Marr’s rise through leagues reason for celebration despite play-off loss

CRAIG REDPATH, head coach of Marr, was a man with mixed emotions as he stood in the centre of the pitch after seeing his side lose to Gala in the BT Premiership promotion/relegation play-off.

On one hand, he was frustrated at having seen the men from Troon concede 12 points in the opening four minutes, which, ultimately, led to their 22-10 defeat at Bridgehaugh.

And on the other hand he could not help but feel pride for what his group of players have achieved, rising up through the leagues and coming within one match of making the top flight.

“I am disappointed with the start because you cannot give a side of Gala’s quality a two-try start,” he said. “Once we got into things and played the rugby we know we are capable of, I thought we more than matched them.

“If only we had just had a bit more patience in attack.

“However, I could not be prouder of this group of players. When I joined the club, we were down the divisions, but I could see a lot of potential.

“The players have listened, got themselves fitter and really embraced the challenge of continually testing themselves at a higher level.” SELKIRK made amends for a slow start to their Kings of the Sevens campaign by winning the Peebles title at The Gytes yesterday with an unexpectedly high margin of victory over Edinburgh Accies in the final.

Graham Marshall, the Selkirk coach, had offered his charges the age-old maxim: Control the ball, Control the game and in the event the Philiphaugh side did just that against a physically bigger Edinburgh Accies side.

Watched by the Scotland sevens coach, Callum MacRae, Selkirk showed their title potential in the last of the quarter finals with a 22-14 win against Gala, then a 31-14 victory over Boroughmuir to book their place in the final.

For Edinburgh Accies this was their second appearance in a Kings of the Sevens final in seven days, the Raeburn Place side having contested the Berwick final last weekend, when they lost to Gala.

But in the final Dashton Wellman, who was named as player of the tournament, Mikey Davies, Callum McEwan, Ross Nixon, Euan McDougall and Callum Marshall undid Accies, sharing in the try scoring for Selkirk who finished 38-7 winners, Callum Ramm scoring the Edinburgh side’s only try.