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Jed managed to move up to 10th place in Perm 2 with a very nervy 20 - 18 win against Aberdeen Grammar at Riverside today. This leaves us level with Haddington on 23 points but we have much better for and against record and we also have a game in hand.

We started off very strongly and were 15 -0 up in as many minutes after a Ewan Scott penalty and tries from Darren Gillespie and Paul Pringle, (converted by Scott). This woke Aberdeen up we played terribly for the rest of the first half. We missed lots of tackles and were trying to force very risky off loads in some crazy situations which gifted Aberdeen so much turn over ball. In this time Aberdeen scored an easy try and kicked a penalty to make it 15 - 8 at half time.

We were still asleep after the break and Aberdeen leveled the game with another well taken try from their backs. Their backs were using very simple scissor moves and lots of inside passes and we were struggling to cope. A great backs move of our own resulted in Roy McFarlane crossing for our third try, rounding off a very tidy personal performance at full back. Aberdeen never gave up and kicked a penalty with around 7 minutes left but we defended well and hung on desperately for a very crucial win.

We take a break from Prem 2 next weekend as we travel to Hawick for the Border League and Skelly cup on Friday night but we face Haddington on Wednesday the 17th in the crunch game of our season. The loser of that game will be in serious trouble and will surly be relegated.

The 2nds had a very big 63 - 0 win against Haddington 2nds on woodend. Jed played well and it was encouraging to see Robert Hogg score 5 tries on his comeback from a broken hand. Chris Gillon 2, Gary Hughes, Garry Ramsey, Ryan Miller and Shaun Paxton also scored tries, Hughes kicked a conversion and Miller kicked 3.

Jed suffered another league defeat yesterday but it could have been oh so different. Kirkcaldy were 34 - 17 victors but we gifted them 2 interception tries when we had huge overlaps and our tackling was pretty atrocious as well. Lewis Young had scored in the first half to make it 17 - 7 at the time to cancel one of the interceptions and Chris Laidlaw dropped a goal but we trailed 22 - 10 at half time.

Jed did get back into the game through a Grant Stewart try but once again disaster hit when we had four backs to one and the defender intercepted and ran the length to score under the posts.

Haddington and Dunfermline we also heavily defeated but we really have to start winning and there's no better place than Riverside on Friday night against Kelso.

Jed's trip to Morpeth yesterday was hailed as a great success. With Jed missing lots of regular players it was decided that facing a Morpeth 2nds team would do us a lot more good than taking a battering from Selkirk in a Border League game (talks took place of playing Selkirk on Friday night). Jed won a scrappy game 24 - 15 but more importantly the forwards showed improvement and both Kelso and Haddington suffered heavy defeats in the league. This has given us fresh hope as we have now played the same amount of games as Kelso and 1 less than Haddington.

For the record Jed scored 4 tries from Chris Laidlaw, Chris Gillon, Grant Stewart and Scott Laidlaw, Chris Laidlaw converted 2.

Jed will take a squad of 20 to Morpeth tomorrow to play their 2nd xv at 12pm. Although we have a few of the younger players away in Wales, we do have a strong pack and after missing so many games recently any game is a bonus.

Jed were knocked out of the Premiership Cup by West of Scotland on Saturday. Jed were not overawed by their first division opponents and held on through a hard first 20 minutes. We then had all the possession but could not break down the West defence either and the score was 0 - 0 at half time.

Paul Thomson reacted badly to some face interference and he was sin binned, while he was off West rumbled over for their first try. Ewan Scott replied with a penalty but another back row move and some sloppy Jed defending allowed West to score under the posts with 10 minutes to go. Chris Laidlaw missed a penalty but in truth we were dead and buried by then and West went through to the 2nd round with a 14 - 3 win.

Neil Cook managed to play his first game for a year and lasted well until he was replaced on the hour.

The 2nds also lost, losing 29 - 8 to a very strong Melrose team, as their first xv did not have a game. Jed held on well and only trailed 12 - 8 at half time but Melrose ran out comfortable winners in the end. Chris Gillon scored Jed's try and Ryan Miller kicked a penalty.

The Skelly cup game at Hawick tonight has been cancelled and has been moved to Wednesday night if the weather relents.

The 2nds will also be in action on Wednesday night. They are scheduled to play Selkirk Stormers on Riverside at 7.30pm

Not much been happening with the weather hitting fixtures hard as everyone knows. The firsts have only played 2 games since the 12th of December and both of those games were played within the space of 4 days, with very different results.

We went to Langholm on Tuesday the 19th of January for a Border League match and we came away with a comfortable 34 - 10 win on their heavy pitch. Jed scored 6 tries from Darren Gillespie, Paul Pringle, David Gobby, Scott Raeburn, Robert Ferguson & Jonny Cunningham Cons: Ewan Scott (2). The game also saw Graeme Slorance get his first team debut as a sub. He acquitted himself very well and he has kept his place on the bench for Tuesdays Skelly Cup.

