MARR MADE TO FIGHT ALL THE WAY,
BUT SELKIRK FALL SHORT IN QUEST TO TOPPLE LEADERS Selkirk skipper Ewan MacDougall
burrows over the line for Selkirk’s first try on Saturday.
Andy Mackay rises high to win vital line-out possession as Selkirk look to clear their lines.
Selkirk full-back Henry Bithray battles to find a way past Marr defenders in Saturday’s match.
Ewan MacDougall prepares to hand off an opponent, with Berte & McClymont ready to help.
Wing Ryan Cottrell bursts clear and heads over the Marr line, only to have his try disallowed.
[Photos by GRANT KINGHORN PICS]
Selkirk 14, Marr 26
SATURDAY’S defeat at Philiphaugh by league leaders
Marr means Selkirk drop out of the Tennent’s Premiership play-off places, with Aberdeen Grammar leapfrogging them
to take over fourth spot.
After the game, Selkirk skipper Ewan MacDougall spoke about what might have been. “Going into the second half we
wanted to play into the corners and put them under pressure, and for the first 10 minutes or so we managed to do
that.
“After that we gave away too many penalties, and they were able to kick for position and launch attacks from inside
our half, so it was frustrating to say the least.
“The coaches told the boys after the final whistle they couldn’t fault the players’ efforts, especially defensively.
I think we just need to play a bit more in the right areas, and that’s something the whole squad has to address
and work on.
“What we’ve got to do now is make good use of the time off over the next couple of weeks, get injuries seen to,
regroup and then make sure we come back stronger for the last three games of the league campaign. Hopefully this
will be enough to get us back into play-off contention.”
The visitors took a 9-0 lead thanks to three penalties from the boot of Gregor Paxton. However, despite having
very little possession to work with, the home players continued to make their first-time tackles count and match
Marr’s high work rate in the loose.
Selkirk had a try by Ryan Cottrell chalked off after the assistant referee decided Josh Welsh’s tap-down to Cottrell
from McColm’s restart kick had gone forward.
Five minutes before the interval Selkirk did manage to cut the deficit. Aaron McColm’s quickly taken tap penalty
was driven forward by lock Sean Rankin, and Ewan MacDougall managed to finish off the move by squirming his way
under the posts for an opportunist try. McColm’s conversion made the halftime score Selkirk 7, Marr 9.
After the break Selkirk went ahead after Aaron McColm fed Luke Pettie from a ruck 10 metres outside Marr’s 22.
The prop fed on to Peter Forrest, whose offload was seized on by the ever-alert Scott McClymont.
The ‘Tinnis Thunderbolt’ jinked inside Marr defender Calum Inglis, before swerving around full-back Greg Montgomery
to score under the posts. McColm’s conversion put the home side 14-9 ahead.
A missed penalty by McColm soon afterwards was to prove costly, and the writing was on the wall for the Souters
when Scott Bickerstaff raced over to score a brace of tries and put the visitors 21-14 ahead.
Just as it looked as though Selkirk might at least have the consolation of securing a losing bonus point, Marr
replacement forward Curran McMillan barrelled his way over for a try in the corner to compound the home supporters’
frustration.
The Four Seasons Forestry ‘Selkirk Man of the Match’ award went to Sean Rankin, with his second row colleague Peter
Forrest also deserving mention for an equally spirited performance.
SELKIRK – H. Bithray, R. Cottrell, J. Welsh, R. Nixon, L. Berte, Aaron McColm, L. Merolle, L. Pettie, J. Bett,
B. Riddell, P. Forrest, S. Rankin, A. Mackay, S. McClymont, E. MacDougall Replacements: Andrew McColm, M. Haldane,
H. Borthwick, C. Anderson.
MARR – G. Montgomery, S. Bickerstaff, G. Paxton, C. Bickerstaff, J. Scott, C. Sturgeon, J. Preston, W.
Farquhar, O. Rossi, C. Henderson, E. Hamilton-Bulger, F. Grant, M. Pearce, R. Brown, B. Grant. Replacements: C.
McMillan, B. Sweet, C. Cunningham, C. Inglis, T. Steven.
