ARNOLD CLARK PREMIERSHIP
SATURDAY 22ND NOVEMBER 2025
GHA 14 HAWICK 7
Chris Nairn
The Braidholm faithful arrived at the ground on Saturday buoyed by the victory in the Scottish Cup last weekend which halted the recent run of reverses. GHA returned to league business and entertained Hawick in what promised to be a close encounter to match the early season encounter in the Borders. Our club lunch was sponsored by Cavendish Consulting, and we are delighted to have their support. Our club lunches are an ideal way to highlight the contribution to our club of our Sponsors and provides an opportunity for supporters to enjoy a meal and refreshment in pleasant surroundings. A busy Saturday saw 1XV and 2XV home fixtures with our Lions heading off to Dumbrek for a top of the table clash. I was informed that on this Saturday, Head Coach Calum Forrester had noted of the sixty-six players set to represent GHA across the three senior teams, forty-four of them have come through the ranks of the Junior Section. This is an excellent testament to the fabulous work being carried out week after week by our club coaches, officials and helpers. It was also very nice to see our hard-working bar staff all receiving a new club hoodie to assist club identity and keep them warm!
What had started out as a bright day with sunny spells had become rather overcast and cold as we approached kick off. The pitch was heavy and would be taxing on players strength. Both squads prepared through a series of unit drills and whole team drills and some micro drills involving players in contact work with a partner. A good crowd had assembled by kick-off with a contingent from the Borders ready for the action.
GHA kicked off with Gregor Drummond sending a long high kick deep into the Hawick defence. The visitors cleared the danger up to their twenty-two metre area. In the ensuing minutes Luke McCutcheon made a great take of a difficult high kick and immediately drove at the Hawick defence. With Adam Kerr, Hawick were forced all afternoon to try and quell the rampaging runs and direct running of the two GHA players with great support from the whole GHA pack- especially Messrs Fox, Ewing, Plumridge and Campbell. When the ball was moved wide brave, direct running by Messrs Hughes and Lonergan asked questions of the Hawick rearguard all afternoon. Hawick attempted to clear the ball, and a long kick was superbly gathered by Charlie Lonergan who immediately strove forward to attack the visitors. He was ably supported by Messrs McKirdy, Hughes, Nolan, Ewing and Plumridge as they moved the ball at pace and forced Hawick to try and stop the yardage gains by the home side. The opening five minutes had seen repeated rapier-like thrusts by the home side at the strong Hawick defence and a determination by the home side to retain control of the ball and try repeatedly to find a way through a resolute defence. Messrs Muir, Little, Donaldson and Renwick in the famous green jerseys worked hard to slow and indeed break the early momentum of the home side. As we reached the tenth minute of the half the see-saw nature of the match- whereby one side would make initial progress only to have control of the ball wrenched from their hands by the opponents- meant a deal of the action took place between the ten metre areas of the respective sides. An astonishing break by Luke McCutcheon from inside his half took play into the Hawick twenty-two metre area as Messrs Fox, Nolan and Campbell assisted their teammate. Hawick conceded a penalty for a high tackle as they desperately tried to stop the marauding McCutcheon. As we passed the twelfth minute, Gregor Drummond converted the penalty to acclaim from the home support. The score was now GHA 3 HAWICK 0.
Having a player of Gregor’s kicking ability (in addition to his other attributes) gives GHA a very powerful weapon when deciding what avenue to follow when penalties are awarded. It also gives colleagues a reassuring feeling that their hard work is being rewarded. Hawick restarted and soon found the ball coming straight back at them as Adam Kerr gathered the kick and strode forward menacingly to attack the Hawick defence over halfway. GHA were playing at pace and trying very hard to break down an impressive visitor defence. Progress was being made by the home side, but they were finding great difficulty in piercing the Hawick defensive lines at the Hawick twenty-two area. This was a period of pressure from the home side as they tried to build on their slender lead. As we reached the seventeenth minute of the half Hawick were forced to concede a penalty at their twenty-two metre area and Gregor Drummond converted the award to make the score GHA 6 HAWICK 0.
As we moved to the twentieth minute of the match, Hawick were struggling to make inroads to the GHA half yet were reassured that their defence was proving effective in stopping further damage in the form of tries for the home side by highly efficient and effective defensive tackling. Despite this, the visitors conceded another penalty at their twenty-two metre area and once again Gregor Drummond made an excellent job of the conversion to make the score GHA 9 HAWICK 0.
It had been very hard work prising these points from the Borderers and there was a feeling amongst the home support that this match was very finely balanced and was going to require a huge effort to physically match the visitors for the duration. There was a clear frustration amongst the talented Hawick ranks that they had been unable to break out of the GHA territorial control so far and equally possibly some concern amongst GHA ranks that they were not able to convert pressure into tries. As we moved toward the half hour Hawick began to assert themselves from halfway to inside the GHA half. Lovely promptings by Messrs Lewis and Riddle with very able support from Muir, Little, Sutherland and Swailes began to ask questions of the home defence. The match was very physical with absolutely no quarter asked or given. It is a credit to both sets of players that they maintained this physicality and pace right to the end of the match. As we neared the interval it was Hawick who began to demand a resolute defence from the home side. Some subtle chips by Messrs Lewis and Welsh forced the home side to turn and work frantically to clear danger. Several times Hawick put themselves in an excellent attacking position inside the GHA twenty-two area but lost the line out advantage to superb lineout work by Messrs Kerr and McCutcheon which stole or prevented clean ball going to Hawick at crucial moments. The half finished with the score GHA 9 HAWICK 0.