The Saturday trip to Stirling County was not as successful however. We only trailed 14 - 9 at half time, Ewan Scott kept us in the game with 3 penalties, but a terrible 2nd half (especially by the forwards who were shoved all over the park) saw us lose another 17 unanswered points and we slipped into the relegation zone with a 31 - 9 defeat.

Such was the disappointment after the Stirling performance that Jed have asked ex coach Calum Brown to help with the forwards. Calum has agreed to help but stresses that "he is only helping and it will only be until the end of the 15s season" whenever that may be!

As mentioned above Jed go to Hawick on Tuesday night to play the re-arranged Border League & Skelly cup game. Lets hope the weather gives and we get to watch a game of rugby. Team for this match is on the team news page.

The 2nds have only played 1 match in the last month and that ended in a successful trip up to Pebbles where they ran out 23 - 3 winners, to stay in mid division in the league. Jed's points came from tries by Greg Walker, Gregor Taylor and Ryan Miller. Ryan added 2 penalties and a conversion.

The South of Scotland finally ran onto the pitch for the first time in 14 years at Netherdale last night and won the first leg of the QUBE (UK) Cross Border Challenge series against Northumberland by 37-3, effectively winning the game with a very good first half display, going in at the break 25-3 up. They scored five tries in all, with a brace each from Ross Miller and Fraser Harkness and one from John Coutts with Scott Wight kicking three conversions and two penalties.

The second half saw the visitors come right back into it, throwing the ball about and playing the more adventurous rugby, but they couldn't add to their penalty goal from the first half by Marcus Rutter. A larger than expected crowd, due to the freezing conditions, of well over 2000, played their part in making the occasion a special one for the area, although with both teams using all ten replacements, the game deteriorated towards the end as a spectacle. But it's first blood to the South and they should be able to defend their 34 point lead into the second leg next year when the return match takes place. Watch highlights and hear full match commentary here.

To assist with arrangements the Border League are asking for VOLUNTEERS to clear the terracing and surrounds. If people could turn up at Netherdale on Wednesday morning from 9 am with shovels or brushes it would be appreciated.

Jed are hoping to arrange a friendly match against Gosforth at one of Newcastle Falcons training pitches this week. With the cold snap disrupting fixtures we are keen to get a game in to test some of the returning players from injury. Weather permitting we will go down on Thursday or Friday afternoon.

Hawick's ground at Mansfield Park has not been passed fit to host the South of Scotland match v Northumberland on Wednesday night so the game has been switched to Netherdale, Galashiels. However, with temperatures set to drop to Minus 10 Celcius tonight a 9.30am inspection of Netherdale will take place to see if the undersoil heating has been able to cope with such severe temperatures. Meanwhile the corporate dinner with Jim Telfer at Mansfield Park is set to go ahead at Hawick still and these have been brought forward to 4pm for 4.30pm.

Jed are now in deep relegation trouble after Biggar beat us 13 - 10 at Riverside. To make matters worse the bottom two teams, Dunfermline and Kelso had big wins so we are now in a four team dog fight at the bottom of Prem 2. Only 3 points separate us from bottom placed Dunfermline, Kelso are a point above Dunfermline, but both teams have a game in hand to play.

We started the game on fire and after Paul Pringle had wriggled over for a try after 4 minutes (Scott Converted) things looks great. It looked as if Paul had scored again from a scrum but the ref ruled that he was held up. However Biggar were beginning to dominate the rucks and Scrums and our lineout was also a mess. Biggar were camped on our line for a full ten minutes and deserved their try when it came to make the score 7 - 7. The game was very scrappy and the whistle went far too often but again our discipline was beginning to crack. Yellow cards to Nick Burt and Grant Stewart and at least twice being marched back 10 meters for back chat does not help our cause.

Biggar kicked 2 penalties to our 1 in a very nervy last hour of the game but we could not claw them back. Ewan Scott missed a very difficult chance at a drop goal late in the game so were forced to accept the bonus point for losing by less than 7 points.

Next weeks game against Kelso is now absolutely massive. So please come and support the lads. I hear Kelso are bringing a big support so if you attend one match this season, make it next weeks game. WE NEED YOU!!

Jed are still in deep relegation trouble after Gala beat us 26 - 9 at Netherdale. Although the score line slightly flatters Gala, They scored the only try of the first half through our mistake and they scored a very late converted try, their forwards deserved the win as they dominated our scrum. We did not play badly and Ewan Scott kept us in the game with 2 massive drop goals and a big penalty. We lost Michael Weekley, Donald Grieve and Hendy before half time to injury so this also hindered our chance.

