Jeffrey reaps a very rich harvest

14 13 2 Kelso 3 1 0 2 42 77 2 Selkirk

4 0 0 4 42 91 0 Langholm 1 0 0 1 3 57 0

Kelso 17, Selkirk 11.

IT is harvest time in the Borders and that son of the soil, John

Jeffrey, arrived in his reaping gear.

''JJ's no' here yet,'' was the concerned buzz that went around Poynder

Park. By the final whistle, Selkirk were cursing the fact that gathering

in the sheaves had not detained Jeffrey longer.

Aided by Adam Roxburgh and Clive Millar, Jeffrey was the catalyst

which turned defeat success.

For most of the first half, injury hit Selkirk seemed the side more

likely to take the points. But as the second half progressed, the Kelso

back-row unit forced their way into the game and it became clear that

defeat for Selkirk was the most likely outcome.

Future opponents take note -- Graeme Aitchison, with four goals, is

the wrong man to take penalty liberties with, while the only other name

on the scoreboard was, fittingly, that of Jeffrey.

Rodney Pow kicked the Souters into a second minute lead when the Kelso

pack were adjudged to have gone over the top at a ruck then, after seven

minutes, Selkirk forged further ahead when Keith Johnstone -- in for the

injured Iwan Tukalo -- linked with Hunter and ran in for a well-taken

try.

Within a couple of minutes, Aitchison had kicked Kelso back into

contention with two penalty goals, but five minutes before the interval,

Pow put over his second penalty.

After the turn it was a regalvanised Kelso which took the game to

Selkirk with a series of forward drives and Aitchison cut the deficit to

two points with another successful penalty award.

Kelso forced a series of scrummages on the Selkirk line but were

unable to achieve the final heave which would have led to a try, but at

a subsequent ruck Selkirk again were adjudged to have transgressed and

Aitchison kicked his side into the lead with the penalty goal, but,

inside the last five minutes, after a series of scrummages, the home

eight finally got the nudge on for Jeffrey to score.

Kelso -- G J Aitchison; D Baird, R Laing, S Carss, S Lang; S Barton, P

S Dunkley; S Forbes, B Cassie, A T Jeffrey, J Little, S Forsyth, A J

Roxburgh, J Jeffrey, C Millar.

Selkirk -- D W Hunter; M J Jaffray, S A Nichol, J Brett, K Johnstone;

R L Pow, C W Stewart; K Amos, I R Jeffery, M T McColm, K D McConnell, A

Harbisher, W Gentleman, P Minto, G Cairns. Replacement -- S Laurie for

Jaffray.

Referee -- R Yeoman (Aberavon).