Boroughmuir secure first Border title triumph of season at Hawick

Boroughmuir claimed their first Borders sevens title this season by defeating Kings of thesevensleadersedinburgh Accies in the final of the Hawick tournament on Saturday with an all-round performance that blended clever attacking skills with organised and committed defence.

“We played some excellent sevens today. The boys stretched teams and they went through the middle,” said Graham Shiel, the Boroughmuir coach.

Shiel’s side had a bye in the first round as a result of their scheduled opponents, Hamilton, pulling out of the tournament, joining the other two absentees, Gala and Peebles. Muir then faced Kings of the Sevens title holders, Watsonians, in the first of the quarter-finals.

The tie was a thriller. The teams were level 28-28 at fulltime but, in extra time, Jack Hamilton sprinted clear to put Muir into the semi-final where they trounced Hawick 35-7.

In the final, Boroughmuir used their energy advantage of playing one less tie to build up a 14-0 lead over Accies by half-time, with tries by Greg Cannie and Chris Laidlaw. The Meggetland dominance continued in the second half with Cannie scoring a second try and then Gavin Parker racing in for his side’s final score before the impressive Robbie Chalmers scooped a consolation touchdown for Accies.

Boroughmuir just failed to make it a weekend double when they lost 24-17 to Watsonians in the final of the Berwick Sevens yesterday at Scremerston.