The seconds also suffered a 20 - 5 defeat. Chris Gillon scored our try and it was great to see Ross Macdonald back in Jed colours after getting his diabetes under control.

Jed gained a precious four league points in a 26 - 14 victory against bottom club Dunfermline at Riverside yesterday. This was a must win match and is a good result considering the call off's and injuries we had this week in the forwards. We were never behind in this game but once again fell short of the 4 tries needed for a bonus point. We are now 5 points behind 9th placed Haddington but 5 clear of Kelso in 11th. Kelso have a game in hand at Biggar to play still.

Jed's points came from tries by Paul Pringle, David Gobby and Darren Gillespie. Ewan Scott converted 1 and kicked 3 penalties.

Coach, Darren Cunningham was "delighted with the win and hopes the lads can take confidence from this onto next weeks game at Gala". He said "Ewan Scott had a much more relaxed game at stand off and was much better for it and Gregor Young is improving every week". He also wanted to make special mention for the following 3 lads for their guts and determination to even go onto the pitch.

Ali Hall damage his lymph gland after taking an elbow to the neck at GHA. Ali has a lump on his neck and is in a lot of pain. He was advised to rest by the physio he's been to see but he dug deep and played through it.

Darren Gillespie has been ill with sickness and dihorrea since Thursday and he was sick again 5 minutes before Saturdays match.

And lastly Paul Pringle, who is still struggling with the shoulder injury he picked up at Hawick.

With the injury and illness call off's, naturally the seconds faced an uphill task against high flying Kelso. Despite this they were very competitive in the first half and and only trailed 14 - 7 at half time, Greg Walker scored our try, converted by Lewis Young. Kelso's superiority told in the second half though and they ran away to a convincing 38 - 7 win. Ryan Miller hurt his knee and is doubt-full for next week.

Former Jed player Greig Laidlaw will start for Scotland A when they take on Tonga at Netherdale tonight. Originally chosen for the bench, Greig gets to start as Rory Lawson has been promoted to the Scotland bench to take the place of the injured Mike Blair in tomorrow's clash with Australia.

The starting 15 includes plenty of players with Borders connections, former Hawick players Nikki Walker and John Houston in the backline with Geoff Cross, Kelly Brown and Scott McLeod in the pack. On the bench there's another two Border favourites in the shape of ex Melrose winger Mark Robertson and Roddy Grant, who used to play for Gala. In an interesting positional switch Hugo Southwell will start at fly half - Jim Thompson being preferred at full back. The match of course is free to watch and doors open at 6pm for a 7.30pm kick off. Highlights of the match will be available on Borders Rugby Television (www.bordersrugby.net) from Saturday morning in association with media partners Radio Borders. Meanwhile it's been announced that the Club International between Scotland and France on February 5th will also be played at Netherdale.

Jed suffered a 28 - 20 loss at GHA today. Jed were once again first on the score board and led 8 - 0 early in the game after a Ewan Scott penalty and a Darren Gillespie try, but we were 12 - 11 behind at half time.

Ewan kicked another Penalty and then a drop goal while GHA kicked two penalties to keep the game within a single point. GHA then caught us napping with a cross field kick from their stand off which found their winger in acres of space and he ran in for a converted try. Ewan kicked another penalty to give us hope but GHA killed the game off and denied us a bonus point with another late penalty.

Another defeat without any bonus points does not look good. However we played ok and there were no really soft tries given away this week and with the good news about Goody and Neil Cook (see below) earlier this week then there is still plenty hope that we can turn things round.

Jed 2nds won their third league game in a row last night, defeating Peebles 13 - 5 at Riverside. Jed had most of the game and should have done better in the first half. They did show good spirit after Peebles got back into the game at 8 - 5. Despite not playing as well as recent weeks and atrocious conditions setting in, Jed scored again to take the victory.

Jed's tries were scored by Ewan Fowler and Grant Johnston, Ryan Miller kicked a penalty.

At last there is some good news to report from the Jed camp. Long term injured players Neil Cook and Ross Goodfellow both confirmed that the should be back playing in Jed colours this season.

Neil had his long awaited knee operation on Thursday and it was able to be done by keyhole surgery. It was discovered that there was a tear in his medial ligament but Neil is basically a freak and most of the tear had healed it's self. This is seemingly very rare but great news for Neil who can go straight into rehab and he could return in 6 - 8 weeks.

Ross had a scan on his knee and it was discovered that there is only bruising behind his knee cap. Ross has also been cleared to step up training and could be back inside a month.

We also had the good news that James Henderson's red card last week was deemed to be sufficient punishment and he will not face any ban.

