Silly Saturday - a Melrose morning.

Today is definitely the silliest Saturday in the year in Melrose. It’s the day of the annual rugby sevens competition. The game was invented in Melrose by Ned Haig and has been played there every year since 1883, except during the two world wars. This was the view of the entrance to the ground at eight thirty this morning, before the the gates opened at ten. The first match started at eleven thirty.

The road through the town is closed at nine thirty in the morning, until ten at night and just like the local common riding festivals, the main activity seems to be the drinking of alcoholic beverages! I was working today, so give it a miss, but I was home in time to see the last few games, and to see Melrose beaten by Watsonians in the final.

The green structure in my thumbnail is the stand where the BBC commentary team are housed which today included Dougie Vipond, Doddie Weir and Scott Hastings amongst others.