The weather claimed all but one of the Scottish Hydro Premier 1 matches on Saturday including Ayr's clash with Hawks at Old Anniesland but the game which went ahead did impact on the Millbrae men.

At the Greenyards, Melrose were held to a 14-14 draw by Selkirk thanks to Scott Hendrie's injury time penalty from inside his own half. That has to be considered two points dropped by Craig Chalmers troops and takes them further back in third place in their challenge for the Premier 1 title. They now trail Ayr by four points and Currie by nine with Ayr having two games in hand and Currie one.

While not quite making it a two horse race for the title going into 2010, it only needs for Ayr and Currie to maintain their winning form for the Premier 1 crown to go either to Malleny or stay at Millbrae but with Ayr having to travel to the Greenyards in the new year as well as take on Currie on their own patch, some mouth watering contests are still to come.

Ayr did claim some of the headlines at the weekend however when it was revealed that Scotland coach Andy Robinson sees Ayr's No10 Frazier Climo as a potential for the international squad. His exploits have obviously been noted and Scotland attack coach Gregor Townsend was at Millbrae last week, presumably to run the rule over Ruraidh Jackson and Alex Blair but in that game he would have seen Climo score a brilliant individual try made all the more remarkable since he made his blistering seventy five meter run on a knackered ankle.

Climo himself was 'over the moon' at the news because, although a proud Kiwi, the recognition which could come his way is testament to the quality of a player who last season put over three hundred points on the board for Ayr and is well on the way to a similar total again. The Scotland coach pointed out that under the IRB residential ruling Climo could eventually qualify for Scotland and although that is a bit away at the moment, it would not be a move which anyone at any club in Premier 1 who has seen him in action could argue with.

Two cases come to mind as contrasts in these circumstances-Brendan Laney whose parachuting into the Scottish scene and immediate elevation to international status was one of the clumsiest moves made by the SRU in recent years and caused enormous resentment, sadly in many ways since 'Chainsaw' was a great talent and a hugely personable man. The other instance is much more akin to that of Climo when Calvin Howarth paid his dues to the club game with Boroughmuir and, when he eventually made the move up, it was welcomed in every quarter.

Time will tell whether the twenty two year old Climo does make the move up but the fact hat he has attracted the interest of the Scotland coach indicates that Robinson is prepared to look at all his options and has an eye on the club game, something which could not always be said of some of his predecessors.

So we reach the end of a momentous year for rugby at Ayr and next week it will be a pleasure, no, an indulgence even, to look back at the last twelve months and recall the glories of 2009 but for now your correspondent would like to wish all those who read his scribblings, be they rugby followers, players, officials or simply sports nuts, a very happy Christmas.