The South of Scotland will play Northumberland in a Cross Border Challenge, home and away, with the first fixture to be played at Mansfield Park, Hawick, on Wednesday, 30 December, with a 7pm kick off. The away date has still to be finalised. And there is still the possibility of a match against Caledonia later in the season.

The team will be coached by Melrose boss Craig Chalmers assisted by John Dalziel, while Gala’s Richie Gray will be Manager/Selector with Gary Parker, now Scotland Women's coach, also a selector.

Northumberland Coach, Darren Cunningham, said: "Being Head Coach of Jed- Forest, as well as this Northumberland XV, I know first hand what a South of Scotland team means to this region, and the fantastic history that goes with it. We at Northumberland are very excited and honoured at being asked to take on the South in their first match in fourteen years. It makes it all the more exciting for the Northumberland players and staff to be playing the fixture at such a great venue as Hawick's Mansfield Park.

Yet another second half disaster cost Jed dearly at Aberdeen this afternoon. Jed started off brilliantly and scored our customary 3 tries in the first half of away games and we led 17 -3 at the break. Robert Ferguson, Robert Hogg and Ewan Scott all scored tries, Ewan converted one.

Our second half collapse was under way though and with the scores on 17 each and with the game into injury time, Aberdeen were heavily pressurizing the Jed line. We held out for phase after phase but their forwards ground us down and they scored under the posts with the last move of the game to shatter all of Jed's hopes.

To make matters worse, James Henderson was sent off after the last try for what looked like petty mouthing off at the referee, WHEN WILL WE LEARN!!!

The seconds showed how to do it again this week with a convincing second half performance in their 39 - 5 victory against Melrose Knights. They were slow out of the blocks again and were 8 - 0 behind after 20 minutes, but soon turned it round and were 12 - 8 up at half time. Four more tries sealed the win to make it 3 wins 2 defeats and a draw in the league. Bruce Cockburn who stood in for injured Captian Gregor Taylor was absolutely outstanding and got man of the match.

Jed's tries were scored by Chris Gillon (2), Greg Walker (2), David Gobby and Ryan Miller. Miller added a penalty and 3 conversions.

A terrible performance by Jed saw us slip ever closer to the relegation zone after this 32 - 16 horror defeat at the hands of a good Kirkcaldy team. With this being Halloween the Jed supporters could have thought that this was a make believe horror movie, but the way we gifted Kirkcaldy 2 of their tries was oh so real. We couldn't tackle, couldn't pass, got murdered in the scrum and line out and it could have been Christmas never mind Halloween with the amount of penalties we gave away and yet another two yellow cards were the icing on the cake.

It was 6 - 7 to Kirkcaldy at half time but they could have been at least 10 ahead but their stand off had a nightmare with the boot, missing 3 or 4 kickable penalties. We did go in front through a converted Ali Hall try and led 13 - 12 but once again the last quarter of the game killed us.

Just to really rub it in , a shoulder injury to Gary Holborn looks pretty serous and he was taken for x-ray after the game.

We are only 1 point ahead of Kelso now in 10th place and it looks like we could be fighting with our neighbors all season for the last survival spot.

The seconds fared better with a 47 - 7 win against Selkirk Stormers. Playing on the same pitch as last week they had the wind advantage this time and led 26 - 0 at half time with David Gobby (2), Greg Walker and Chris Gillon scoring tries. Paul Cranston, Graeme Slorance and Ryan Miller added second half tries. Ryan also kicked 6 out of 7 conversions.

Jed squeezed a draw out of local neighbors Hawick at Mansfield park with a last minute penalty from Ewan Scott. Jed were desperate for points and the 2 points for drawing at Hawick will do us a lot of good in the league.

It could easily have been a full 5 points though as we were 21 points to nil ahead after only 30 minutes. Paul Pringle, Gregor Young and Gary hill all crossed for very good tries and Ewan Scott converted all 3. Robert Hogg was also over the touch line but the linesman deemed he had put a foot into touch after a brilliant run up the stand side. Ht, 21 - 0.

Hawick must have had a real rollicking at half time and to be fair they cut out the silly mistakes that hurt them in the first half and they completely controlled the second half. We could not win a line out and our re starts were terrible, Hawick had all day to gather possession. Moving big Bruce McNeil into number 8 from prop was probably the biggest influence on the game though. He scored 2 of Hawick's 3 tries and he was running us ragged when picking up from the scrum.

With the scores level and time running out Hawick were awarded an easy penalty chance and Neil Renwick kicked it to add to his 100% conversion record. Jed never gave in though and several pick and drives to put Hawick on the back foot for the first time in the second half resulted in Jed being awarded a penalty on the 22 yard line 15 yards from touch. This was 6 minutes into extra time and was the last kick of the match and Ewan held his nerve brilliantly to snatch a well deserved draw.

