Ayr 49 Birmingham and Solihull Bees 14

Most of those who were watching the match at Millbrae on Saturday were still stunned by the cruel and controversial defeat in Cardiff which ended minutes before Ayr kicked off. What they witnessed over the next forty minutes might just have cheered them up a wee bit . The first half against Rotherham may have been the best coach Kenny Murray felt the side had played during his tenure but this came very very close

The Millbrae men clinched their second win from three starts in the British and Irish Cup in style starting in only two minutes with the first of Frazier Climo's three penalties (and five conversions since you ask) and when Gordon Reid went rollicking in two minutes later, fellow prop Stuart Fenwick having been in on the act, things looked good for the home side.

They looked even better when Paul Burke exploded into a beautifully crafted move to score number two from thirty yards out and the visitors body language told its own story. Burke added his second then AJ MacFarlane was in support of Jamie Hunter's sixty yard burst to clinch the bonus before half time.

The Ayr pack, with all four forwards who had turned out in the club international side which beat the French, were enjoying themselves hugely and had blown the opposition well away by the time Climo went on a solo mazy to score from sixty yards out ten minutes into the second half and although guest lock Rory McKay got their sixth touchdown, the use of all seven replacements inevitably meant that some momentum was lost.

All credit to B and S, sparked by their lively half backs Sam Brown and Tom Foden, they grabbed two late scores from Foden and Anthony Elliot but it was a forlorn gesture against a side who were on rampaging form.

With Mark Stewart still unavailable, Jamie Hunter took over the No10 jersey with Frazier Climo moving to center and Hunter showed just what a talent he is by giving an impeccable performance and his scorching run to set up MacFarlane's try was the icing on the cake. AJ MacFarlane picked up the Pinewood Restaurant man of the match as he eased Hunter into his unfamiliar role, the visitors had no answer to the midfield wiles of Climo and Ross Curle but as ever, it was the pack who provided the platform. Birmingham and Solihull may not have been the strongest side Ayr will meet in the competition but they had some very useful citizens in No8 Ross Noonan, lock Gerry Hill and prop Mauro Sperdandio but they were no match as the Ayr forwards set about them with relish.

Four of the six tries went to the men up front with Gordon Reid's strike taking the big fellow into joint third spot in the B & I Cup try scorers and Paul Burke's first score had the coaches purring as is always the case when a move straight from the training paddock comes off. Andy Dunlop and Glen Tippet ravaged the fringes , Damien Kelly and Scott Sutherland provided the momentum with Pat MacArthur and Stuart Fenwick, as he did in the lead up to Reid's try, having big carries.

After three rounds, this starts to look as though Ayr could do some real damage in this competition, apart from the fact that they are the only one of the three Scottish sides involved to have notched up any success, both Heriots and Gael Force having again lost at the weekend. Doncaster Knights and Rotherham Titans lead Ayr's Pool with ten points, Ayr and Cardiff are on their tails with nine points while Pontypridd have only one bonus point to their name and Birmingham and Solihull have yet to trouble the scorer.

As well as Gordon Reid featuring in the try scoring stakes, Frazier Climo leads the competitions points scoring list, his forty two points eleven ahead of joint second placed Daniel Newton of Llanelli and Ali Warnock of Doncaster.

Ayr's next match in the B & I Cup is in a fortnight at Millbrae against Pontypridd who went down 33-22 against Rotherham at the weekend and if Ayr can pull this one off, a possible decider awaits when they travel to Cardiff on March 3rd.

Before that though there is the no small matter of Scottish Hydro Electric Premier 1 business at on Saturday at Millbrae when West are the visitors(ko 3pm). The Burnbrae men have hit a run of form with consecutive home wins over Selkirk then Melrose last Saturday and the 34-26 win Ayr registered at Burnbrae only came after West had pulled them back to 28-26 before Andy Wilson's try eased Ayr to victory so this one will be a tough outing for Skippy's stormers.

Finally mention has to be made of everyone at Millbrae who worked out of their skins to ensure that Saturdays match went ahead. Even on Thursday night it looked dubious and those who turn up to watch owe a lot to the guys who did everything possible to get the B & I Cup match on.

Team

D. Steele; A WIlson, R Curle, F Climo, J McClung; J Hunter, AJ MacFarlane; G Reid, P MacArthur, S Fenwick, S Sutherland, D Kelly, A Dunlop, P Burke, G Tippett Subs E Kalman, S Adair, G Sykes, R MacKay, J Crossan, C Taylor, S Manning