\u201cAfter today we\u2019re a tournament every weekend up to June 6th. We have to be fit and we have to be tough \u2026 and we have to play some really good sevens. One of the reasons I bring the boys up to the Borders is because everyone knows their sevens really well. And it\u2019s an educated crowd. Our boys play against some clever, clever players, and we have to learn to be streetwise,\u201d Cully added.<\/p>\n
Durham looked the part as they swept past Langholm in the first round before defeating Kelso in the second of the quarter-finals.\u00a0 Then, in the semi-final, Durham were too pacy for an understrength Edinburgh Accies side scoring tries by Will Windows, Harry Dawson, Connor Holdcroft<\/strong> and Finn Stables<\/strong> to a try for the Raeburn Place men by Ben Roger<\/strong>.<\/p>\n But in the final the students high tempo rugby was tamed by a Melrose side that had to draft in the Stirling County wing Archie Rankin<\/strong> and Heriot\u2019s Tom Dunn<\/strong> to cover for Douglas and Crawford. Melrose\u2019s ability to win kick-offs and deploy their defensive nous prevented the Durham students from scoring in the first half, while in attack the Greenyards side had sufficient skill to score first half tries by Hamish Weir<\/strong> and the outstanding Corey Goldsbrough<\/strong> for a 12-0 interval lead.<\/p>\n Durham University were able to hit back at the beginning of the second half with a converted try from Morgan Williams<\/strong> but thereafter they were unable to break down the Melrose defence resulting in a 12-7 win for the Kings of the Sevens title leaders.<\/p>\n After victories over hosts Earlston and then Heriot\u2019s, Melrose had reached the final with the narrowest of semi-final wins over a high tempo Stirling County side, Paddy Anderson<\/strong> and Goldsbrough scoring two tries apiece countering two touchdowns from Ryan Southern<\/strong> and one by Rankin, all three converted, to secure a 22-21 win for the Borderers.<\/p>\n In both the semi-final and final, Melrose faced quality opposition, but in the event the Greenyards men found an inner strength to carve out wins despite residual fatigue from four tough ties at Kelso 24 hours earlier.<\/p>\n After the final, Calum Anderson<\/strong>, the Melrose coach, focused on his side\u2019s resolve under the pressure of playing against sharp sides and of coping with a depleted squad.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to dig really deep for that, unbelievably deep,\u201d he said. \u201cThey dug that semi-final out of God knows where \u2013 some character. You look at Corey Goldsborough there, he\u2019s a man mountain, isn\u2019t he? After we lost Declan Mulcahy<\/strong> yesterday Corey just picks up where he left off at Kelso and carries a lot of that weight. And Scotty Clark<\/strong>\u2018s really come of age.\u201d<\/p>\n As a result of their injury accumulation, Melrose may not be as strong for next Saturday\u2019s tournament at Selkirk, but with such a commanding lead in the Kings of the Sevens title race it may not matter. What Melrose will want, however, is for their squad to regroup ahead of their own tournament on 23rd May. \u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Round 1:\u00a0<\/strong> Hawick 24 Watsonians 14; Edinburgh Accies19 Selkirk 5; Durham University 34 Langholm 7; Kelso 24 GAC 7s 17; Heriot\u2019s 17 Edinburgh University 12; Melrose 40 Earlston 5; Gala 17 Jed-Forest 12; Stirling County 38\u00a0 Peebles 0.<\/p>\n Quarter-finals:<\/strong> Hawick 17 Edinburgh Accies 25; Durham University 17 Kelso 12; Heriot\u2019s 19 Melrose 26; Gala 19 Stirling County 33.<\/p>\n Semi-finals:<\/strong> Edinburgh Accies 7 Durham University 26; Melrose 22 Stirling County 21<\/p>\n Final:<\/strong> Durham University 7 Melrose 12<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Durham University:<\/strong> M Williams, W Windows, C Holdcroft, H Dawson, F Stables, M Orange, J Wooler, R Telfer, F Callington, L Norton.<\/p>\n
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