Kelso 12

Musselburgh 17

MUSSELBURGH kicked off their league campaign with victory in the Borders on Saturday.

Burgh stand-off Danny Owenson kicked 12 points to guide his side to victory, despite also being shown a late yellow card.

Jonathan Crain scored the only try of the game, powering over from a maul just before the half-hour.

Owenson’s first penalty came just two minutes in but Craig Dods levelled for Kelso on quarter of an hour.

From the restart, Kelso conceded a further kickable penalty and Owenson was on target again to put the visitors back in front.

Visiting scrum-half Kyle McGhie was penalised for a deliberate knock on, and Dods landed a penalty from just inside the Burgh half to tie the scores at 6-6.

But the Honest Toun side took control of the game on 26 minutes when, after another penalty, they kicked to touch and Crain was driven over from the line-out.

Owenson missed the conversion from out wide and the game turned on its head late in the half as Dods kicked two penalties in quick succession to give Kelso a one-point half-time lead (12-11).

Early in the second half, Burgh won a penalty from a scrum and Owenson kicked them back in front.

And the stand-off landed a fourth penalty to put Burgh 12-17 ahead on the hour.

Kelso threw everything at the visitors late on, but Burgh held on despite losing star man Owenson to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on.

Musselburgh will hope for a second successive victory when they welcome Aberdeen Grammar FP to Stoneyhill on Saturday.

Musselburgh: S Thomson, R Stott, R Smith, R Watt, G Tait; D Owenson, K McGhie; R Stott, R Gregor, C Arthur, N McNairn, G McKinstry, C Pryde, J Crain, L Hutson.