THE rearranged John Laing Sevens were held at Poynder Park two weeks behind schedule and, again, there was a threat from the weather, but the night brought about perfect playing conditions.
Gala and Langholm dropped out of the original list of participants, traditionally made up of local reserve teams, but Hawick Linden and Earlston stepped into the breach.
Holders, Melrose, went out in the first tie to a sharp looking Berwick team. The other surprise on the first round was Selkirk’s defeat to Hawick Linden.
Kelso just scraped through against Berwick in the semi final with a last minute try from a penalty. So, the final was set for a local derby between Kelso and Jed-Forest.
It looked as if Kelso were likely to have the game put to bed by half time, but a very combative Jed stayed in the running and at one point were only seven points behind.
The game turned when Jed lost possession as they were about to score and Kelso’s Andrew Haig picked up and ran the length of the pitch to reach the try line and a state of exhaustion at the same time.
In the end, Kelso ran out winners by 38-19.
Results
First round: Melrose 14 Berwick 19; Peebles 5 Kelso 26; Jed-Forest 10 Earlston 0; Selkirk 12 Hawick Linden 17
Semi-final: Berwick 12 Kelso 15; Jed-Forest 36 Hawick Linden 5
Final: Kelso 38 Jed-Forest 19.