Gala mounted their open-topped bus to celebrate their Tennent's Velvet Cup final victory yesterday and, as they did so, there was speculation that the sponsors are not ready to drive off into the sunset as had been expected when they ended their deal to back club rugby at the beginning of the month.

However, Scottish Rugby Uunion chief executive Bill Watson denied yesterday that there was any announcement imminent about Tennents having any continued or new involvement in the sport. Attempting to explain why such rumours were circulating, he said: ''We were chatting with Tennents last week, but it was principly about preparations for yesterday's final.''

Yet he did hint at the prospect of continuing dialogue.

''Certainly there are no hard feelings. We are very grateful for the investment they have made,'' he went on. ''It is my feeling - and that is all it is - that, when a company has made the kind of level of investment in a sport that Tennents have, they would still want some involvement. We don't want to close any doors.''

Meanwhile, the open-topped bus drove around Galashiels without the man who has been the main inspiration behind Gala's success this season, player/coach Gary Parker, who was back at work as an SRU development officer, helping run the national midi-rugby finals at Edinburgh's Meadowmill.

He said yesterday: ''It was our cup final day yesterday and it's the kids' day today, but I don't mind at all missing out on the bus, because this is just as important.''

Nor, with an early drive to the capital, was he even able to fully participate in Saturday's celebrations.

''I didn't even have a drink last night, but it was fantastic,'' he said. ''In many ways, it was a strange atmosphere to be at Netherdale last night, take a step back, and consider where we were 18 months ago.

''But we've now put the difficult times, when we were struggling at the foot of the second division, behind us and won three of the four major trophies in Scottish rugby in the past year - the cup, the second division championship, and the Border League.''

That said, he was swift to try to ensure that no-one gets carried away with the success. ''Next year is about survival,'' he said.

''It's not about going up there to win things. We've got the makings of a good side, but, if we play like that every week in Premier Division 1, we'll win three games maybe.''

Parker teasingly suggested after Saturday's victory that his absence from yesterday's festivities, having built his rugby reputation with his home town club and Gala's closest rivals, Melrose, might prove popular.

''The fact that I'm not going to be on the bus might well add to the crowd all the way around Gala,'' he joked.

However, if anyone was small-minded enough to resent the presence of a man who has done so much to help the club get back to what it regards as its rightful place among Scottish rugby's elite, they probably did not deserve to be involved in those celebrations.

That was pointed out in club captain Richie Gray's assessment of the way they had dug in to claim the win.

''A year ago, the situation would have got to us and we would have blown up, but this is the maturity that we've develeoped, to be able to battle on and, in the last four or five minutes, win the game,'' he said.

''It shows the character of this side and we wouldn't have had that two or three years ago.''

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