A fair result according to most and we would have settled for that before the game but the way we are failing to score that fourth try in games is concerning but we are competing better up front and results should come our way soon.

Highlights of the game including all tries and kicks are here : watch-v=djEo8kguMaY

The 2nds were expecting a tough test against league leaders Selkirk and playing against a stiff breeze in the first half they fell 24 - 0 behind. They fought back with the elements and outscored their opponents 10 - 7 in the second half to make the final score 31 - 10. Gregor Taylor scored both of Jed's tries.

Yet another sob story, I know, but the 34 - 14 score line in Stirling County's favour really does not do Jed any Justice. Jed led 14 - 10 at half time through a try by the always impressive Robert Ferguson and 3 Ewan Scott penalties. This was despite losing Ross Goodfellow five minutes into his come back. A simple kick to touch was too much for Ross's knee and serious questions now need to be answered regarding his future. Ross now needs to get a proper diagnosis to see where he goes from here.

The return of James Henderson was very impressive and the debut of Grant Stewart in the second row were obvious plus points but the way our heads dropped in the last quarter to gift Stirling a flattering score are very concerning. We are slipping into serious trouble and with a hard few weeks ahead of us we need some luck to come our way.

The improving Seconds helped to brighten things up though with a 20 - 12 bonus point win away at Haddington. Tries from Greg Nagle, Man of the Match Johnny Field (2) and David Gobby were enough to secure the winning points.

Jed-Forest have beaten off other local clubs to sign South African second row forward Grant Stewart. The former Natal Sharks U21 player has been playing rugby in London but has made the move north of the border and is very excited to be playing for one of the Borders' most famous clubs. Grant made his debut off the bench on Saturday against Stirling County at Riverside Park. Coach Darren Cunningham exclusively revealed the signing to Borders Rugby Television on thursday. "We are delighted to have Grant on board. He was on holiday up here when we found out about him. He has an uncle who lives in Melrose. I am sure he will strengthen the squad and we all look forward to working with him."

Jed scored three tries away from home for the third time this season but it was not enough to prevent a 17 - 15 defeat at Haddington. We lead 10 - 0 in the first half and never gave up the lead until 10 minutes from time. Our forwards were being dominated, especially in the scrum and Haddington played real 10 man rugby. Jed did look dangerous out wide though and our tries were all scored by backs, Gary Hill, Gregor Young and Lewis Young all scored but our inability to convert cost us dearly.

We will also have to look at our discipline as Ewan Fowler and Darren Gillespie were both Yellow carded making that 8 yellows in 7 games so far. We are ranked amongst the worst offenders this season and we need to improve if we are to move up the table.

The seconds were also beaten again but at 22 - 17 in was no disgrace against a very decent Gala 2nds. We struggled a bit for numbers this week but the boys really did play well and should start winning soon. Paul Pringle and Ryan James were particularly impressive.

A very poor performance by Jed gifted Peebles a 27 - 16 win a Riverside today. Peebles started with the strong wind behind them and scored a terribly soft converted try with our tacklers falling off far to easily. Jed hit back straight away when Gregor Young scored in the woolen mills corner but it was a false dawn. Some more sloppy defending from a cross kick let Peebles in again and we were 14 - 5 down after 15 minutes. We were getting thumped in the scum and when Robert Ferguson was binned for 10 minutes it looked ominous. We swapped penalties but Peebles rumbled over for another late converted try and we went into half time 24 - 8 down.

With the wind mostly in our favour now we should have dominated territory much more but in truth the second half really was a damp squib. Ewan Scott kicked a nice penalty in an early foray into the Peebles half. It wasn't until 10 minutes were left that Jed gave themselves a chance. Ewan Scott, who had now swapped places with Greg Dawson scuttled across the face of the Peebles defenders, passed to Hilly who broke and fed Gregor Young. Gregor was tackled but fed Greg Dawson out wide and some quick hands saw him fed back into Jamie to barge over. With 10 minutes left Jed tried to galvanize themselves but nothing came of it, in-fact Peebles kicked a penalty to take them to safety and resign Jed to take nothing from the game.

The 2nds took heed of last weeks half time swearing and produced their best first half of the season against Kelso 2nds. Jed lead 19 - 13 at half time but could not prevent Kelso from coming back to finish level at 22 - 22. Jed's scorers were Greg Walker (2) and Gregor Taylor, Ryan Miller converted 2 and kicked a penalty.

Ali Hall continued to gain fitness and Badger played his first game in a month after a shoulder injury.

Jed had a very lucky escape this afternoon when Kelso's former Internationalist and Borders captain, Kevin Utterson missed a routine conversion with the last kick of the game to gift Jed a 20 - 19 victory at Poynder park. With both teams struggling in the lower league positions this is a huge bonus for Jed and could be a devastating blow for Kelso.

