Walkerburn 25
Moray House 22

By Colin McCudden
at Caberston Haugh

LAST Saturday Walkerburn put their unbeaten home league record on the line against Moray House/Watsonians who were undefeated home or away. 

Something had to give, and for most of the first half it looked as if it would be the Burn’s home form. 

A solid Moray House team made much of the early running and deservedly took the lead when their dynamic number 8 burst over. 

Burn felt aggrieved when scrum-half Adam Williams had a try wiped out for a knock on over the line, and fell further behind when Moray House’s veteran centre went over after a period of sustained pressure. 

Burn struck back when stand-off Elliot Freeman managed to gather one of his own cross field kicks, that hadn’t been claimed by either side, and showed his pace to run in from near the half way line. However Moray House finished the half strongly with another try to hold a deserved 5-19 lead at half-time.

The second-half showing was one of the gutsiest and entertaining to be seen at Caberston Haugh in recent memory. 

The Burn pack dug in against their bigger adversaries, and the back line made hay from any piece of possession they had. 

Connor Weatherly had a couple of breaks that you don’t often see from a prop, but they ended in sidesteps that definitely come from the front row. 

Chris Whitey Stansfield had moved back to his more familiar wing position and it immediately paid dividends as he refused to be tackled, running in an improbable try from 20 yards out. 

A clearance kick from Moray House was tidied up and returned by the Burn with Ryan Scott using his searing pace to score in the corner. 

Moray House kicked a penalty in one of their rare forays into the Burn half but it proved to be a temporary respite. 

Sandy Walker, fresh on as a replacement, somehow found himself charging down a Moray House clearance and dropped gratefully on the ball over the try line. The Burn were now only two points behind but time was against them. 

Showing great composure for a young team, they steadily pressed Moray House. 

Jack McDonald picked up from a ruck, moved the ball to Scott who fed the clinical Stansfield to score his second try in the corner pushing the Burn in front for the first time in the game. 

The drama wasn’t over as Adam William’s missed a late penalty that would have sealed the win and was then sin-binned in the closing five minutes, but the Burn didn’t let Moray House come close.

This was a performance enjoyed by a large home support who played their part in cheering on the home team. 2018 has been a good year so far for this Burn vintage.