Melrose closing in on another crown

KING OF THE SEVENS SERIES

Kelso and Earlston host the seventh and eighth rounds of the Kings of the Sevens in the last of three straight weekends of demanding back-to-back tournaments during which the defending champions, Melrose, have opened up a massive lead in the competition, writes Alan Lorimer. If they continue to produce the form that brought then victories at both Langholm and Peebles last weekend, Melrose could, theoretically, have the title won at the end of today’s Kelso tournament at Poynder Park, or tomorrow at the Haugh in Earlston.

Kelso have opted for a pool system in preference to the straight, and somewhat brutal, knockout format and, with seedings that reflects the most recent results, the challenging clubs, Gala, Watsonians, Hawick, and Edinburgh Accies, have a better chance to reach the semi-finals.

Gala, though, will have to overcome Peebles and Jed-Forest in Pool C, while Watsonians, who are the Kelso Sevens title holders, have Hawick, the beaten finalists at Peebles, to contend with. Melrose must make sure of defeating Edinburgh Accies in Pool D if they are to maintain their substantial lead in the Kings competition.

Tomorrow at the Haugh, Melrose will be seeking to win a fifth Earlston Sevens title in a row. The Greenyards side, which featured several newcomers last weekend, are in the lower half of the draw and if they can squeeze past Hawick in the quarter final then a semi-final against Watsonians is likely.

From the top half of the draw, form would point towards a penultimate-round tie between Edinburgh Accies and Gala but Selkirk, eager to perform well ahead of their own Sevens a week today at Philiphaugh, could have a significant say in the make-up of the first semi final.

Earlston, themselves a junior club, have included fellow travellers, St Boswells and Hawick Harlequins in the draw, as well as guest side Merchistonians. The focus of attention, though, will be very much on the top four and particularly the leaders, as Melrose close in on the title. DETAILS KELSO 7s. Pool A Langholm, Watsonians, Hawick Pool B Berwick, Selkirk, Kelso Pool C Gala, Peebles, Jedforest Pool D Edinburgh University, Edinburgh Accies, Melrose EARLSTON 7s Rd 1 Edinburgh Accies v Peebles, Selkirk v Berwick, Jedforest v Hawick Harlequins, Gala v Merchistonians, Watsonians v Edinburgh University, Earlston v Kelso, Hawick v St Boswells, Melrose v Northumberland Standings (after 6 rds) 1 Melrose 48pts, 2= Gala & Watsonians 23pts, 4= Edinburgh Accies & Hawick 21pts, 6 Selkirk 16pts