Currie 22
Melrose 26
PREMIER A
ATHOLL INNES reports from Malleny Park
IT was a case of brotherly love as Graeme and Allan Dodds walked off Malleny Park on Saturday afternoon.
The players were celebrating a famous win on a notoriously tough ground to win points, with skipper Graeme nursing a sore head and Allan checking that he was all right.
The visiting captain lay prostrate for several minutes following an accidental challenge with Ross Neil, but recovered after a stoppage of five minutes and returned to inspire his team-mates and lay on the winning try for Joe Helps.
“I am still pretty sore, but fortunately I was able to continue, which was a bit of a relief,” he said.
Brother Allan added: “I ran over to make sure Graeme was all right. He was talking and I knew things were OKk. I was glad that he was able to continue. It was a hard win, but if we can keep doing it, we can achieve something special.
“It was a good move for Joe Helps to score that try and we knew that the win was crucial.”
Andrew Skeen also made a vital contribution with 16 points from two conversions and four penalties, an exceptional performance in tricky conditions.
Skeen, who shared the No10 role with Scott Wight, a half-time replacement for centre Bruce Dick, could not put a foot wrong, including one conversion from the right touchline, and his kicking from foot was sure, accurate and effective.
Currie did well to come back from 3-16 at the break, thanks to their powerful pack, which often drove the Melrose eight in a backward move which allowed Tonga prop, Loma Kiuvalu, to be driven over for two tries and a 17-16 lead. But Melrose stood firm despite the Graeme Dodds injury, for the No8 to return to the fray and send Helps over for what proved to be the winning score.
For Melrose, Fraser Thomson and Helps collected the tries while Andrew Skeen kicked the rest.
Melrose: F. Thomson; A. Dodds, B. Dick, C. Murray, J. Helps; A. Skeen, B. Colvine; N. Little, R. Ferguson, G. Holburn, R. Miller, R. Johnson, R. Ovens, G. Runciman, G. Dodds. Sub used: S. Wight.