He said an assessment carried out by council officials in the early hours of last Thursday morning, shortly before the Long Philip Burn burst its banks, should have triggered a flood alert which could have prevented the club being hit.

"Frustration is the understatement of the year," he said.

"This latest episode could and should have been avoided. Thousands of pounds have been spent on professional surveys for SBC, but seemingly, all to no avail.

"What is the point of having a sandbag store at the rugby field if the flood warnings are misjudged by the experts?"

He went on to praise the efforts of volunteers who jumped into action to reduce the damage and help clear up once the water had subsided.

"Thanks to the efforts of a willing band of volunteers, the George Downie Bar and changing rooms have now been cleared of silt, while the main pitch is no longer under floodwater.

"I can assure all our supporters that this latest difficulty will not prevent Selkirk Rugby Club from tackling the huge challenge it faces in Premier One with the same determination and spirit which saw the 1st XV players bring in such an array of honours to Philiphaugh last season.

"We have to perform well at home and I'm sure that our supporters will get behind the boys with the same gusto they displayed last season.

"I'm confident in the ability of this squad to rise to the challenge. The coaches and players are under no illusions as to the severity of the tests lying ahead.

"However, there won't be many teams relishing the prospect of taking us on at Philiphaugh."

Speaking after his side's 29-22 defeat in the pre-season friendly with Peebles on Saturday, coach Kevin Barrie wants the players to up their game.

He told us: "The idea was to look at all the players in a live game situation, and to see how well they put into practice the routines and drills we've been working on at training over the past few weeks and I was generally pleased by the players' commitment.

"However, the intensity wasn't as high as I would have liked, while another area which clearly needs working on is our organisation in defence. The boys are well aware of the size of the task facing them in Premier One, and after today I'm certain they'll be keen to work even harder in the build-up to the Currie game. I've called an extra training session for the forwards, and from now on the real work begins."

On Saturday, Selkirk begin their defence of the Kings of the Sevens crown when they travel to Poynder Park for the Kelso Sevens. The Souters face Haddington in the first round. First tie is at 1.30pm.