Referee – Neil Munro (SRU).
.
SELKIRK ‘A’ PLAYERS HOLD NERVE TO OVERCOME STRONG
STEWART’S/MELVILLE 2nds SIDE
Nathaniel Armstrong crosses the Stewart’s/Melville
line for Selkirk’s fourth try on Saturday.
Scott Clark’s clinical goal-kicking played a major role in Selkirk A’s fine win on Saturday.
Number eight Ross Purves turned in a five-star display against Stewart’s/Melville 2nds.
[Photos - GRANT KINGHORN PICS]
Selkirk ‘A’ 32, Stewart’s/Melville
2nds 20
WITH both sides scoring four tries apiece, the
decisive factor in Saturday’s fixture was the pinpoint accuracy of home scrum-half Scott Clark’s goal-kicking.
The 20-year-old heating engineer has proved one of Selkirk A’s most consistent performers, and his 12-point haul
against Stewart’s/Melville takes his season’s points total to 116 from just 12 appearances – impressive by any
standard.
The win keeps Selkirk ‘A’ in second spot in the Tennent’s Reserve League East 1 table, although Musselburgh 2nds
are only four points behind with a game in hand. The teams meet at Stoneyhill on February 15.
Stewart’s/Melville’s giant pack were always going to pose problems for the lighter home eight, and the visitors
were over the moon when Neil Armstrong scored a try for them with less than 60 seconds on the clock.
Within two minutes Selkirk had drawn level with a try by wing Clark Young, and the teenager repeated the feat four
minutes later after Mark Leckie had scored the visitors’ second touchdown moments earlier.
Stout defending allowed Selkirk to keep their line intact as the visitors piled on the pressure, and tries by Matthew
Francis and Nathaniel Armstrong, both converted by Clark, put the Souters 26-10 ahead.
Just before the interval Clark landed two penalties to give the home team a comfortable 32-10 halftime lead.
Stewart’s/Melville dominated the second half, denying Selkirk possession and cutting the deficit to 12 points thanks
to tries by their man-mountain lock forward Alexander Rappestad and prop Thomas Petiau.
However, Selkirk held on to their lead thanks to some spirited defence and some booming clearance kicks by David
Cassidy.
The Four Seasons Forestry ‘Selkirk Man of the Match’ award was jointly shared by Ross Purves and Jamie Turnbull.
SELKIRK – S. Cockburn, N. Armstrong, C. McNeill, H. Aynsley, C. Young, D. Cassidy, S. Clark, K. Thomson, M. Francis,
R. Reilly, M. Mackay, D. Alexander, L. Cassidy, J. Turnbull, R. Purves. Replacements: P. Smail, G. Forrest, M.
Waldron, S. Wilson, A. Tennant, H. Macdonell, K. Monks.
STEWART’S/MELVILLE – M. Watson, C. Lamb, N. Armstrong, M. Hanning, M. Leckie, G. Tainsh, T. Milne, S. Spowart,
O. Williamson, T. Petiau, A. Scott, A. Rappestad, N. Winton, A. Wainwright, C. McCracken. Replacements: S. Faulkner,
G. Macgregor, G. Henderson, F. Robertson, J. Somerville, T. Keddari, M. Pleass.
Referee – Darren Fisher (Hawick).
.
SELKIRK RUGBY CLUB’S SPONSORS THANKED FOR THEIR
SUPPORT IN 2019/2020 SEASON Marr president Stephen
Allam, vice-president Tony Peters and director of rugby Kevin Quinn join Selkirk officials and sponsors at Saturday’s
pre-match lunch in the Philiphaugh Suite.
Guests Roy Owen, Lucile Macleod, Donald Macleod, Billy Renwick, Sam McClymont, Derek Brown and David Mitchell enjoy
themselves at Saturday’s sponsors lunch.
SELKIRK Rugby Club’s annual sponsors lunch was held in the Philiphaugh Suite prior to Saturday’s Tennent’s Premiership
game against Marr. The event was once again well supported, with three of Marr’s visiting office-bearers joining
the get-together.
