Kelso 17

Peebles 11

Allan Beveridge at Poynder Park

EVEN Kelso president Jim Hewitt agreed that Peebles did not deserve to lose this game which ended any slim hopes of promotion.

While Peebles did play the better rugby, Kelso scored the most points and take their place in League One next season.

None the less the Peebles lads did the auld Burgh town proud.

Greg Raeburn kicked Peebles into a three point lead after only eight minutes of play.

Thereafter for most of that first half Peebles were on the attack and hardly out of the Kelso half of the field.

However they failed to cross the home team whitewash and at half time it was Kelso who were in the lead thanks to a try by prop Rhys Morgan and a conversion by full back Greg Ponton.

During that first 40 minutes Peebles did have several attacks at the Kelso line.

Scrum half Murray Johnston was closest to scoring when he was eventually bundled into touch on the corner flag after breaking blind from a ruck on the Kelso 22.

On the 20 minute mark there was a difference of opinion between the two sets of forwards which saw referee Ian Kenny yellow card Peebles' Roddy Guiney and Kelso's Ian Wallace.

Just before the half hour Stevie Hamilton, with the wind at his back, put in a long kick from his own 22.

This bounced in the 22 and just went into touch on the wrong side of the corner flag which resulted in Kelso getting a scrum back in the Peebles half. Fortunately Andrew Wallace the Kelso second row appeared to drop the ball as he attacked the Peebles line and the danger was cleared.

However that clearance was short lived and Kelso took the lead.

They won a lineout in the Peebles 22 to set up a rolling maul which Peebles could not stop and Morgan crossed for the try.

A bad end to a half that at least in terms of possession and territorial ground Peebles won.

But it's points that count.

At the start of the second half Peebles took the lead.

Possession was won in their own half with Callum Anderson, leading by example, making ground before passing to Scott Stoddart, who fed Murray Johnston.

Johnston's long grubber kick and chase saw him get the touch down.

From the Kelso restart Callum Anderson was again instrumental in taking play, along with Stevie Hamilton and Scott Stoddart, back to the Kelso 22. From that enterprise Peebles won a penalty in front of the Kelso post and Raeburn added the penalty points to make it 11-7 to the visitors.

The sharpness of Kelso fly half Andrew Skeen was to the fore next when he took a scrum ball 15 metres out from the Peebles line and managed to glide through the defence to score a try.

Ponton added the conversion for a three point advantage.

With the game entering the final minutes this was helter skelter rugby.

Johnston was again forced into touch at the corner flag and a forward rush at the Kelso line saw the ball knocked forward.

But Kelso were to have the final say with Ponton kicking a penalty to make the final score 17-11.

Congratulations to Kelso on their promotion but at the same time, well done Peebles.

Saturday sees the final league game of this extended campaign when Peebles make the journey to the other side of Glasgow to play Whitecraigs in a rearranged fixture.