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SELKIRK ‘A’ PLAYERS HOLD NERVE
TO OVERCOME STRONG STEWART’S/MELVILLE 2nds SIDE
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Nathaniel Armstrong
crosses the Stewart’s/Melville line for Selkirk’s fourth try on Saturday.
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Scott Clark’s clinical goal-kicking played a major role in Selkirk A’s fine win on Saturday.
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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).
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