“Everything went very much according to plan,” Selkirk vice-president Jim Harold told the selkirkrfc.com website
this week. “The lunch is a chance for the club to thank its sponsors for their continued support, without which
Selkirk RFC would not be able to function so effectively.”
Jim made special mention of a number of individuals whose hard work had helped make the day such a success, in
particular Karen and Gibby Findlater and their sons, Callum and Sam, club treasurer Alison Harold and Susan Welsh,
one of Selkirk’s most passionate supporters.
Upcoming Fixtures
/ Events
SATURDAY, JANUARY
25TH
EAST YOUTH CUP (1st round) SELKIRK U-16s v. CURRIE
CHIEFTAINS U-16s
at Philiphaugh, 2pm kick-off
A full list of games for season 2019 / 2020 can be
viewed on our 'Fixtures'
page
A full list of results and reports for
all games played this season and the past 18 seasons can be accessed by clicking on the 'Results' link above.
.
HIGHLIGHTS OF SELKIRK v MARR
18/01
.
TICKETS NOW ON SALE FOR 2020
SELKIRK SPORTS DINNER
Richard Cockerill
and George McNeill
SELKIRK Rugby Club has lined up two star speakers
for its Sports Dinner at Philiphaugh on Friday, March 13 – Richard Cockerill and George McNeill.
Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill is one of the most respected and forthright figures in rugby. Formerly head
coach with Leicester and Toulon, Cockerill won 27 caps at hooker for England.
Playing against New Zealand at Old Trafford in 1997, the Leicester player made headlines by eyeballing opposite
number Norm Hewitt during the All Blacks’ performance of the Haka.
The second speaker at the dinner is George McNeill, a former world professional sprint champion who is acknowledged
as one of the most popular and entertaining speakers on the UK after-dinner circuit.
Organiser of the event, and chairing the dinner, is Selkirk Rugby Club’s most capped internationalist, John Rutherford.
“It promises to be a great night” John told the selkirkrfc.com website on Monday.
“Richard Cockerill is one of the top coaches in Europe, and has taken Edinburgh from an average performer to a
top professional team. He is well known for his abrasive, no-nonsense approach, and I'm sure he will entertain
us with tales of his many rugby experiences.
“George McNeill was a former professional footballer who became the only man to win the two most famous professional
races in the world – Scotland’s New Year Sprint, and the Stawell Gift in Australia.
“The dinner is a fund-raiser for our club, and I hope our friends, supporters and players will get behind the event.
We will also be making a donation to the Royal Signals Benevolent Fund."
The dinner is being held the evening before ‘Super Saturday’, when the last three games in the 2020 Guinness Six
Nations Championship will take place.
Tickets, priced £35, are now on sale, and can be purchased from Selkirk RFC bar & events manager Layla
Anderson in the clubhouse, or by contacting John Rutherford on 07887 952 292, or Mick Craig on 07810 435 846.
.
DOWN BUT NOT OUT – UNDER-16s CONTINUE
TO PUT IN PLENTY OF EFFORT Duns u-16s 32, Selkirk
u-16s 12
ALTHOUGH the team went down to another defeat at
Duns on Friday, under-16 coaches Ewen Robbie and Craig MacDougall were pleased to see moves practised on the training
field being executed by the boys in a game situation.
Sam Clark showed plenty of promise in his first appearance in the pack, while youngsters Danny Bradshaw and Max
Bury continue to impress.
Blake Cullen made an impact after moving to centre, displaying strong running and solid defence.
Try scorers on the day were Cameron Easson and Patrick Macdonell, with Easson adding a conversion.
UNDER-16 TEAM - Lewis Inglis, Fin Mallin, Cameron Easson, Finlay Wheelans, Blake Cullen, Calum Findlater, Callum
Kemp, Hamish Reid, Cian Hendrie, Max Bury, Danny Bradshaw, Dylan Torrance, Josh Allan, Patrick Macdonell, Sam Clark.
Replacement: Sean Martin.
+ Next up for the under-16s is Saturday’s East Youth Cup 1st round tie against Currie Chieftains U-16s at Philiphaugh
this Saturday (January 25) with a 2pm kick-off. The Selkirk lads are hoping for a big home support!