The game was played in glorious sunny conditions but a strong breeze, behind the sun gave Kelso a first half advantage. After both kickers had missed early penalty attempts Jed scored first after Gary Hill's break and offload to Lewis Young who shipped a nicely timed pass to Jamie McCraw, who was called in for the injured Robert Hogg. Jamie only had the fullback to beat but was half tackled, he was aware enough to notice that Lewis had backed him up and slipped a pass to allow Lewis to score in the corner on 18 minutes. Kelso hit back with a simple overlap try from their winger but both conversions were missed as Ewan Scott and Kevin Utterson struggled with the boot. Utterson did kick an injury time penalty to give them an 8 - 5 half time lead.

With the elements behind us we were awarded a scrum, 5 metres from the Kelso line after the Kelso defence had hacked the ball dead from a neat Jed chip. We had dominated the scrum and duly pushed the Kelso scrum backwards to allow Darren Gillespie to touch down against his former team mates. Jed were awarded a penalty on the Kelso 5 metre line soon after, when it looked like Kelso had been penalized for back chat. Ewan Scott took advantage of a sleepy Kelso and took a quick tap and crossed for Jed's third try, He converted it to put us 17 - 8 up.

Utterson kicked 2 penalties to bring Kelso within 3 points but we still looked reasonably comfortable. Ewan Scott then kicked a 55 odd metre penalty on 36 minutes to leave Kelso needing a converted try to win. This seemed to wake them up and to be fair they dominated the closing stages putting great phases together. They were awarded a penalty wide in our 22 but decided to go for touch, incredibly they missed touch and kicked it dead. With 7 minutes injury time on the clock a scrum was formed outside our 22. A ropey pass put Ewan under pressure so he passed to Gary Hill who booted clear. The Kelso full back collected and broke up field. After a couple of phases the ball was shipped to Utterson who did really well to score over 3 Jed tacklers with 9 extra minutes on the clock. Quite rightly he took time to compose but incredibly he pushed the simple conversion wide to let Jed off.

Not Our beast performance, especially in the line out and the break down where we suffered to many turnovers and gave away to many penalties. Gary Holborn probably hit the nail on the head in his post match radio interview when he described both teams as lacking in confidence. On a positive note I thought Darren Gillespie had a great game. He can carry ball, tackle and pass off both hands he looks a real quality player.

The seconds are maybe lacking confidence too as a dreadful first half performance cost us dear in a 24 - 20 defeat in the development cup play off at Haddington. We trailed 21 - 8 at half time, but a rolloking from the coaching team spurred us on and once again we outscored our opponents in the second half. Manager, Donald Miller was a bit bemused by the first half performance and felt we had enough to win the game given proper application at the start of the game.

Jed's tries were scored by Chris Gillon, Chris Page and Ryan Miller. Greg Dawson Kicked a Drop Goal and a conversion. Ali Hall returned from 2 weeks off for chicken pox.

A terrible 10 minute spell just after half time against table toppers Biggar cost Jed dearly in a closer game than the 34 - 19 result suggests. Lewis Young had scored in the first half but we trailed 12 - 5 at half time.

The line outs and scrums were far better this week and wee leveled the scores thanks to a try by Gregor Young, converted by Ewan Scott. Jed's Achilles heel struck though and we fell asleep for 10 minutes. Biggar capitalized in style and scored 3 tries, 2 converted, and a penalty to effectively kill the game off. Jed never gave in though and Ewan Scott scored a late converted try to make the final score 34 - 19.

We played a lot better this week with Darren Gillespie shining in the forwards along side Robert Ferguson and Gary Holborn and the fact that all of our points were scored by 18 year olds bodes well for the future.

Next weeks game at Kelso becomes absolutely crucial now though. Ross Goodfellow won't be available and James Hogg injured his hand again but we now have more scrum half cover and by all accounts Ewan Fowler (another 18 year old) was man of the match in the seconds defeat at Selkirk so there is plenty to look forward to still.

The 2nds also suffered, going down 26 - 13 to a bigger more experienced Selkirk 2nds with included several of Selkirk's old heeds but the youngsters are also learning what is needed from the step up from the Thistle. We are clearing out rucks better and the confidence is building.

After being 21 - 3 down at half time we out scored Selkirk in the second half thanks to a try by sub Ryan James, converted by Ryan Miller and a Greg Dawson drop goal. Ryan Miller had kicked a first half penalty.

Jed struggled to put away GHA at Riverside Park. It wasn't a sparkling performance despite perfect conditions but a very young Jed team did manage to escape with a draw after the normally reliable kicking machine (Jim Noonan) saw a late drop goal and penalty bounce off the cross bar. He also hooked another very kickable penalty right on full time. It ended 17-17 with Scott Raeburn getting his first try for Jed. Ewan Scott kicked four penalties. HIGHLIGHTS HERE.

