THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS

Chalmers praises Border League
DAVID FERGUSON
CRAIG Chalmers believes that the Border League still has a valuable role to play in Scottish rugby as it attracts bigger crowds than the Premiership does to club games.

Chalmers, the former Scotland and British and Irish Lions fly-half, has endured a tough introduction to coaching with his club Melrose but he was delighted to see the 1st XV retain the Border League on Tuesday night, beating Jed-Forest 26-18.

The league, renowned as the oldest club league competition in the world, has also fought to survive since the advent of professionalism and is now played in a pool format.

The winners of the two pools, Melrose and Jed this year, then contest a final. However, the clubs still find the fixture tough to fulfil and Duns, only recently invited into the league, failed to fulfil any games this season as they struggled to find players. They remain hopeful of picking up next season and remaining involved.

Chalmers admitted: "It is tough now to find dates to fit extra games into the season, and for some clubs to find players for what is becoming a year-round commitment to rugby.

"But this week's final again showed the amount of passion and commitment that exists for the Border League, from supporters, players and everyone to do with the clubs involved.

"We had close to 1,000 at The Greenyards for that game on Tuesday night and it would have been more had it been a Saturday with the current weather, and there is no escaping the fact that we currently attract more people to our games with Hawick, Gala, Kelso and Jed than we do for any Premiership game.

"Teams like Glasgow Hawks, the league champions for the past three years, don't bring many supporters through to the Borders when they come, and so with just us and Hawick in the top league we lose out by not playing other Borders sides regularly. When I played for Melrose there was a thriving Border League which featured internationalists playing for their clubs, and the league brought an extra edge.

"In the late 1990s, when we were winning the Division 1 title regularly, we felt we had a jump-start over city teams because we would start the season with a couple of Border League games pre-season.

"We were said to be 'quick-starters' in the league, but if you're playing the likes of Hawick as a warm-up to the league campaign you have to be sharp. I actually felt a little disappointment at the final on Tuesday when I thought of how we used to play Jed twice every season, and this was our first meeting for some time. I know our supporters enjoyed clashing with them again."

Chalmers admitted that the Division 1 title remained the pinnacle for club players, and that the Border League remains a secondary, parochial affair, but he said: "It was very nice to finish this season with the old silver trophy again. The Border League has lost some of its profile and passion, as club rugby in general has, but there is still a place for it, and I'd hope that there might be more space next season with a ten-team league.

"There is a demand from Borders people, players and club treasurers for it, and I know other coaches in other parts of Scotland wish they had something similar.

"The competition won't return to the level of the Seventies or Eighties but we have to keep trying to improve it, and not get downhearted and give up; clubs remain massive parts of the towns in the Borders."

The Border League committee will meet next month to determine whether it will remain in the pool format for next season and where it will fit into the new ten-team Division 1 fixture list.

John Smail, the Selkirk RFC secretary, said: "There is a very clear commitment from the Border clubs to the league. It is hard on clubs when the season is so long but we're hopeful the league will remain a valuable part of the Scottish game."

This article was posted on 27-Apr-2006, 07:25 by Hugh Barrow.