Selkirk v Melrose Rugby 18/1/25

Selkirk v Melrose – 18/1/25

The first Arnold Clark Premiership match of 2025 was played on a dull, still and cold afternoon and was characterised by numerous scrums delayed by prolonged dialogue between the two front rows and the referee. Three minutes into the match Ben Pickles careered up the Selkirk left wing before off-loading to Dylan Bronlund who crossed and raced towards the posts for a try converted by Hugo Alderson. From a penalty lineout rolling maul on the right, at 14 minutes, Corey Tait scored and Alderson converted then, from the re-start, Melrose were awarded a penalty and from the resultant lineout in the right corner Logan Kirk scored and Struan Hutchison converted to open the Melrose account. Melrose advanced up-field from the next re-start and from a maul on the Selkirk 22 Hutchison floated a high pass right to Ruairidh Lindsay, out on the wing, who crossed in the right corner and raced towards the posts for a try converted by Hutchison to level the scores. At 25 minutes, from a tap penalty short of the Melrose line a series of plays developed before Jack Fisher crashed over for a try. Before Alderson’s successful conversion a typical Border derby fracas between both packs of forwards took place! Six minutes later, following a lineout on the Selkirk 22, Elliot Ruthven added his name to the score-sheet with a try converted by Hutchison. Honours even at half-time.

Half time – Selkirk 21 Melrose 21

A minute into the second half Allan Ferrie breenged towards the Selkirk line off-loading to Kirk for the unconverted Melrose bonus point try. A quickly taken Selkirk tap penalty, at 57 minutes, saw the ball passed out wide right to Josh Welsh who scored the Selkirk bonus point try converted by Alderson from the touch-line. At 69 minutes Hutchison gave Melrose a single point lead by kicking a penalty, then, with four minutes remaining, and after sustained Selkirk pressure and a series of penalties, Cal Anderson changed direction and managed to squeeze into the left corner being lucky to be able to touch down before being bundled into touch-in-goal. Alderson’s conversion from the touch-line ended the scoring. Melrose, from the re-start, kept pressing up the left side, but their efforts were thwarted just short of the line when they were turned over and Selkirk dispatched the ball out of play to end the match.

Selkirk 35 Melrose 29

Selkirk – Cal Anderson, Josh Welsh, Andrew Grant-Suttie, Brodie Allan, Ben Pickles, Aaron McColm(cc), Hugo Alderson, Luke Pettie, Corey Tait, Bruce Riddell, Andrew McColm(cc), Jack Fisher, Dylan Bronlund, Taylor Wilson, Kieran Westlake. Replacements – James Bett, Ben Malcolm, Ryder Joyce, Liam Cassidy, Oliver McClymont, Blake Cullen, Ethan Wilson.

Melrose – Morgan Gabe, Declan Mulcahy, Connor Spence, Roly Brett, Corey Goldsbrough, Struan Hutchison, Jimmy Coull, Jack Dobie, Logan Kirk, Zen Szwagrzak, Angus Weir, Angus Runciman©, Allan Ferrie, Elliot Ruthven, Ruairidh Lindsay. Replacements – Robbie Robinson, Will Ferrie, Angus Common, Craig Fairbairn, Scott Clark, Luke Townsend, Hamish Weir.

Referee – Chelsae Gillespie. Assistants – Allan Parry & Bob Nevins.