swings and roundabouts Mr Strutho enjoy the ups cos it’s enivitable them downs are never far away but true Rugby Men enjoy it all As a Kelso supporter you don’t mind having an Edinburgh draft player as MoM when you have outstanding home grown talent like Utterson Survival was the key aim of the season and 6 wins from the last 8 should secure it Easy to say now but as a neutral I always fancied Kelso at home desperate for points,and especially with the boy McConnell in the back row ( he needs more game game time at a higher level ) Hopefully today’s five points is enough to keep Kelso and four Border teams in the Prwmiership Kelso showed how to put in an eighty minute performance exuding power and determination ultimately destroying Hawick early in the second half Kelso are a team building cleverly into title challengers for next season and with this approach may well become the strongest of the Borders quartet in Prem 1 Well done the Tweedsiders CURRIE CHIEFTAINS virtually sealed their place in the play-offs with a comprehensive win over Kelso while the hosts claimed a bonus point that could be valuable in their battle to escape relegation But as the scoreline suggests there was much more to this bizarre encounter than a straightforward result The powerful visitors looked imperious in the first half-hour backs and forwards ignoring the numbers on their jerseys to pop up all over the pitch and shred the Kelso defence with five tries by the 27th minute The game had a distinct feel of a mismatch at this stage But two fine tries in the five minutes before half-time lifted the large Poynder Park crowd and the second half proved an entertaining affair that ended incredibly 21-21 and ensured the four-try bonus for the Borderers Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Ayr edge epic top of the table clash against Heriot’s Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Watsonians survive rousing Glasgow Hawks fightback Arnold Clark Premiership: Selkirk secure fifth place with hard-earned win over Musselburgh scoring four tries of his own off scrum and line-out mauls “You can’t be looking to pull positives out of shipping 54 points,” he said “The frustrating thing is that we knew they would come at us physically from the start and we said we had to start well and stop them from playing and they got too far away from us in that first period the two tries before half-time got us going and I am proud of the way we boys played in the second half and showed the spirit that this team has “You can talk about putting bodies on the line but that’s the minimum we expect here – boys putting their heads in the spokes It’s what we did around that that was key and got us the opportunities to score tries we have to see where we went wrong early on and prepare for a better performance against Hawks next week.” The way the picture of this game swung is what takes some getting the head around From when impressive Currie scrum-half Gregor Christie took Scott Robeson’s pass in the sixth minute to finish a move which had involved big charges by front-rows Chris Anderson and Ryan Stewart there was an almost metronomic precision about the way they cut open the home defence and finished off Kelso were missing key forwards Keith Melbourne and Jack Utterson and their fragile strength in depth was clear when Currie rolled on more big and yet the visitors did not dominate the set-piece it was too easy at times for Currie to score by exploiting missed tackles Lock Ali Bain and Stewart added to the visiting pack’s try count underlining their enthusiasm for open rugby and flying winger Ryan Daley and Robeson touched down for the backs at almost regular five-minute intervals A Dwain Patterson penalty was the only response from the hosts with lock Cammy Thompson particularly impressive in his work but their toil seemed to be counting for nothing until the Borderers sprung a two-try surprise just before the break The Kelso pack matched Currie in the set-piece and drove them back many metres in line-out mauls with McNeil scoring off a maul in the 35th minute Stand-off Liam Herdman’s sublime skill produced the second three minutes later when he ran at the Currie backline and chipped the ball into space behind them was first to it and hacked the ball 30 metres to the Currie line Herdman showed terrific pace to beat the Currie cover to the bouncing ball and dived on it over the line Patterson’s two conversions cut the deficit at half-time to 33-17 and while Currie still seemed in command it was far more interesting Currie try-scorer Robeson commented afterwards: “Well that was a great game for the crowd – we like to entertain “We played Kelso a few weeks ago and got into a good lead We enjoyed the first half-hour throwing the ball about like the Currie way running good support lines and sticking to the script we came into the game with But we probably got a bit loose after that and gave them too many ways back into the game “Fair play to Kelso because they took their chances but they are a good team and like all the Borders sides you never get an easy game down here and today again we saw what happens when you take the foot off that’s us almost there with the play-offs and we’ll take lessons from this one into the final games.” Kelso opened the