The Jed supporters did get a first home glimpse of our recently signed new forwards, Jonathon Cunningham and Darren Gillespie. Both play in the back row or second row.

Jonathon a nephew of coach Darren comes from Blyth. He started at number 8 yesterday and played very well in the first half, carrying good ball and giving Hoggy a bit of room at scrum half. Unfortunately Jonathon will only be here every second month due to his job commitments in Egypt.

Darren has joined us from Kelso after taking a break during last season. He hasn't had much of a pre season but he came on for the last 15 minutes yesterday and in time he'll be a huge asset for our squad.

After a bit of a morning scramble for available fit players after several call offs and Jamie McCraw was called into the firsts after David Gobby called off, the seconds played very well and scored 4 tries in a 27 - 10 bonus point win against Melrose Knights. Jed's tries came from Grant Johnston, Gary Goodfellow, Chris Gillon and Johnny Field. Ryan Miller kicked 2 conversions and a penalty.

A terribly disappointing weekend for Jed ended in defeat for both teams. Despite missing several regulars the firsts really should have at least give a better account of themselves against newly promoted Dunfermline who were down to 14 players for half the game after one of their players received a very dubious red card. We did have 2 of our own boys binned but we should still be competitive.

Ewan Scott, Robert Hogg and Scott Laidlaw scored our tries, Ewan kicked 2 penalties and a conversion.

The Seconds also performed badly against Kelso and they were beaten by 34 - 10. Gregor Taylor scored our try, converted by Ryan Miller, Greg Nagle kicked a penalty.

Jed started their League campaign with a decent 23 - 18 win against Gala at Riverside Yesterday. Ewan Scott had kicked 2 early penalties to put us 6 - 3 up when James Hogg (on as a Sub for blood binned Ross Goodfellow) broke up the blindside of a scrum inside our own half he chipped over the covering defender and brother Robert Hogg raced on to touch down, Scott converted. James Hogg got sin binned soon after and Gala scored to make it 13 - 8 at half time.

Lewis Young was also binned at the start of the second half putting Jed at a 2 man disadvantage, but we rode the storm and only conceded a penalty. Both teams were throwing the ball around and making plenty of breaks but maybe a bit of early season rustiness or panic resulted in most moves breaking down. Jed actually sealed the game from one of these when a Gala moved broke down in the centres just inside the Jed half. Gregor Young picked up the loose ball and ran the length of the pitch to scramble over despite a terrific challenge from the gala cover. Ewan Scott converted to add to his earlier penalty. Gala scored a late converted try and Scott squeezed a Jed penalty wide but time was up and Jed sit 4th in the new league campaign.

A very Young 2nds squad included 9 players just up from the Thistle and they unfortunately fell to a 23 - 22 defeat in a hastily arranged friendly against Gala 2nds. The game will have given the boys time to adjust and the competitive season starts next week when Kelso 2nds travel up for the Development Cup opener. Jed Captain Greg Walker scored 2 tries, Johnny Field and Ewan Fowler crossed for a try each and Ryan Miller kicked a conversion.

Jed reached the final of Sunday's Halbro Selkirk 7s to make it two finals out of two in the Kings of the 7s series. We could not contain a charged up home side however, who won their home tournament for the third successive year.

We faced a very difficult 1st round tie against last weeks Kelso winners Melrose but a fresher Jed side battled unbelievably hard and we went through 12 - 5. A 17 - 7 second round win against Peebles and a 17 - 5 win against a weakened Watsonians in the Semi guaranteed that Jed would lead the Kings of the 7s going into the winter beak.

A tired Jed let Selkirk romp to a 17 - 0 early lead but our never say die attitude was a true credit to the club and 2 converted tries closed the gap to 3 points but in the end Selkirk were too strong and won the game 24-19. Highlights of the final can be seen here watch-v=_YkuTCXMJtg.

Jed's 15s preparations were completed on Saturday with the firsts and seconds taking on Edinburgh Accies. Despite missing Ross Goodfellow, Gary Hill, Scott Laidlaw, Paul Hill and Ali Hall due to wedding and work commitments, the boys stuck in well and lead 12 - 6 early through tries from Robert Ferguson and Roy McFarlane. We struggled in set pieces though and 5 tries either side of half time saw us well behind but we had the last hurrah when Lewis Young scored a cracker as consolation to bring the score to 44 - 17.

The Seconds had their first run out of the season and they were also beat, going down 35 - 15. Try scores were Jamie McCraw, Scott Blackie & Michael Cairns.

