A SCOTS veteran has been inducted into his rugby club’s hall of fame after attending his 80th annual sevens festival.
Jack Dun first attended the world-famous Melrose Sevens aged just eight-years-old when his mum brought him along to sit and watch from the Weirhill in 1934.
The 96-year-old played in the tournament for a number of years as well as racking up an impressive 176 appearances for the Melrose first team.
Jack, from Melrose, Scottish Borders, was President of the Melrose Rugby Club in 1983, a year which marked the centenary of the sevens tournament.
Jack has attended an incredible 80 events from a possible 82 with his only absences coming in 1947 and 1948 whilst he was in India serving with the British Army.
He believes that the best player he ever saw to grace The Greenyards turf was Eddie Oxley, a man Jack believes should’ve been the first black player to represent Scotland.
Former Scotland and British & Irish Lion player, John Jeffrey, presented Jack with his cap during the presentation.
Speaking today Jack said: “It came as a total shock to be inducted into the hall of fame, but a surprise I am absolutely thrilled about.
“Melrose Sevens has played such an important role in my life and is the bedrock of bringing the local community together.
“I am extremely grateful for this tremendous honour the rugby club has bestowed on me.
“The greatest player I recall was the magnificent Eddie Oxley. He should have been the first black player to be capped by Scotland, but society at the time prevented this from happening.
“He was terrific, and a natural leader. He played when I was a young boy and seeing him on the pitch certainly inspired me to get involved in the sport.
“One of the best players I’ve had the privilege of seeing.”
The Melrose Sevens tournament is the oldest sevens tournament in the world dating back to 1883.
The 139th festival was celebrated earlier this month (7-10 APR) which saw the British Army defeat Samurai 26-14.
