Any pursuers hoping that Boroughmuir's top of the ground style might be exposed as playing conditions deteriorate over the coming months look likely to be disappointed.

The Meggetland side showed on Saturday they are now equally adept up front and their pack will be a match for anyone, regardless of conditions.

That said, it was a second successive close shave for the runaway leaders and, as Dave Wilson, the Hawks coach, said, had his players performed with such commitment throughout the campaign, they would not currently be languishing in the lower half of the table. "I'm hoping the players can take confidence from the fact they have run the league leaders as close as that," he said.

In the home camp, it is difficult for coach Eamon John to find new ways of insisting his players are taking nothing for granted in their quest for the silverware. "As every week goes by a so called prize gets closer. We are trying to keep it out but it is very difficult", he said.

"There are lots of people now talking about it and the challenge for us now is to keep it honest in the changing room and make sure we focus on a week to week basis."

He also knows Boroughmuir will face sides motivated to be the one that can inflict the first defeat. That was clearly the mindset of a Hawks side intent on avenging a two-point defeat earlier in the season.

Wilson's side took the lead in the first minute when Ruaridh Jackson kicked a penalty. But the first evidence of the power in the Boroughmuir pack came in 15 minutes when a driven lineout carried play into the Hawks 22 where Ben Fisher offloaded to stand-off Matt Cannon and the England sevens international raced in for his first try for Boroughmuir.

Hawks struck back when Jackson, with Rory Kerr on his outside, chose to chip ahead rather than keep the ball in hand and Kerr latched on to the intelligent kick to grab a score, which Jackson converted.

By half time, the hosts had trimmed the deficit to two points, with Elgan O'Donnell landing a penalty for an offence that earned Ally Dale, the Hawks lock, a yellow card.

Boroughmuir took advantage within two minutes of the restart, and again it was a forwards' effort. Fisher bulldozed over from close in but he was adjudged to have been held up. From the scrum, Fisher popped the ball to Angus Martyn, who made no mistake and left O'Donnell to create a five-point cushion for the home side.

Jackson reduced the leeway with a penalty after Boroughmuir prop Cam Ward offended at the breakdown and was despatched for 10 minutes. But where the hosts had capitalised on their numerical advantage, Hawks fell further behind.

This time the try was of the traditional Boroughmuir variety, Cannon igniting a break inside his own half and freeing Andy Hadden, who in turn launched Stephen Ruddick and he offloaded to Martyn for a fine try that took the flanker's tally to 12 for the season.

Hawks battled back once more and again it was Jackson who created the gap for Kerr to sprint down the right flank and touch down for a second time. The conversion attempt was off the mark, leaving Hawks two points adrift and ruing their profligacy.