WATSONIANS playmaker Mike Ker cannot wait for the Mathon Melrose Sevens tomorrow, believing it may be one of the most open events in recent years as Scottish clubs look to gain valuable points in the King of the Sevens race.
Having finished second in the overall King of the Sevens table in 2006/07 and 2007/08 behind Selkirk, Watsonians are eager to top the standings this season.
Back in the summer they secured ten points from semi-final appearances at both the Kelso a
nd Selkirk events and, with the Melrose Sevens being the first of the remaining eight tournaments, tomorrow is the start of five weekends of exciting action.
Ker, who will be competing at Melrose for the fifth time, said: "It has been a long old season in terms of the league, so those of us who enjoy sevens have been looking forward to this weekend for a while. We have had a good sevens team over the last few years and although there are a number of changes in personnel this time around we are still fully focused on winning the King of Sevens, that is our goal."
The likes of Scotland Sevens cap Andrew Skeen and South African flyer Rohan Steyl who starred last term are away from the Myreside club now, but it would seem they have adequate replacements.
Another Scotland Sevens cap, Jamie Blackwood, is back in the fold to lead from scrum-half and they have two wingers with pace to burn – Richard Minto and Tupu Saena.
While the final ten-man squad is still to be confirmed by coaches Andrew Ker and David Harris, the men in maroon and white are also likely to have two exciting teenagers involved on the big Greenyards stage. They are former Howe of Fife man Michael Fedo and George Watson's College pupil Grant Somerville.
Fedo is an all-action openside flanker in the 15-a-side game, while Somerville is a centre who scored 36 points on his debut for Watsonians' second XV just a couple of weeks ago.
Influential player Doug Brown looks set to miss out with an ankle injury, but Ker said: "We have had good numbers down at sevens training in the last couple of weeks and to find the best blend in the squad has been difficult.
"However, there is no doubt that we have some talent in our team so if we can win our first tie then who knows what might happen as the event looks pretty open."
Watsonians' first encounter tomorrow will be against the winners of the first-round clash between Gala and Peebles, while Ker cannot wait to watch Fijian hero Waisale Serevi in action for Leeds University.
"He is an absolute legend, so to be playing in the same tournament as him will be a great experience. If both teams get far enough we may even get to play against him which would be an honour."
There are three other Edinburgh clubs involved in the 20-team event and Heriot's, who won the Gala Sevens last year, will be looking for a decent run.
With the likes of Colin Goudie, Dave McCall and Jon Alston likely to feature for them, they will be out to give Selkirk a good test in what could be one of the ties of the day in the second round.
Edinburgh Accies meet Boroughmuir, who should have Scotland Sevens man Tom Bury and Angus Martyn available, in the first tie of the whole event, while Currie face Glasgow Hawks. The first tie is at 12.45pm.
The full article contains 604 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
