THE Borders A team competed at the Super 15s pool competition at Pettycur Bay, Kinghorn for three days of competitive pool against 15 other teams from regions all over Scotland.

Captained by Kevin Swinton, the 16-man team consisting of handpicked and in-form players who had earned their spot through multiple qualification events, Borders A’s challenge began at 8.45pm on the Friday evening in a packed out, 8-table venue, against nearby rivals Berwick A.

With winning contributions from Erin Coltman, Craig Reid and Scott Simpson in the first three frames, the Borders team built on a good start in their first match, quickly ensuring a 10-5 victory.

The second match of the evening saw a much tighter affair against Coatbridge B. The 9-6 result went against the Borders team but there were many positives to take from the hard-fought game into the four matches on Saturday. Edinburgh C were first up on Saturday afternoon and it was a match of great quality, with the Borders again going into the lead. Edinburgh battled back however and in a tense final few frames, they managed to get themselves over the line in an 8-7 victory.

It was a tough result to take but with Dundee C to play immediately after, there was no time to dwell on any mistakes.

The match started at 4pm and just like the one previous, it went right down to the wire.

With the scores tied at 7-7 and one frame left to play – step up Andrew Stavert, who held his nerve at the end of a tense match to claim the victory for Borders A, strengthening their position in the group table. Saturday evening saw two tough matches against Perth B and Thurso A.

The former was an eye-opener for Borders as they quickly found themselves 4-1 down.

The excellent performance from Perth continued as they wrapped the match up in fine form, losing only three more frames in the remaining 10, winning comfortably, 11-4. Thurso A came into the next match having lost only one so far but Borders A were determined not to rollover.

The match started at 11pm and continued long into Sunday morning as yet another final frame decider was required to split the teams. With only one frame left to be played that evening, the eyes of the whole venue were on the renowned tactician Alan Marshall and his opponent. Both players kept it tight, with control of the table going back and forth between them, but it was the Thurso man who came out on top, ensuring an 8-7 victory and guaranteeing knockout qualification.

Borders A were now in 6th place going into Sunday’s final match, needing to win to guarantee their play-off qualification... and win they did.

An 8-7 victory over Kilmarnock C meant that the Borders would play Dunfermline C in a bid to qualify for the quarter finals.

Dunfermline had managed to win four of their seven group stage matches, narrowly missing out on automatic qualification. However, the strong Borders form continued and an 8-5 victory meant that Dunfermline were out and a Borders A v Thurso A rematch in the quarter finals was on.

Playing on the live stream tables, Borders A lost the first five frames in a race to 8. Erin Coltman managed to pull a frame back to 5-1, with Brian Allan making it 6-2 shortly after with a superb break and dish.

It looked as though the Borders team had started to pick up a bit of momentum but in the end, Thurso proved to be too strong second time round and progressed to the semi finals to play Edinburgh C. Edinburgh would go on to play Perth B in the final, with Perth coming out on top, 8-5.

The Borders A team were sponsored by the Jedburgh business Abbey Bridge Cherry Pickers & Stove Centre who generously provided the team shirts.

Business owner Peter Patterson said: “The team’s performance over the weekend was excellent and they are a credit to the Borders.

"We’re extremely proud and grateful that our local business was able to be a part of it and we look forward to offering our continued support in future events.”

Pubs all around the Borders play host to Border Pool League matches every Monday night – check out Border Pool League on Facebook for more information and to find yourself a team!