GALA YM ended the rugby season in fine style with a thrilling 45-19 victory against Selkirk in the final of the Walkerburn Sevens at the weekend.

Selkirk showed true grit to get that far, with A’ XV coaches Neil Darling and Jason Hendrie both pulling on their boots to ensure Selkirk had a 10-man squad in the early stages of the competition at Caberston Haugh.

The Philiphaugh men played some scintillating sevens to see off Royal Dick Vet College 45-0 in the opening round, before accounting for Peebles 22-10 in their quarter-final tie.

 However, it was Selkirk’s epic semi-final encounter against Lasswade which really got the Walkerburn crowd buzzing. Having taken an early lead through a Lewis Martin try, disaster struck when Josh Welsh was yellow-carded for backchat to the referee.

 During his absence Lasswade raced into a 19-7 lead, and things looked decidedly bleak for the Souters with just under six minutes left on the clock. Late tries by Cook and Martin levelled the scores at 19-19, with Mikey Davies’ successful conversion seemingly sealing victory deep into injury time.

 The referee declared enough time was left for the restart kick to be taken, with Lasswade managing to secure possession. Three phases later the Edinburgh team’s powerful centre found space wide on the left and sprinted for the corner.

 It seemed odds-on the city player would score, but somehow Selkirk’s Scott McClymont (alias the ‘Tinnis Thunderbolt’) managed to fly across the field and clatter the Lasswade player into touch just inches short of the corner flag, so securing Selkirk’s place in the final.

 A painful rib injury picked up by Robert Cook earlier in the tie prevented Selkirk’s skipper from playing in the final, with the captaincy switching to McClymont.

 Despite the Souters’ best efforts,  Gala YM’s experience and sevens know-how put paid to any hopes Selkirk might have entertained of winning their first-ever Walkerburn title, with the Maroons running out convincing 45-19 winners in the final.

Former SRU President Bert Duffy was there on Saturday, and he hailed the competition a success: “Davy Preacher and his committee have done a power of work prior to the big day. All their hard work paid dividends as the whole day went well. It was somewhat disappointing that four clubs called off as late Thursday evening but all credit to the clubs that did support 'the burn' and bought into the new draw.

“It was good to see was the regular band of supporters from Gala and Peebles who buy into the hospitality scene along with the locals. There was a tremendous atmosphere, which always makes Caberston Haugh such a popular place.”

Gala YM - K. Mein, M. Carryer, L. Johnston, J. Irvine, C. Borthwick, I. Scott, K. Young, A. Turner, S. Chapman, R. Jeffrey.

Selkirk – S. McClymont, R. Purves, R. Cook, F. Anderson, M. Davies, J. Welsh, L. Martin, N. Darling, J. Hendrie, K. Thomson

Quarter Finals

Gala YM 24, Duns 5; Melrose; 15, Preston Lodge 17; Ross High; 12, Lasswade 33; Selkirk 22, Peebles 10

Semi Finals

Gala YM 26, Preston Lodge 12; Lasswade 19 Selkirk 21

Final

Gala YM 45, Selkirk 19