second half with another McNeil try but Robeson came back with the second of his first senior hat-trick before a yellow-card for lock Courtney West provided an indication of Kelso’s increasing ability to get into Currie faces The visitors put the game out of reach with Robeson and Kerr Johnston scoring tries seven and eight the pack making the yards – No 8 Ed Hasdell a key totem in attack – and Kelso wing Patterson was shown a yellow for a deliberate knock-on But ensuring the see-saw nature of this engrossing contest continued A superb 50-metre kick to touch from replacement fly-half Isaac Coates set Kelso up for another line-out maul with Currie now down to 14 – Wallace Nelson having been the latest to be shown a yellow card by impressive referee Chelsea Gillespie – the Kelso pack drove their talisman over once again for a fifth try Scoring sequence (Kelso first): 0-5; 0-7; 0-12; 3-12; 3-17; 3-19; 3-24; 3-26; 3- 31; 3-33; 8-33; 10-33; 15-33; 17-33 (h-t) 22-33; 24-33; 24-38; 24-40; 24-45; 24-47; 24- 52; 24-54; 29-54; 31-54; 36-54; 38-54 Man-of-the-Match: Contenders aplenty in both sides this week with full-back Fraser Sayers and scrum-half Gregor Christie key to Currie’s back play while everyone in the pack had their moments – No 8 Ed Hasdell is a machine of a player with basketball player’s hands Bruce McNeil’s four tries and general influence was huge the front-row matched their bigger opponents but for a full 80-minute outstanding performance home second-row Cammy Thompson had few peers so the young lock takes the honours this week despite being on the losing side Talking point: Currie supporters were bemoaning the way they let Kelso back into the game after a fine first half-hour while Kelso supporters were praising their comeback and questioning why it took so long to get to grips with the visitors they would be talking about the great entertainment value that this game produced – a terrific advert for Scottish club rugby Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Ayr edge epic top of the table clash against Heriot’s Kelso have scalped a few teams on their own patch over the last 2 seasons so it’s brilliant to score over 50 points and no mean feat I watched the game via their YouTube channel as well as multiple key involvements in the other tries and some key turnovers Other players who stood out for me were Hasdell who has been a consistent performer every week for Currie this season who all carried excellently and had some decent charges up the field Sayers and substitute – Johnston all had great games also Perhaps they need to work on their maul defence as that was a real Achilles heel for them against Kelso Currie were very impressive and a great team to watch Very encouraging for Kelso was the comeback despite being a lot more lightweight in the pack both Melbourne and Utterson big misses but they showed they can score tries against any team but will be disappointed with the way they conceded some of the tries This weekend could be season defining for both Edinburgh Academical and Kelso as the sides do battle at Raeburn Place who sit ninth (Kelso) and tenth (Accies) on the Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership ladder A win for either side could spell disaster – and relegation – for the other A losing bonus point was all the Accies took away from Glasgow Hawks last round while Kelso snagged a crucial win over fellow Borderers Melrose every point is just as crucial for the top sides as it is for the bottom sides Sign-up for our newsletter today to receive the latest updates We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for 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delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns The project will boost the local economy and support Meta's regional operations Arevon Energy has commenced the construction of its Kelso solar project in Scott County in the US state of Missouri in a significant step forward for renewable energy in the region with a combined capacity of 430 megawatts defined conditions is expected to bolster local economies and support Meta’s regional operations through long-term environmental attributes purchase agreements Arevon and Meta entered two long-term environmental attributes purchase agreements for the Kelso solar project which is Arevon Energy’s first utility-scale renewable venture in Missouri is now underway with the ground-breaking of its two phases The first phase is set for completion by the end of 2025 Arevon chief executive officer Kevin Smith stated: “Kelso Solar marks Arevon’s entrance into Missouri and when operational will boost the state’s installed solar capacity by almost 50% This major project furthers Arevon’s growing presence in the Midwest region of the US which is a priority market for our company’s development activities Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis “Celebrating the project’s construction alongside our partners and stakeholders also gives us the opportunity to recognise the immense economic benefits the project provides I am grateful to Scott County for its partnership as well as its leadership in expanding homegrown and cost-effective energy in the state.” The project’s development has already spurred economic growth in the area with over 450 local