THE SCOTSMAN TODAY

MELROSE launch the Borders sevens circuit this afternoon as a genuine contender to lift the famous Ladies Centenary Cup for the first time in 11 years.
The Mathon Melrose Sevens has been dominated by guest sides in recent times with Boroughmuir the last Scottish club team to triumph, when they defeated the Scottish Thistles in 2002, before going on to win the Division One Championship the following season.

However, with the holders, the Scottish Thistles, not returning this year and less exalted guest sides in the shape of the Barrhaven Scottish club from Canada, Leeds Metropolitan University and the University of Johannesburg, there is a feeling around the home of sevens that this could be a year where the clock is wound back to the gripping contests of home-based sides.

Leading such optimism is the home side, ironically in no small part due to the presence in their squad of two Australian sevens caps, Jordan Macey and James Lew. The team has a number of experienced sevens performers in Graeme Dodds and John Dalziel – fresh from his Barbarians appearance earlier in the week – pacy backs Scott McCormick, Callum Anderson and David Whiteford with skilful Aussie forward Bill Wallace and Scott Wight, a talented fly-half, pulling the strings.

Craig Chalmers, the Melrose coach, has spent time helping his guest Waisale Serevi and the invitation sides settle in this week, but he admits he fears the talent that will be on show from the more familiar clubs.

"I think Melrose do have a good chance, but a number of Scottish clubs have a very good chance this year," he said. "You look at Ayr, Heriots, Watsonians and the Border clubs; they're all looking particularly strong. The South Africans are a pretty good outfit and the Canadians have been training hard, while Leeds have a very young, fit team, and are a bit of an unknown quantity. Waisale will dictate things if they get good ball. It's too tough to call until we get going, but I'm in no doubt that it's the most wide open tournament I've seen for a long time."

Melrose almost had their Edinburgh professionals Calum MacRae and Mark Robertson, but both are still to recover from injuries. Ayr have Glasgow and Scotland sevens cap Scott Forrest in their ranks, while Heriot's have named Jim Thompson, Marc Teague and Chris Fusaro, who all signed full-time for Edinburgh last summer. Heriot's coach Bob McKillop experienced the Melrose Sevens as a player with Stirling County and has coached at the event, but he will miss this one due to a family holiday in the Canary Islands.

He said: "I'm gutted about missing it for two reasons – having played and coached at it, I still believe it's the best day out in the rugby year, and, secondly, it is wide open this year and what is still seen as a prized trophy to get your hands on for every Scottish player is truly up for grabs this year.

"We might do better than in the past though because the boys have got Roddy Deans and John Houston in charge while I'm away and their sevens pedigree with Hawick was better than mine ever was! Hopefully, I'll still be getting texts late into the afternoon telling me how we're doing."

Heriot's start with a second round tie against Selkirk, the current leaders in the Kings of the Sevens, the competition launched by Radio Borders that awards points for each tournament and provides a cash pot at the end of the season. The Philiphaugh side have been one of the most consistent sevens over the past couple of years, but dropped out in their first tie to Melrose last season and the only time they have contested a Greenyards final was in 1897, when they lost to Hawick.

Meanwhile, a number of familiar if a tad more worn faces will also be part of this afternoon's entertainment in the final of the Macmillan Veterans Tens Tournament, to be played between the semi-finals and final of the main event.

The Border Reivers beat Melrose – who started with Serevi, Chalmers, Graham Shiel and Doddie Weir – to set up a final against Ulster, the defending champions who overcame the Accies Classics in the semi-finals of a tournament watched by several hundred yesterday.

Ulster have a few Heineken Cup winners in their ranks while the Reivers include a blend of Borders stars, including Adam Roxburgh, Stewart Bennet, Graeme Aitchison, Alan Johnstone and Kevin Amos, with some of their over-35s still playing, such as Kevin Reid of Hawick, with Irish prop Gary Halpin lending some brute force.

Melrose had some of their stand scaffolding stolen at the start of the week but it was recovered, so the stage is now set for one of the most engrossing domestic tournaments in some time.

Draw: First round: Edinburgh Accies v Boroughmuir, Peebles v Gala, West of Scotland v Hawick, Currie v Glasgow Hawks. Second round: Kelso v Edinburgh Accies or Boroughmuir, Langholm v Univ of Johannesburg, Watsonians v Peebles or Gala, Stirling County v Barrhaven Scottish, Melrose v West of Scotland or Hawick, Heriots v Selkirk, Jed-Forest v Currie or Glasgow Hawks, Ayr v Leeds Metropolitan Univ.

This article was posted on 11-Apr-2009, 07:18 by Hugh Barrow.