Sponsors                 Just magic! Bewitching display by Selkirk sees Halbro Sevens trophy remain at Philiphaugh AIN'T NO STOPPING US NOW! Selkirk's jubilant players celebrate winning the 2008 Halbro Selkirk Sevens at Philiphaugh on Sunday. Back row: Ryan Crockatt, Rory Aglen, Ross Nixon, Gavin Craig, Andrew Renwick, Michael McVie. Front: Lee Jones, Neil Darling, Fraser Harkness and Eddie Gauché. Double trouble. Eddie Gauché (left) and Neil Darling get to grips with a Newcastle Falcons player in the final. FOR only the third time in the competition's 89-year history, Selkirk managed to secure back-to-back titles at their own sports with an outstanding team performance in front of a bumper crowd at sun-soaked Philiphaugh on Sunday. The fact that the home side held on to their title in the first Selkirk Sevens tournament sponsored by Halbro, made victory taste all the sweeter for the home club and its supporters. And while everyone is talking about a knighthood for Scottish cycling's golden boy Chris Hoy, how about a peerage of the realm for Selkirk skipper Neil Darling? The Lilliesleaf legend continues to inspire his players to fresh heights, and on Sunday the fired-up Souters showed that any team wanting to take their 'Kings of the Sevens' crown will have to do it the hard way. "Clinching two Selkirk titles on the trot was a bit special," Neil Darling admitted after Sunday's final, "and beating a strong Newcastle side by such a big margin was also very satisfying. The boys were obviously disappointed to have fallen at the final hurdle at Kelso last weekend, so we felt we had something to prove." The home skipper praised Fraser Harkness for another power-packed display, which earned him the Denzil Lloyd 'Player of the Tournament' Cup, while also singling out stand-off Ross Nixon for special praise after the youngster scored a hat-trick of tries in the final. "Gavin Craig was also in outstanding form at centre," continued Neil, "but quite honestly every player in the squad deserves a mention, because they were all outstanding." Selkirk scored a total of 25 tries in their four ties while conceding eight (five of which came in the final against Newcastle). Harkness finished top Selkirk try scorer on the day with six, followed by Jones (5), Craig and Darling (4 each), Eddie Gauché (2) and Michael McVie (1). When the draw for the 2008 Halbro Sevens was made, the opening tie between Selkirk and Kelso drew by far the most comment, given that these two sides had contested the Kelso Sevens final the previous week. In the event Kelso were forced by injuries to field a recast team, but even so the Tweedsiders still possessed enough sevens know-how in their line-up to pose plenty of problems for the Souters. Right from the start Selkirk put the Black & Whites under severe pressure, and this tactic paid off when Fraser Harkness capitalised on two turnovers to score a brace of tries, both converted by Nixon. Two scores by Lee Jones just before the interval put Selkirk 24-0 ahead, and further tries from Craig, McVie and Harkness (his hat-trick) saw the home team romp home 39-0. ROCK ON ROSCO! Selkirk fly-half Ross Nixon heads over the line for the first of his three tries in the final against Newcastle. Next up were Edinburgh Accies, whose cause wasn't helped when Alex Blair was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle on Lee Jones in the first half. During his absence Selkirk managed to score through Gauché and Craig, with Darling's opening try putting the home side 19-0 ahead at the break. Further scores from Jones and Darling wrapped the tie up at 33-7. The shock of the quarter-finals was undoubtedly Peebles' 24-0 drubbing of Hawick. In part the Gytes side had the attacking flair of ex-Selkirk wing Craig Hunter to thank for their strong showing, and Selkirk knew they would have to be at their best in the clubs' semi-final showdown if they hoped to secure a place in the final. It was Peebles who struck the first blow when a cracking break by Hunter was finished off by Callum Farmer, but tries from Gauché and Darling put the home team 12-7 ahead at the break. A great score by Harkness was