.
FORMER Selkirk player Andrew Maben (pictured above,
left) held a get-together of 60 former team-mates, friends and work colleagues in the George Downie Bar on Saturday.
Maben was a member of the Selkirk side which won the Tennent’s Velvet Shield final at Murrayfield in 1998, and
many of the team who triumphed that day were present at Saturday’s lunch.
These ex-players included skipper Paul Minto, Keith McConnell, Scott McColm, Cameron Cochrane, David Anderson,
Iain Purves, Bruce Anderson, David Cameron and David Nichol, as well as coach Brian Cassidy and team manager Dennis
Henderson.
“It was a great occasion,” Dennis told the selkirkrfc.com website this week. “I was the club’s rugby manager when
Andrew [who was playing for Walkerburn at the time] first came down to Philiphaugh.
“He was a tremendous player for us, happy to turn out in either the second row or the back row, and the craic on
Saturday amongst his former team-mates from his days both at the ‘Burn and at Philiphaugh was brilliant.
“He was delighted to meet up with all his old mates, and genuinely touched by how many people had taken the trouble
to come along to the lunch. It was also great tos see video footage of that 1998 Murrayfield win.”
Speeches were given by Scott McColm and Jackson Cockburn, while at the end of the lunch a vote of thanks was proposed
by Cameron Cochrane.
.
HAWICK LINDEN SEVENS INVITATION
ACCEPTED
SELKIRK fixtures secretary Mary Inglis has confirmed
that that the club has accepted an invitation from Hawick Linden to send a Selkirk ‘A’ team to its annual sevens
tournament at the Volunteer Park on Saturday, April 18.
.
SELKIRK RHINOS NEWS – REVISED
TRAINING DATES ANNOUNCED New training schedule -
26th January: Ian Stark Equestrian Centre (indoors, 10am-11am). 2nd February: No training. 9th February - Normal training resumes at Philiphaugh (10am start)
.
.
.
1st XV
(up to & including Jan 18th, 2020)
P 19 W 11 L 7 D 1
LEADING TRY SCORERS (after 19 matches): 8 – Henry
Bithray; 6 – Scott McClymont, Josh Welsh, Ryan Cottrell; 5 – James Bett, Ewan MacDougall; 3 - Aaron McColm, Luke
Pettie, Jacob Henry; 2 – Sean Rankin, Peter Forrest, Luca Berte, Donald Nichol, Andrew McColm, Callum Anderson,
Frazer Anderson; 1 – Josh Mackay, Andrew Renwick, Luca Merolle, Bruce Riddell, Jack Houston, Robert Cook, Michael
Waldron, Ross Purves, Callum McNeill, Nathaniel Armstrong. Tries scored: 70. Tries conceded: 63.
LEADING POINTS SCORERS (after 19 matches): 86 – Aaron McColm (3 tries, 9 penalties, 22 conversions); 50 - Henry
Bithray (7 tries, 5 conversions); 30 – Ryan Cottrell (6 tries). Total points scored: 472. Total points conceded:
438.
MOST APPEARANCES (after 19 matches): 19 – Luca Berte, Luke Pettie; 18 – Ewan MacDougall, Peter Forrest; 17 – Luca
Merolle, Josh Welsh, Scott McClymont, Callum Anderson, Ryan Cottrell, Bruce Riddell; 16 – Aaron McColm, James Bett;
15 – Frazer Anderson; 14 – Henry Bithray, Andy Mackay; 13 – Ross Nixon, Sean Rankin; 12 – Donald Nichol; 9 – Josh
Mackay; 7 – Harry Borthwick, Jack Houston.
‘A’ XV
(up to & including Jan 18th, 2020)
P 17 W 12 L 4 D 1
LEADING TRY SCORERS (after 17 matches): 8 – David
Cassidy, Nathaniel Armstrong; 5 – Jy Griffin, Kieran Monks; 4 – Robert Cook; 3 – Matthew Francis, Lewis Martin,
Andrew Renwick; 2 – Robbie Reilly, Clark Young, Ross Purves, Mark Rutter, Liam Blair, Gary Robertson, Donald Nichol;
1 – Rory Hamilton, Matthew Brass, Andrew McColm, Matthew Mackay, Callum McNeill, Michael Waldron, Ryan Cottrell,
Josh Bain, Liam Cassidy, Grant Forrest, Peter Forrest, Bruce Riddell, Henry Bithray. Total tries scored: 67. Total
conceded: 52.