workers expected to be employed at the peak of construction Primoris Services Corporation’s Renewable Energy business is tasked with the engineering procurement and construction of both phases Kelso is projected to contribute more than $34m to local government Arevon Energy achieved financial close for the project in March 2025 a $172m construction loan and $92m in credit assistance with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce serving as the administrative agent Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network A loving husband and devoted Father of Alexandra and Ronald Grandfather of Ashleigh and Mark and Great-grandfather of Kara Interment will take place on Friday 28th March at 10.00am in Roselawn Cemetery followed by a service to celebrate his life at 11.30am in Park Avenue Free Methodist Church donations in lieu if desired may be made to Belfast City Mission Visit Website Oh no! It looks like JavaScript is not enabled in your browser. who enjoyed a treble at Musselburgh on Friday then made it 150 winners at Kelso when Starlyte (12-1) ran out a ready winner of the Ladbrokes Go North Cab On Target Handicap Hurdle under Patrick Wadge she’s slow but she’s got the heart of a lion,” said Russell I’ve many happy memories and my first hunter chase winner was here.” Russell also tasted success earlier in the card with Cadell and Your Own Story dominated the Ladbrokes ‘Best Odds Guaranteed On Racing’ Handicap Chase throughout Alan Doyle stepped in for the ride and got the fractions spot on from the front on the 15-8 joint-favourite Yala Enki and Kitty’s Light are recent winners of the race Doyle told ITV Racing: “Best wishes to Derek he should be here instead of me but I was delighted to get the call he didn’t handle the top bend that well but he’s an improving horse he was down to a good mark and he took advantage of it “It’s a great credit to everyone in the yard to be turning these horses out in this form at the end of a very long season “I want to say thank you to Derek as he told me how to ride him and he was spot on.” Desert Flower claimed the Betfred 1000 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket to maintain her flawless record and continue Godolphin’s remarkable weekend Falakeyah made a huge impression when strolling to victory in the Betfred Pretty Polly Stakes Cinderella’s Dream shone on the Rowley Mile with a neat success in the Betfred Dahlia Stakes the Scotland-based specialty products business is expected to use the balance of a £140 million warchest for more acquisitions The company used some of the funding last month to acquire Alturix and it is now looking at other targets in the UK and Europe As part of its expansion plans it has appointed former Advanz Pharma chief executive Graeme Duncan as a non-executive director Kelso Pharma’s assets consist of Stirling Anglian Pharmaceuticals based in Glasgow; the Milan business Velit Biopharma; and Alturix which is in Milton Keynes The funding includes both further equity commitments arranged and managed by existing investor Apposite Capital the healthcare specialist private equity investor as well as debt facilities provided by Kartesia Kelso Pharma was advised in this fundraising by FRP Advisory said: “We are committed to continuing to grow Kelso Pharma through a blend of company and product acquisitions and this facility significantly enhances our ability to conclude transactions quickly and effectively.” said: “Ever since we backed the Kelso team to make their first acquisition we have been tremendously excited by the scale and ambition of Kelso Pharma’s growth aspirations and we are happy to have continued to play our part in providing the further funding that the business needs to deliver on that vision.” Recipients of The King’s Awards for Enterprise have been announced today, celebrating the achievements ofRead More A Scottish manufacturer of insect repellents is targeting new markets following a management buy-out. ManagingRead More This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Robbie Orr and Rhodri Tanner helped the league leaders to another full haul of points at a chilly Millbrae “Delighted with that because Kelso are a very very good team as we saw last week when they sort of dismantled Marr so we knew what they’d bring but we challenged the boys to match and go beyond their physicality we couldn’t have started any better” thought Grant Anderson afterwards Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Error-prone Edinburgh Accies succumb to Selkirk’s strength Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Honours even after Melrose vs Glasgow Hawks thriller Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Heriot’s pack power prevails over Watsonians Ayr came out the traps like a hungry greyhound this time securing a bonus point in under 20 minutes Two rolling maul tries scored by James Malcolm the bread of a deep-fill try-sandwich with Blair Macpherson’s close range drive and Jamie Shedden’s walk-in straight from the restart of that score – after a lovely flat and wide pass from Robbie Orr and clever play from Tom Lanni – providing the innards A shellshocked Kelso were given a route back into the match due to an exceedingly rare error by Bobby Beattie who had stopped Hamish Tweddie’s