countered by a try from David Anderson to leave the tie hanging in the balance at 17-12 going into the final two minutes, but Jones saved the day when he latched on to McVie's grubber kick to put Selkirk out of sight at 22-12. In the bottom half of the draw a youthful Newcastle Falcons side and a typically polished Watsonians outfit had set the hottest pace, so when these two met in the second semi-final something simply had to give. Each side had their noses in front at various stages of a full-blooded encounter, but it was the Falcons' more direct approach which eventually won the day, edging past the Myreside men 33-26. And so to the final, with Newcastle wasting no time in drawing first blood thanks to a neat piece of finishing from Harry Whittington. Tries by Craig and Nixon steadied the ship for Selkirk, but a touchdown in the sixth minute by Drew Locke, converted by Catterick, levelled things at 12-12. A great break and offload by Ross Nixon then set up a try for Lee Jones, and Harkness struck just before the interval to extend Selkirk's halftime lead to 22-12. Early in the second period Nixon and Whittington exchanged tries to make the score 29-19 in the home side's favour, but with the young Falcons visibly tiring, Selkirk pressed home their advantage with touchdowns from Nixon and Darling (the latter following a great piece of recovery work by Rory Aglen). To their credit the men from Geordieland never gave up the fight, and found enough energy to score tries through Bradley and Catterick. However, the seal was set on a glorious Selkirk victory when first Craig and then Harkness crossed for tries, leaving the home supporters ecstatic at a final scoreline of 51-29. The trophy and winners' medals were presented by Mrs Susan Thomson, wife of Selkirk president George, and a huge cheer went up when Selkirk's Premier 2 'Player of the Year', Fraser Harkness, stepped up to receive the Denzil Lloyd 'Player of the Tournament' Cup from SRU president Jim Stevenson. HOME AND DRY. Fraser Harkness doing what he does best - scoring tries! Here the winner of Sunday's 'Player of the Tournament' award crosses for the second of the hat-trick of tries he scored against first round opponents Kelso. [Pictures by Grant Kinghorn] So ended a phenomenally successful day for Selkirk's gutsy and talented sevens squad. But just as Neil Darling's players deserve all the plaudits for a scintillating display of sevens rugby, so Selkirk's officials and helpers deserve an equally big accolade for having the Philiphaugh pitch and clubroom facilities in tip-top shape barely a fortnight after the club's third flood in the past five years. The spirit which has brought so much success to Selkirk on the pitch in recent months is just as much in evidence off it, and this never-say-die attitude should stand the Philiphaugh club in good stead as they get ready to lock horns with Premier One's heavy brigade in the months ahead. Finally, a special mention goes to Dumfries referee John Steele, who took charge of the final in what will be his last appearance at the Selkirk tournament. Thanks for the years of service, John, and here's hoping the memories you've managed to store up while officiating at Philiphaugh are as happy as the ones the club has garnered during your involvement with the Selkirk tournament. SELKIRK - N. Darling, R. Crockatt, E. Gauché, F. Harkness, R. Nixon, G. Craig, L. Jones, M. McVie, R. Aglen, A. Renwick. HALBRO SELKIRK SEVENS - RESULTS SELKIRK 39 SELKIRK 33 SELKIRK 22 SELKIRK 53 KELSO 6 BIGGAR 7 EDIN ACCIES 7 EDIN ACCIES 39 PERTHSHIRE 33 PEEBLES 24 PEEBLES 12 PEEBLES 35 HAWICK 45 HAWICK 0 JED-FOREST 0 SCOTTISH ACADEMY 33 SCOTTISH ACADEMY 19 NEWCASTLE FALCONS 33 NEWCASTLE FALCONS 29 HADDINGTON 12 N'CSTLE FALCONS 31 N'CSTLE FALCONS 21 GALA 5 LANGHOLM 7 MELROSE 5 WATSONIANS 26 MELROSE 28 WATSONIANS 38 WATSONIANS 36 BERWICK 0     Welcome to the Selkirk rugby football club website. Thank you for taking time to look. You may wish to bookmark this page now, for your future ease.You are invited to browse our site to find out information about Selkirk who are currently playing in the BT Premiership 2 and Border leagues.