LEADING POINTS SCORERS (after 17 matches): 116 – Scott Clark (12 penalties, 40 conversions); 37 – David Cassidy
(6 tries, 1 penalty, 2 conversions); 35 – Nathaniel Armstrong (7 tries); Total points scored: 425. Total points
conceded: 331.
MOST APPEARANCES (after 17 matches): 15 – Kieran Thomson, Matthew Mackay, Liam Cassidy, Nathaniel Armstrong; 14
– Mark Rutter, Matthew Francis, David Cassidy; 12 – Scott Clark; 11 – Harris Macdonell; 10 – Jamie Turnbull; 9
– Jy Griffin, Paul Smail; 8 – Harry Aynsley, Robbie Reilly, Ross Purves, Matty Brass, Liam Blair; 7 – Harry Aynsley,
Kieran Monks, Robert Cook, Moray Haldane, Andrew McColm, Andrew Davidson; 6 – Grant Forrest, Derry Alexander, Rory
Hamilton, Harry Borthwick, Michael Waldron.
EDINBURGH ACADEMICAL 2nds v. JED-FOREST
‘A’
CURRIE CHIEFTAINS ‘A’ v. BOROUGHMUIR 2A
MUSSELBURGH 2nds v. STEWART'S/MELVILLE 2nds
HERIOT'S BLUES 2NDs v. HAWICK FORCE
*********
TENNENT’S PREMIERSHIP
P
W
L
D
Pts
Marr RFC
14
12
1
1
60
Currie Chieftains
14
10
4
0
52
Hawick
13
9
3
1
46
Aberdeen Grammar
15
8
7
0
39
SELKIRK
15
7
7
1
38
Jed-Forest
15
5
10
0
30
GHA
14
5
9
0
29
Musselburgh
15
4
10
1
27
Edinburgh Accies
13
4
7
2
26
Glasgow Hawks
14
4
10
0
26
*****************************************
BOOKERS BORDER
LEAGUE (Pool ‘B’)
P
W
L
D
Pts
SELKIRK
2
2
0
0
10
Peebles
1
0
1
0
1
Hawick
0
0
0
0
0
Kelso
1
0
1
0
0
*****************************************
TENNENT’S RESERVE
LEAGUE EAST 1
P
W
L
D
Pts
Hawick Force
12
11
1
0
57
SELKIRK ‘A’
14
10
3
1
53
Musselburgh 2nds
13
9
4
0
49
Stew/Mel. 2nds
13
7
6
0
45
Heriot's Blues 2nds
13
7
5
1
43
Edin. Accies 2nds
12
6
5
1
41
Biggar 2nds
13
6
7
0
39
Currie Chieftains ‘A’
12
3
9
0
26
Boroughmuir 2A
12
1
8
3
21
Jed-Forest ‘A’
14
1
13
0
16
Sponsors
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3
LOOKING to celebrate in style? Selkirk Rugby Club’s
Philiphaugh Function Suite offers free room hire… and more! Professional DJ and party planner LAYLA ANDERSON is
available to hire for your party requirements. Photos can be projected on the suite’s big screen via our personalised
photo projection package. If you would like to book an event don't hesitate to get in touch with Selkirk Rugby
Club’s bar and events manager LAYLA ANDERSON on 07563 617 471.
… AND A GREAT VENUE FOR WEDDINGS!
The Philiphaugh Function Suite at Selkirk Rugby
Football Club is available to hire for weddings and receptions. Affordable and competitive rates. Professional
wedding decoration design and DJ hire also available. If you would like to book, don't hesitate to get in touch
with Selkirk Rugby Club’s bar and events manager LAYLA ANDERSON on 07563 617 471.
Photos and content of this site are the property of
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redistributed without the owner's prior written permission. Thank you. (Copyright 2000-2017)
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