spiralling kick from trickling over for a 50-22 then threw a forward pass to give Kelso a nice attacking platform it isn’t just their attacking game which makes Ayr among the cream of the crop even when temporarily down to 14 men when Malcolm was invited to take a seat by referee Sam O’Neil for allegedly obstructing Dwain Patterson a try-saving tackle by Orr on early replacement Robbie Tweedie highlighting their resolve Kelso’s score actually came from an overthrown Ayr line-out Archie Barbour winning the foot race to dot down after a strong fend from Hamish Tweddie had given him room to kick Kelso had hoped they could go into the changing room at half-time with the same deficit but they were again undone with the last play of the opening period A messy scrum eventually saw the ball fall to Orr you’re lulled into a false sense of security and I think that’s what happened” offered Anderson as way of explanation to his side’s seeming dip gave away penalties and breathed a bit of life back into Kelso but the intensity and attitude… for me defending’s about attitude look after your mate and that’s what the boys did but Kelso are a quality team who’ll punish mistakes but that was the message at half-time: refocus Subsititute Caleb Rae was credited with the first of the second half before a penalty try also saw player-coach Bruce McNeil sent to the sin-bin for collapsing the maul Rhodri Tanner then went over about a minute after the restart shuffled across the backline from his starting position at inside centre took a pass from Chris Hyde – who attacked with real intent all afternoon – and raced home to the left-hand corner There was even time for some last second confusion when it appeared Mr O’Neil had signalled a penalty at another attacking Ayr maul Although Alex McGuire was at the back of the maul his boss stated that Tanner was the player who got the ball down Having acknowledged in the build-up his side were up against it Kelso coach Bruce McNeil was magnanimous and full of praise for the hosts they’d score those tries against any team in the league “It wasn’t anything specifically we’d done wrong they were just phenomenal the first 20 minutes and they never really took their foot off the gas We had that spell in the middle third of the game where we huffed and puffed a little bit but they were relentless in attack and defence and when the bench came on it didn’t weaken them at all “Today was all about Ayr but we need to try and emulate some of the character that we showed within that make sure to recover and look forward to the Melrose game.” Kelso: Tries: A Barbour; Cons: D Patterson Player of the Match: The last time I was at Millbrae Of the three players on my shortlist by the hour mark so I didn’t feel bad about awarding it to him again He had also produced two memorable tackles Talking Point: Although this is a unique season with the Super6 trickle down Ayr’s strength in depth is leaving them very few competitive contests and we have an almost three-tiered league Whether it evens itself or the SRU find need to redress the balance over the next couple of years remains to be seen but lack of competition sparks little interest URC: Edinburgh pick up two bonus points in Scarlets defeat Well done to my beloved Ayr machine as it continues to roll relentlessly on especially as we were travelling down to another borders team and didn’t want to provide them with any kind of reason to call the game off so I selflessly risked life and limb and stepped out into the ferocity of storm eoywn late on Friday evening I released a volley of nonsensical hot air at the storm and cleared it from the country I don’t require any thanks I am just glad spectators were able to get their rugby fix this weekend I have asked for a few weeks now regarding this They are a group of players with positive skills and strong team spirit We were outgunned and outmatched in all facets I sit and wonder at night about how you get such a good group of men Edification beckons and we welcome Melrose next week and I hope the boys and I can really show what we’re made of Dunno who told you to award the last maul try to Rod I’m sure he’d appreciate a correction on this matter KELSO secured their Premiership status with a gruelling but entertaining battle of an encounter that defied the physics of wind and power But Hawks still have some work to do to ensure Marr instead of them hit the trap-door but only after a cheeky try by scrum-half Andy Tait who showed the cunning and skill of the ‘Artful Dodger’ in stealing the ball from the hands of opposite number Scott Steele just as Hawks were preparing to unleash another dangerous backs attack one felt at the break that eight points may not be enough for Kelso as Hawks – who had Scotland prop Murphy Walker back from long-term injury to make up an impressive front-five – turned to have the strong gale at their back they spent virtually all of the second period in their own half two kicks that bounced on and on until they went dead typical of their failure to find a platform in Kelso territory and their set-piece power rarely put to use Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership: Currie Chieftains pushed all the way by Hawick URC: Edinburgh slay toothless Dragons TOL teams up with ‘Find a Player’ … take