Border Telegraph | Sport | Maroons leave cup win late

Friday, 5th December, 2008

Published: Wednesday, 5th March, 2008 10:00

Maroons leave cup win late

By Laing Speirs at Poynder Park

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Kelso 14, Gala 21

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Andy McLean scores the winning try for Gala.

Pic by: John Robertson

FOR a team that is concentrating all their efforts on promotion from Division 3 of the Premiership, Gala is not doing too badly elsewhere.

A Border League win over Division 1 Hawick, and now a Cup victory over second division Kelso, sees Gala filling in time very profitably until the big game against Irvine two weeks on Saturday.

No-one left Poynder Park overwhelmed by the quality of rugby on Saturday, but the Gala contingent could look back on some bursts of pacy play which saw the end of a run of three consecutive wins by the Tweedsiders.

The wind influenced the shape of the game, with Kelso taking a 6-0 lead in the first half and being strong enough to add another three points before Gala got their scoring machine going.

Gala fielded a strong XV, with the only principal absentees being Stevie Scott and scrum half Lawrence Lemmon, both injured.

The replacements were more than adequate, Mike Christie putting in a lot of work in the loose as well as delivering well in the set pieces, and Ian Ross, starting only his second game for Gala, improving throughout the match.

Captain for the day Tom Weir gave his pack a good lead with some aggressive picking and driving, and Gala collected a lot of lineout ball through Malcom Horsburgh and Chris Weir in particular.

It’s been a few weeks since Stevie Craig and Fraser Thomson each got on the same score sheet.

But they managed it on Saturday, each of them contributing a stylish try.

Some of Gala’s first half work was a bit untidy, with lots of handling errors, mistakes in the selection of options, and untidy construction.

Coach Gary Parker reckoned the team was waiting for the turnaround and the wind at their backs in the second half.

"We were disappointed with our first half performance and gave Kelso the ascendancy.

“But we always felt that we had a wee bit too much behind the scrum, a bit of pace and a bit of guile wider out."

A few flurries from each side marked out the opening moments, but it was Gala who surrendered the first points, failure to release the ball allowing Greg Ponton a penalty shot at goal, which he was happy to accept.

He missed another chance shortly afterwards, but Gala were making so many handling errors that Kelso were able to keep up the pressure.

More ruck infringements by Gala followed on, and Ponton kicked his second penalty after 35 minutes.

Gala must have realised that they couldn’t let Kelso get too far ahead and their game picked up before the break, with James O’Neill chipping ahead and being stopped near the line.

Then Tom Weir had a big run down the left hand side before the Kelso defence again was strong enough to stop him.

Gala brought on Alan Johnston and Graeme Bryce at the break and had the early advantage, but it was Ponton again, with his third penalty, who kicked his side nine points ahead.

The situation was getting a bit too serious for Gala who lifted their game with the first try, Craig running in at pace on a diagonal move lifted from the training ground. Andy McLean converted.

Ten minutes later Thomson, with his 27th try of the season, finished off a loop move featuring McLean, whose kick put Gala ahead.

Kelso’s reply featured their forwards in quick use of short penalties on the Gala line, Stuart Lowrie getting the touch, but Ponton, into the wind, made nothing of the conversion attempt, and with only five minutes left the prospect of extra time loomed.

But the Gala forwards, featuring Martin Christie to the fore, bore down on Kelso, the ball went right to the short side, and McLean found room to dive over, converting the try himself.

So the fourth meeting of the teams in the Scottish Cup saw Gala take a 3-1 lead.

With three competitions each offering the prospect of success the Maroons’ season has a lot of miles left in it yet.

Kelso : G. Ponton; S. Weir, S. Common, M. Hartley, G. Mulroy; E. Ford, M. Samson; S. Lowrie, G. Walsh, D. Paxton, S. Patterson, S. Laing, D. Porteous, D. Gillespie, I. Wallace. (Replacements B. Hogarth, T. Wichary).

Gala : F. Thomson; S. Craig, J. O’Neill, S. Chapman, C. Dalgleish; A. McLean, I. Ross; Martin Christie, Mike Christie, T. Archibald, M. Horsburgh, C. Weir, G. Brown, T. MisKelly, T. Weir. (Replacements G. Bryce, A. Johnston).

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