As the season reaches its closing stages Marr’s second ever visit to Philiphaugh needed to be an improvement on the first. On that occasion the home side comfortably won 31 – 10. With four matches to go to the end of the season and Edinburgh Accies breathing down Marr’s neck it was essential that Marr got some points from the match. With both Selkirk and Marr having to work on a pitch that in racing terms might be described as “heavy” it was always going to be a dirty war of attrition. Credit is due to the Selkirk ground staff for their work in the light of snow and heavy rain for managing to get the game on.

Marr started well and during the first quarter Selkirk spent most of the time in their own half defending against repeated onslaughts. Marr’s pressure was rewarded with several penalties or good attacking positions and from these they repeatedly opted to see if they could cross the try line. Under significant pressure Selkirk’s defence was exceptional as they held Marr at bay. Just before the end of the quarter Marr opted to kick a penalty for goal and Colin Sturgeon converted to open the scoring.

Within five minutes Marr added their first try. As they continued to apply pressure Selkirk was forced to concede repeated turnovers or lose rare possession at the breakdown. From a penalty Marr kicked to the corner. Winning the attacking lineout a driving maul took play over Selkirk’s try line and in the melee of bodies the referee was well placed to see that Stephen Adair (sponsored by Toner and McCartney) had scored. Colin Sturgeon converted. Three minutes later Ben Johnston added a second as Marr took advantage of pressure and from a short range attacking scrum he was unstoppable. For most of the remainder of the half Marr had the advantage in terms of territory and possession but as they failed to convert this into points Selkirk’s confidence grew. For part of the period it was Marr who had to emulate Selkirk’s defensive prowess to keep their line intact.

At the start of the second half Marr finally managed to find some gaps in what otherwise had been a relatively watertight defence. Ben Johnston and Dan Law made good ground using route one approaches. Five minutes from the start of the second half Ben made a great midfield break and as the defence scrambled to stop him the support was in place that led to Scott Bickerstaff (sponsored by Mackay’s Bar) racing in to score.

This seemed to act as a catalyst for Selkirk’s resurgence. Over the following fifteen minutes they tested and probed Marr’s defence and exploited gaps they created. Two tries were scored as Ross Nixon marshalled his backs well and found his kicking range. A clever kick deep into the 22m area allowed their South African starlet Tythan Adams to outstrip Marr’s defence and score.

As the match drew to a close Marr tried to force opportunities to secure the important fourth try. But they were stymied from this by a combination of good defence and/or desperation that forced errors and loss of possession.

The match ended with a four point win for Marr but a sense that opportunities were missed. From a purple and gold perspective this was a real hurdle that was overcome, albeit not in a very pretty and effective way.

Looking forward Marr Rugby’s 1st XV face another tough challenge as for the second week in a row they travel to the Borders. This time it’s third placed Jed Forest who present a real test on Marr’s abilities and capabilities. Jed is blessed with a significant number of international class players and their full side will be eager to counter the loss they suffered at Fullarton earlier in the season.

Marr Rugby 1st XV man of the match - Dan Law (sponsored by MOR Construction)

Marr Rugby 1st XV scorers
Tries: Ben Johnston; Stephen Adair and Scott Bickerstaff
Conversions: Colin Sturgeon (2)
Penalties: Colin Sturgeon (1)