Melrose closing in on top spot in rugby’s Tennent’s National League Division 1 as winning run goes on

That victory, their eighth of the season and seventh on the bounce, sees them leapfrog Gala, beaten 45-19 at Ayr the day after, into third place in the table, on 40 points from ten games, and a Borders derby at home to the Galashiels side this coming Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm, offers an opportunity to get further ahead of their regional rivals, currently on 36 points.

Head coach Bert Grigg’s Melrose team are now only four points behind table-toppers Kelso and three worse off than second-placed Ayr.

The hosts’ tries against their division’s basement side were scored by Calum Crookshanks, captain Struan Hutchison, James O’Neill, James Brown, Ben McLean, Bruce Colvine and Douglas Crawford, with the skipper adding five conversions.

Michael Jamieson opened the evening’s scoring for the visitors with what turned out to be their only try, converted by Kyle Henderson, and Henderson also kicked two penalties.

Hutchison, named as Melrose’s man of the match, was delighted to see his side come from behind to keep up a winning streak going back to the start of October, telling Borders Rugby TV afterwards: “You can’t take anyone lightly in this league, I don’t think, and Stewart’s Melville came out of the traps firing.

“We tried to play a bit of territory in the first ten minutes and then just a little mistake allowed them to get that line-break and they scored, and then our indiscipline early on allowed them to kick points and gave them a 10-0 lead, but we managed to get a foothold in the game about 15 or 20 minutes in and then get into a 19-13 lead.

“What we talked about at half-time was the standards we’re trying to drive here were lacking against a team that are bottom of the league respectfully.

“We wanted to be a little more in front and we were disappointed with that first-half performance, if I’m being honest.

“At half-time, we were told to strive for the high standards we’re after, stick to our game-plan and our structure and we’d get opportunities. It was more the execution that let us down in the first half, and in the second half we managed to take it away from them. We played in the right areas and we were a little more clinical.”

Hutchison is now hoping to see his side keep up their winning momentum against Gala rather than allowing the Netherdale outfit to get back in front of them in the division’s pecking order, saying: “We know what’s coming, Gala next week, and then we’re into Stew Mel, Watsonians and Stirling County before Christmas – and Stirling beat us up there – and we’re trying to drive a massive squad effort at this club.

“It’s really close. Gala were one point ahead of us in the league before tonight, but they’re coming to our patch and we’re unbeaten at home, so we’ll look to defend that.

“We’ll focus on ourselves and I’m honestly pretty sure we’ll be on it and we’ll be ready to rip in come Saturday against Gala. It doesn’t get much better than Melrose playing Gala at the Greenyards or Netherdale. They’re games you want to be involved in.”