BT Premiership round-up: Melrose cement top table position
Melrose 52-22 Currie Melrose claimed a bonus-point victory over Currie at The Greenyards to continue their reign at the top of the BT Premiership table after three rounds of competition.In the opening stages, it was a determined Currie team who stretched the Melrose defence before being rewarded with a penalty try with the host’s Austin Lockington sent to the bin for interference. Melrose responded through Jason Baggott who secured three points from a penalty attempt and after 20 minutes, Murdo McAndrew went over for the hosts following a number of phases in the 22. Baggot secured the extras.Currie’s resilience and enterprise again carved opened the visitors; Harvey Elms, Matthew Hooks and Charlie Shiel were instrumental in a Cammy Gray touch down, converted by Graeme Clow.Some swift Melrose handling had Currie on the retreat, Harvey Elms was shown a yellow card and from the resulting five-metre penalty lineout, Melrose drove over with Russell Anderson crossing before Baggott converted.Another fine flowing move put Melrose’s Fraser Thomson in from halfway, followed up by a Baggott conversion. Currie kept in touch with a penalty goal before half-time.The bonus point was secured minutes into the second-half, Iain Moody crashing his way through the Currie defence with Baggot once again adding the points.In the 57th minute, Currie replacement John Cox secured his side’s third try of the day but another three scores from their opposition within the final ten minutes settled the outcome. Lewis Carmichael powered over under the posts and Lockington scored in the corner before Baggott converted.Ross McCann had the final say for Melrose, the winger darting over for his side’s seventh try of the match.Melrose: Tries: McAndrew, Anderson, Thomson, Moody, Carmichael, Lockington, McCann. Pen: Baggott. Cons: Baggott (7). Currie: Tries: Penalty try, Gray, Cox. Pen: Davies. Cons: Clow (2).Referee: Mike Adamson WATCH the full game via Scottish Rugby TV. Watsonians 26-25 BoroughmuirWatsonians secured their third consecutive win of the 2016/17 BT Premiership season with a narrow victory over local rivals Boroughmuir at Myreside.Both sides competed for the full 80 with Watsonians taking control in the second-half before a Boroughmuir try deep into injury time almost cost the hosts five points. Boroughmuir opened after seven minutes with a try from the powerful Grant McConnell after Chris Laidlaw kicked ahead, the visitors’ captain also converting.Early pressure from the Boroughmuir back-line resulted in Laidlaw extending the lead courtesy of a penalty opportunity. However, Watsonians responded minutes later through Euan Dods controlling at the base of the scrum to barge over before Andrew Chalmers converted in the 27th minute.Errors from the hosts resulted in another penalty converted by Laidlaw to see Boroughmuir up 13-7 at the break.Minutes into the second-half, Watsonians attacked and created space for Mark Bertram to go over with ease before Chalmers sent his side in front with the conversion points.Boroughmuir’s Matthew Tweddle saw yellow and moments later DJ Inness crossed in the corner following slick handling in midfield.Ross Dunbar received yellow minutes later for Boroughmuir, as Watsonians replacement Sean Kennedy looked to have secured the win following a fine effort to reach the line for the bonus-point try. Chalmers converted.However, Boroughmuir continued to probe through effective work in the loose, Dunbar bustled his way over and Laidlaw added the extras to chip away at the host’s lead.Darren Miller went to the bin for Watsonians after a potential try from Boroughmuir was held up over the line. Injury time provided the visitors with another surge, the impressive Dougie Steele showing his pace to touch down in the left corner.Laidlaw struck the conversion attempt in the hope of snatching victory, but with the ball striking the post, Watsonians held on for the win (26-25).Watsonians: Tries: Dods, Bertram, Innes, Kennedy. Cons: Chalmers (3). Boroughmuir: Tries: McConnell, Dunbar, Steele. Cons: Laidlaw (2). Pens: Laidlaw (2).Referee: Graeme OrmistonAyr 27-24 Gala Gala began with a penalty from Gregor Hunter, who had an impressive day with the boot, before Ayr replied with a try from captain Grant Anderson in the corner at Millbrae. Gala replied when Ayr’s defence was caught napping, Craig Robertson racing up the wing for their second try. Unforced errors followed from both sides as they struggled to kick on from the quick start. A yellow card for Gala centre Chris Dean was followed by a score from a line-out drive, Ayr flanker Gregor Henry crossing on the stroke of half-time.The teams matched each other in the second half, but Ayr’s replacement scrum-half David Armstrong – on after 18-year-old Harry Warr made a very assured debut only to twist an ankle – injected some pace into proceedings.Flanker Will Bordill scored a try but again Gala’s Robertson flew off for a score. The host’s built momentum through a score from hooker James Malcolm, followed by centre Danny McCluskey’s effort, stretching the lead to ten points.Gala still had time to worry Ayr, replacement back Craig Dods finding a gap for a try. A tense closing period for the hosts saw Gala pressurise, but Ayr closed down any threat.Ayr: Tries: Anderson, Henry, Bordill, Malcolm, McCluskey. Cons: Climo (1). Gala: Tries: Robertson (2), C Dods. Cons: Hunter (3). Pens: Hunter (1).Referee: Kevin White Heriot’s 53-10 Hawick Heriot’s secured their first win of the 2016/17 BT Premiership season with an emphatic win over Borders side, Hawick, at Goldenacre.In the 18th minute, scrum-half Andrew Simmers made a break before kicking through for Josh Laird to collect and score for Heriot’s first try of the game. Hawick responded with a penalty from Neil Renwick before Heriot’s matched with a penalty from Alex Hagart. Hagart orchestrated space from the stand-off position to allow Laird freedom to barge over for his second score, with Hagart adding the extras. Minutes later, Jordan Webster went over in the corner after the impressive Heriot’s back-line caused the Hawick defence problems.A penalty try went the way of Heriot’s after John Coutts deliberately knocked on and was sent to the bin. A cross-field kick from Hagart found Struan Dewar, who tapped the ball to Callum Marshall before it located Simmers for the try. Hagart converted before the break.George Turner bagged the first score of the second-half for Heriot’s, after breaking from his own half minutes before crossing. Rory Carmichael, Callum Marshall, and a hat-trick for Laird cemented the host’s stranglehold on the game, with Hawick finding consolation in a try from Fraser Renwick.Heriots: Tries: Laird (3), Webster, penalty try, Simmers, Carmichael, Marshall. Cons: Hagart (4), Simmers. Pens: Hagart (1). Hawick: Tries: Renwick. Cons: Renwick. Pens: Renwick.Referee: Graeme WellsStirling County 8-38 Glasgow Hawks Glasgow Hawks took an early lead after Kiran McDonald released Josh Henderson on the inside ball for a try under the posts, before Grayson Hart secured the conversion. County fought back with a penalty from Jonny Hope as Adam Sinclair saw yellow for slowing down ball.Hawks then lost Grant Stewart to the bin after the hooker went in for a dangerous tackle. However, the visitors utilised their pace out-wide for Stephen Findlay to find the line after the prop strolled past the defence. After the interval, Stewart charged his way over for Hawks after proving his pace up the left wing minutes before. George Horne secured the bonus-point try for the visitors after the ball made its way through the back-line, creating space in the left corner.Rory Hughes managed to cross for County, following good work from Hope down the right. However, Hawks scored again through Robert Beattie after Horne produced neat interchanges with his back-line members.Replacement Scott Rodgers secured Hawks’ sixth in the 80th minute, a solid drive from the line-out seeing the hooker over.Stirling: Try: Hughes. Pen: Hope. Hawks: Try: Henderson, Findlay, Stewart, Horne, Beattie, Rodgers. Con: Hart (2), Horne (2).Referee: Keith Allen
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