The new season got off to a great start last Saturday when Jed reached the final of the Croall Bryson Kelso 7s. Facing a pretty ominous looking draw the boys responded in the best way and got stuck in to Haddington in the first round and ran out comfortable 29 - 0 winners.

The second round was an epic and after a very late try and a touchline conversion from Watsonians extra time was to be played. The teams were scoreless after an incredible first half of 5 minutes and for possibly the first time a second half had to be started. Jed were awarded a penalty and considered a shot at goal but Ross Goodfellow took a quick penalty and squirmed over to send Jed through 26 - 21.

We beat hosts Kelso 22 - 12 in the semi to set up a final against Melrose. Melrose had been head and shoulders above everyone all day and proved too strong for Jed especially as Ewan Scott could not start the final due to a leg knock. Jed actually scored first after a patient build up was rewarded with a try by Robert Hogg. This was false hope though and Melrose ran out 38 - 7 winners.

A very nice start to the season with Gregor Young scoring a hat-full of tries and Ross Goodfellow showing up really well.

Preparations for next Saturdays League start stepped up a gear with a friendly against Melrose on Tuesday night. As expected we struggled during the fist half but new coach Darren Cunningham was happier with the second half showing after a team talk ironed out a few teething problems with the change in style that Darren is trying to implement. Tries from Gary Holborn, Paul Pringle and David Gobby were not enough to stop Melrose recording a 57 - 15 win.

Gregor Young once again showed up well when he came on as a sub, so did twin brother Lewis. New Geordie Stand Off Greg Dawson had his first run out in Jed colours. I'll find out more about Greg and tell you all about him later.

Greg Walker will be organizing free Street Rugby sessions for P7-S6 aged kids during the next four Friday nights.

Jed-forest player Greg Walker is also the development officer for Jed and he's co-ordinating a series of four events starting this Friday at Jedburgh Grammar School Astro turf.

"Street Rugby" looks at getting kids off the street at night and onto astro turf where they can throw a rugby ball about and play various conditioned rugby games. The first event starts at 7pm and will continue till 9pm. Friday 31st July will be the first night then on the following three Fridays on August 7th, 14th and 21st. It is hoped that a large number of kids from P7 to S6 will attend.

"The session shall be split into two sections," said Greg. "There shall be rugby being run from 7 until 8 and then the second half of the night shall be football from 8 until 9. This event shall be looking at getting kids off the street and keeping them active during the summer holidays. It is funded by the SRU and 'Cashback for communities' which pays for the use of the astro turf."

Venue : Jedburgh Grammar School all weather pitch
Time : 7pm until 9pm
Dates : Fri 31st July - Fri 7th Aug - Fri 14th Aug - Fri 21st Aug
Session plan : From 7 until 8 conditioned rugby games. From 8 until 9 football

The fixture list for the 2009-2010 Scottish Hydro Premier 2 League have been announced today. Jed play Gala at home on the 29th of August to kick the season off in style and also end at home against Aberdeen Grammar on the 6th of March. The full list is now on the fixtures page.

Jed are pleased to announce the appointment of Darren Cunningham as our new 1st XV head coach. Darren is 41, is married to Kirsty and they have two girls under 6. He played on the wing and has been head coach at Morpeth for the last 3 seasons. Leading them to victory in the Northumberland Senior Cup for only the third time in their clubs history in his first season in charge. He holds a UKCC level 3 qualification certificate in coaching rugby (level 4 is the highest and this is a UK recognised system) after completing the very demanding course in 2008.

Darren is very ambitious and sees the move to Jed as a very positive step in his coaching career. He has already taken a training session after impressing in our original meetings and the players seemed very positive with his efforts.

Darren takes over from Calum (Beige) Brown who stepped down at the end of last season after 6 years coaching at Jed, 4 years as first xv coach and 2 years at 2nd xv level.

Calum's record will be hard to match as Jed coach, he led the 2nds to 2 successive promotions taking them to the highest league possible before coaching the firsts to a semi-final of the cup, a semi-final of the shield, 2 Border league finals, a Kings of the 7s title and a Jed 7s title. Jed also finished in the top 5 of the league during all four years of Calum's tenure.

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30th June Gary Holborn New Captain

Gary Holborn has been named as the Captian of Jed for the 2009-2010 Season after a players meeting last week. Gary moved to Jed at the start of 2007-2008 after being Captain of Berwick, he has played 57 games for Jed already, and is "honored to be Jed's new Captain". Donald Grieve is to be his vice captain.

We are working on bringing players in to compliment the dozen or so Thistle boys moving up.

On a sadder note it seems like we are losing 2 senior players. Gary Elder looks to be heading to Melrose and David Grieve is heading to Watsonians. I'm not 100% sure that these moves are confirmed so watch this space.