London Scottish were crowned champions of the 2019 Aberdeen Standard Investments Melrose 7s, beating a spirited Edinburgh Accies 29-12 in the final.

Veteran Scotland 7s star Scott Riddell was among their side, and he was delighted to have got his hands on the Ladies Cup. He said: “I’m a bit emotional. I’ve played a number of times here and never won it – I’ll always remember it today.

“I love the sport, I love it at Melrose. It’s the most famous tournament in the world and to come and win it today is something really special.”



The Exiles, led by Fraser Lyle, opened their account with a 36-0 thrashing of Heriot’s in round two.

They then saw off Stellenbosch with an impressive display that saw them run out 31-19 winners, before another big win, over a Jed-Forest side that had looked good in their previous outings, to secure a place in the final.

In the other half of the draw, Edinburgh Accies came through an opening round tie against Ayr in style, winning 40-0 against a largely under-strength Ayr side.

They then fought off Durham University in the second round, before beating hosts Melrose in the quarter-finals.

Another closely-fought encounter followed in the last four, but Accies came out on top 19-12 against the British Army to secure their final berth.

The match for the Ladies Cup itself saw London Scottish fly out of the blocks, before Accies came back early in the second half. The Exiles, though, sealed the title with a couple of scores late on.

Graham Bonnar, Edinburgh Accies coach, was philosophical when he spoke to SCRUM post-match. He said: “It’s been a fantastic day for us, one of these days we might go a bit further and actually win the trophy, but that’s two finals in five years for us, which is really pleasing.

“I think the final came down to us having played a preliminary tie and we had a lot of tired bodies in the squad. Playing five matches of that high standard in one afternoon is a very big ask and we had a short turn around before the final, but I’m proud of how the players battled until the final whistle.

“We had a few injuries in the final and that semi-final against the British Army hampered us in terms of performance in the final, but I feel we performed extremely well all day.”

He also praised London Scottish for their win, adding: “Take nothing away from London Scottish, they deserved the victory and their professional players showed both their calibre and ability throughout the afternoon.

“Beating the hosts Melrose gave us the belief that we could go far in the competition and the players can be very proud of their efforts. It’s a wonderful place to play rugby and an atmosphere to match, so I’m glad we gave such a good account of ourselves.”

SCRUM’s coverage of the 2019 Aberdeen Standard Investments Melrose 7s is brought to you by Carlisle Racecourse.

Image caption: Fraser Lyle lifts the Ladies Trophy for London Scottish. Credit: Fotosport/David Gibson