CARTHA QUEEN'S PARK v KELSO SAT 26th AUGUST

KELSO GAIN REVENGE IN HARD FOUGHT CUP CONTEST

Following a considerable quantity of rain there was some doubt as to whether the game could go ahead but the recent drainage work undertaken by Keith Pender and his team ensured that the pitch was declared playable. The weather for the game was dry throughout.
The first twenty minutes passed without any scoring but Kelso opened their account with a converted try at that point. This seemed to galvanise CQP into action as they responded almost immediately with a try of their own initiared by a nice piece of play by scrum half Andrew McDougall with No 8 Milan Marinkovic going over. The try was unconverted but within a further two minutes CQP took the lead with a second try with a move which started inside their own half. The ball must have passed through at least half a dozen hands before it was fed out to Dru Pengelly on the wing who got round behind the posts to give Wayne Burrows an easy conversion which put CQP into a 12-7 lead.
The game continued with neither side being able to exert complete domination of the other but just before the half time whistle Kelso were awarded a penalty which was directed into the left touch less than ten metres out. Thereafter Kelso took their own ball and drove over for their second try which they converted to give them a 14-12 HT lead.

Jordan Murray had had to retire in the first half after sustaining what looked like a serious head injury sustained in a tackle.

With six minutes of the second half played Kelso increased their lead following a successful penalty to push them up to 17-12.
Shortly after that CQP regained parity with a second try by Milan Marinkovic following a CQP line out close to the Kelso line to move the score to 17-17. A minute later Kelso were awarded a penalty in front of the posts. The successful kick saw Kelso move to 20-17. The penalty tit for tat continued and CQP equalised with a penalty with 15 minutes played. Ethan Paterson now replaced David Dodd in the second row.
The next try went to Keso but this time the conversion was missed narrowly to the right hand side with twenty eight minutes on the clock. With full time approaching Kelso added a further three points from a successful penalty. With time almost up the Kelso scored their fourth try courtesy of their right wing who had threatened to achieve this outcome all afternoon. The try was converted and the final whistle went to give Kelso a deserved 35-20 victory .