Melrose suffer Telfer's tirade

sound enough return on an afternoon's work for most people.

But Scotland's new coaching supremo Jim Telfer is not most people. And

on the strength of the growling, closed-door post mortem which followed

this comprehensive demolition of the Poynder Park men, Telfer expects

even more from the side whch he has fashioned and steered to three

championships in the past four years.

Saturday's Border League encounter was being looked upon by Melrose

very much as a dress rehearsal for the first game of their championship

defence, against Gala this coming Saturday.

And despite coach Telfer's lucid portrayal of his side's shortcomings

-- so lucid and so loud that it attracted a small gathering of bemused

bystanders to an open dressing room window -- there was, in truth, much

to applaud.

True, the pack did not stamp its authority on proceedings in quite the

way it should have done but, behind the scrum, Craig Chalmers had the

backs purring like a well-oiled machine.

Chalmers, looking sharp and authoritative and recovered from his

Calcutta Cup injuries, departed with a knee injury 10 minutes from the

end and early medical opinion was that the injury was not too serious.

Before he left, though, he looked a real class act.

Gary Parker had a profitable afternoon with a hat-trick of tries and

five conversions, giving him 25 points.

Continuity was the name of the game for the Melrose backs, and there

was so much sleight of hand and so many deft little passes going on out

there that one wondered whether they had taken out collective membership

of the Magic Circle.

In addition to Chalmers and Parker, the young centre Ross Brown and

full back Ian Leighton also caught the eye.

Kelso began well, with a John Jeffrey interception and David Baird

chip ahead leading to a try for Scott Tait.

Melrose countered almost immediately with the first of Parker's three

tries then Bryan Redpath put them ahead as the ball squirted out of a

scrummage on the Kelso line, Parker converting.

Kelso were kept in the game with a Graeme Aitchison penalty goal but

Melrose went into a 19-8 lead at the interval when Leighton burst on to

a Chalmers pass and stormed in for a try at the posts, Parker again

converting.

After the interval, deft passing and a willingness to keep the ball

alive saw Parker in for a try which he also converted and Melrose pushed

further ahead when once again some tricky ball transference saw Brown

set clear by Shiel and ''son of Peter'' touched down at the posts.

Parker was on target yet again with the conversion.

Andy Purves kept the scorers busy with a try which, yet again,

resulted from speedy and intelligent transference of the ball.

The scoring pass had come from Parker and the Melrose right winger

notched up his hat-trick in the sixty fifth minute when he put the

finishing touches to a drive by Allan and Browne, Parker converting for

good measure.

Kelso had the consolation of scoring the final try of the afternoon

when Baird penalised slack defence by the champions to ground at the

corner flag.

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

Dunkley; R Hogarth, D Thompson, S Forbes, J Little, S Forsyth, C Millar,

J Jeffrey, A Roxburgh. Replacement -- C Walker for Roxburgh (79

minutes).

Melrose -- I Leighton; G Parker, R Brown, G Shiel, A Purves; C

Chalmers, B Redpath; D Lunn, K Allan, M Browne, E Simpson, R Brown, B

Laidlaw, G Weir, C Hogg. Replacement -- G Robertson for Chalmers (70).

Referee -- A Lyall (Gala).