We did it! Three in a row for FVL champions Team Borders!

click here for results:

Some great performances and effort across the entire team saw us repel the challenges from the other seven Division 1 teams, most notably Pitreavie and Edinburgh, win the match on Saturday and thus secure our third consecutive Forth Valley League title.

Commitment and loyalty to the Borders cause were typified by two of the Under-11 girls’ team, Skye Gillie (Chirnside) and Jess Colledge (Moorfoot). Newcomer Skye was drafted into the team for the first time only on Friday, contributing points in the 100m and 4x100m relay, and although clearly in discomfort from a debilitating stitch, she bravely carried on to complete her 800m race when many might have stopped, and gained another point for the team to appreciative warm applause from the full stand. Jess, an Arabian Lady in the Peebles Beltane Festival parade on Saturday morning (as evidenced by some remnants of make-up and fake tan as she took to the track!) made a late dash up to Grangemouth just to ensure a complete team for the 4x100m relay and she ran a storming final leg to lift her team to a third place finish on the line.

Indeed the 4x100m relays proved to be one of the strongest events for Team Borders with the Under-11, Under 13 and Under 15 Boys each winning, and the Under 13 and Under 15 Girls finishing second. There were just the two individual ‘A’ race winners on the track – Samantha Dagg and Ethan Elder – but valuable points were amassed from nine second places in ‘A’ races. There were also five ‘B’ race wins.

In the Field events there were ‘A’ wins for Maria Imray, Ross Christie and Ellie O’Hara.

Overall, Team Borders finished the league on 22.5 match points with Edinburgh and Pitreavie joint runners-up on 19 points.

We also won the “track only” competition and were just pipped by Edinburgh in the “field only” competition.

This was a real team effort to retain the title, not just in this match, but across the season. But if I could mention one additional name it is that of Chirnside’s Ben Evans who was elected boys’ team captain for the day and who has contributed points in all sorts of events over the last few seasons. There will be no better representative of the team when the league trophy is presented at the league’s Invitation Select match in August