It had been a furious first half with some fierce tackling on both sides preventing breakthroughs to the try line. Despite their lead there was no doubt that the home side would face an onslaught from the visitors in the second half. Hawick were clearly frustrated that they could not get their running game into operation because of the sheer effectiveness of the home defence, and they also realised that GHA would look to vary their approach in the second half to try and find a way through the Green defence. The crowd looked forward to an exciting forty minutes.
Hawick began the second half with fresh determination and GHA managed to clear the restart kick up to halfway. A scrum quickly resulted from loose play, and a penalty was awarded to Hawick. Charlie Welsh and good work by Messrs Muir and Fraser Renwick forced the home side to concede a penalty which Charlie Welsh kicked to the GHA five metre area. Here in the fifth minute of the half was a very good attacking opportunity for the visitors and they won the lineout ball, but the home side cleared the immediate danger up to their twenty-two metre area. Undaunted by this set back Hawick looked to attack again and from the lineout Messrs Muir and Calum Renwick- with clever support from Riddell and Armstrong- made yardage deep into the GHA territory. Yet another penalty to Hawick perhaps reflected the pressure the home side now found themselves facing. Once again, the visitors decided to kick towards the corner but misjudged the distance and the kick went straight out to audible groans from the Hawick support. Despite this let off GHA were finding it hard to gain control of the ball and found themselves being forced to defend relentlessly as Hawick mounted serial attacks. As we headed towards the quarter hour there was no let-up in the pace of the match, although both sides had cause to regret spilled balls and wrong options at critical times in what was becoming a frantic and very physical encounter. Both full backs tried to find yardage with kicks but both Welsh and Drummond superbly read the intentions of their respective opponent and an alternative method of penetration was looked for. Play moved through both halves but neither side could find that telling pass, move or feint to reward their pressure.
Just as we reached the last quarter of the match Hawick fought their way through a series of drives and close support to break the GHA defence and score. The try was converted, and the score was now GHA 9 HAWICK 7.
The match was very finely balanced and victory would go to the side that could maintain their discipline (in what was becoming an increasingly tense match) and find a way to prise open very resolute defences. Hawick had broken the GHA resistance and the home side realised that they would have to take the game to the visitors to ward off Hawick ambitions and indeed to perhaps seek a clear gap between the sides. With a seemingly fresh resolve the home side increased the pace and with ball in hand and in close support put Hawick on to the backfoot in their own half. This time the penalty award went to GHA who, from inside the Hawick half, kicked to the corner to huge roars from the Braidholm faithful. From the line out the home side spun the ball through hands to Andrew Goudie who had worked tirelessly all afternoon to use his magic and find a way through the Hawick rearguard. This time he elected to hit a controlled kick across the field to the welcoming arms of debutant Robbie Baird who went over to score amidst huge cheers from the GHA players and incredulous looks from the shattered Hawick players. The conversion failed narrowly and the score after twenty-eight minutes of the half was now GHA 14 HAWICK 7. Hawick returned to the attack with massive effort and fought their way to the GHA five metre line. Calm solid defensive work in critical moments allowed the home side to defend with astonishing effectiveness and to blunt the drives by Hawick. With the crowd on its feet the home side were just able to hold out to win the match. The final score was GHA 14 HAWICK 7.
It had taken a piece of sublime skill from Andrew Goudie and the debutante Robbie Baird to seal victory in what had been a very physical fiercely contested match from the first whistle. The GHA squad will be pleased with a lot of what they accomplished in the game but will feel that in areas work remains to be undertaken. This was a tremendous display of courage, physicality and skill from GHA. Head Coach Calum commented that winning the match was vital and helps us to look ahead and build for the matches that remain.
HAWICK: C.WELSH O.GRAY A.MITCHELL L.ARMSTRONG C.McLEOD C.RIDDELL Z.LEWIS S.MUIR F.RENWICK N.LITTLE H.DONALDSON S.FAIRBURN C.RENWICK M.SWAILES C.SUTHERLAND C.CRALEY T.OVERSON W.DONALDSON G.WELSH B.JARDINE F.DOUGLAS E.HAMILTON
GHA: G.DRUMMOND R.NOLAN C.LONERGAN N.THOMPSON M.HUGHES A.GOUDIE E.McKIRDY L.LODGE R.CAMPBELL M.FOX A.KERR H.McKENZIE S.PLUMRIDGE D.EWING L.McCUTCHEON L.BARRON Z.BURGESS J.RENNIE R.PURVIS O.LONERGAN-BLACK B.CURTIS R.BAIRD
REFEREE: MR S 0’NEIL
ASSISTANT REFEREES: MR E MAGUIRE MR D McKERVAL
Thanks to Mr Ian Robin for provision of officials’ details.