the survey and find out more Keith Melbourne and Cammy Thompson taking turns to lead the charge into battle against Hawks’ big men alongside released Edinburgh youngster Liam McConnell scrum-half Tait and Liam Herdman at stand-off varying the point of attack to keep Hawks’ defence guessing but a fine try from the impressive home wing Dwain Patterson in the 80th minute created the crucial gap that meant they could even cope with the Hawks finally breaking free to score deep into injury time When wing Ryan Flett crossed for Hawks’ first try to put them 7-6 ahead after eight minutes and get his 50th appearance celebrations off and running things had looked good for the men from the west but he admitted they didn’t get their tactics right after the break “In the first half I genuinely thought we played the better rugby,” he said “We were playing out from our 22 and had no inhibitions about what we were doing “We were unlucky to lose the second score [the ‘Artful Dodger’ one] But in the second half we went away from our brand of rugby really gritty team and they have a great crowd here; they didn’t exactly play flashy rugby but on days like today it’s the result that matters Flett struggled to take any consolation from the four tries scored and two bonus points collected with Marr losing they are now eights points ahead of their west coast rivals a Hawks win of any sort at home to Selkirk next week would move them above Kelso and safely into eighth place as they seek to build on promising foundations at Balgray worked for everything they got in this one showing his kicking skill by curling the second in the wind and while Flett showed Hawks’ attacking quality after a sublime Steele break created a two-on-one his opposite number Robbie Tweedie brought Kelso back into it with a try in the 26th minute that rewarded a solid period of Kelso pressure in the Hawks’ 22 with countless breenges to the line and good composure Visiting locks Max Crumlish and Ryan Burke flexed their significant muscles in battering through Kelso tackles showed his quality on the hoof and openside Seb Hastings finished off the good work with a second Hawks’ try in the 33rd minute With the Hawks’ pack earning penalties off scrum drives and the wind regularly ruining line-out throws and Kelso attempts to mauls But then Tait pick-pocketed Steele and sent his side into the break 20-12 up The third quarter was an engrossing arm-wrestle but it was a contest fought mostly in the Hawks’ half and while Kelso attacked and attacked Frank Robson putting in a power of ball-carrying to help his forwards their efforts defused the Hawks’ power dominance Hawks also saw their aresenal reduced when Andy McLean was yellow carded for stopping Patterson from releasing after the wing’s break had taken him within metres of the Hawks’ line and lost Steele and Walker to injury in that time It took until five minutes from time for Hawks to finally score again great work by stand-out performer Isaiah Malaulau and though there was dubiety over how he got back to his feet Jonny Morris wasn’t worrying as he took a pass and sprinted in behind the posts Liam Brims’ conversion made the score 20-17 but Kelso finished the normal 80 minutes with a fierce grip on the game and the noise that greeted Patterson’s try – the winger cutting a fine line to finish off all the hard work inside – was deafening and underlined how much this means to the Borders town A late breakaway finished by pacy wing Ben Morris was too little too late to halt the Tweedsiders’ party Patterson said: “It’s huge for us to stay in the Premiership again and I’m glad that we were able to make sure of it in front of our support today We didn’t want to be waiting for favours from anyone else but they came here and really stretched us They have quality players like Scott Steele but I think the key was how we started that second half and defended in their half for as long as we could “We talk a lot about how great our supporters are but they really do lift you and whenever the opposition make a mistake it feels like the crowd is right on top of them “We know next season will be tough again with one going down from a ten-team league this club and our supporters to know we’re going to be there again … and now it’s time for some sevens and sun Glasgow Hawks: E Muirhead (L Brims 54); B Morris Patterson; Cons: Patterson 3; Pens: Patterson 2 Scoring sequence (Kelso first): 3-0; 6-0; 6-5; 6-7; 11-7; 13-7; 13-12; 18-12; 20-12 (h-t) 20-17; 25-17; 27-17; 27-22; 27-24 Player-of-the-Match: Hawks had contenders across their pack with Isaiah Malaulau a towering presence in the scrum but Kelso matched them with the front-row bouncing back from early set-piece trouble to play well in the loose Keith Melbourne back to his best in his final game before returning to Ireland and Liam McConnell and Bruce McNeil putting in incredible shifts Andy Tait had one of his best performances at scrum-half and Liam Herdman was typically astute in varying attack but for his flawless goal-kicking in severe winds vital last try after several attacking breaks Talking point: The gale-force wind that blew down the park proved useless as a tool for both sides after pre-match talk around how decisive it would be in the game URC: Edinburgh slay toothless Dragons