Gala 35

Hawick 51

Atholl Innes at Netherdale

LOCK forward Chris Weir played his 300th game for Gala when he came on as a replacement in the Booker Border League on Saturday at Netherdale, but it was a match that he will wish to forget after the Maroons conceded 50 points for the second time this season.

Weir, last season’s captain, was given a special presentation of an engraved quaich following the match before hurrying up the tunnel to commiserate his colleagues after Gala lost a precious 23-15 lead at the interval.

He made his debut for Gala on September 13, 2003, in a 32-11 win at Grangemouth, and has scored 23 tries for the club ‘a fantastic achievement and commitment to the club’, said President Graham Low, who made the presentation.

But he drew a blank at the weekend when, in an eight-minute spell after the interval, Gala conceded 15 points as Hawick rattled in quick scores to finish with seven tries to leave the Maroons rattled and stranded by one of their rivals to stay in the Premiership.

After a promising first 40 minutes when Ross Combe raced away for two tries after loose Hawick play, which did not please Greens coach Nikki Walker, the home challenge evaporated as the visitors beat successive attacks to the Gala line.

The forwards stepped up a gear, led by a powerful Bruce McNeil performance and directed by Rory Hutton at stand-off, and pounded Gala into the ground with an emphatic and dominant display that sent signals of fear among the home supporters…for the clubs meet twice again this month in the cup and league.

Gala were totally outgunned and outplayed in the second half, although they finished with two consolations…a bonus point for four tries and their hopes still intact of reaching the Border League final with a game at Peebles, who have already beaten Hawick, and who in turn will be at home to Selkirk.

If our maths is correct, Hawick have a points difference of 10 and Gala minus one and they share top spot on six points in the pool.

Walker summed up the Hawick performance. “We started slowly, but in the second half, we showed what we are about. It was a glorified training session for the rest of the season to try and keep our place in the top league,” he said.

Yet it looked so promising for Gala in the first half with the Combe double and two conversions and three penalties by Gregor Mein to a couple of Hawick tries, Callum Mackintosh and Kirk Ford, and a Neil Renwick conversion and penalty.

At 23-15, it was a two-score advantage. But in the next eight minutes the result was out of sight and draped in green with a penalty try and touchdowns by Ford, McNeil, Stuart Graham and Kyle Brunton, Renwick and Ali Weir sharing kicking duties.

Combe completed a treble of tries and Dean Brooker added another with Mein converting one.