Weekend Preview

It is a busy old weekend with three out-of-four senior teams in action. Tomorrow the Club XV head to Inverness to face Highland whilst the Bulls travel to Myreside for a friendly with Watsonians. On Sunday The capital-outfit's female side head down to Millbrae to face Ayr Ladies.

Stuart Fenwick has re-vamped his side for the journey north, with man-on-form Johnny Mccorkindale leading the side in the absence of Gregory Henry.

 

Mccorkindale, who is the club's top try-scorer this season, moves to 13 with Harry Lynch missing out through injury. Camie Black covers full-back.

 

On the wing Chris Easton earns his first start for the club XV.

 

In the pack Stuart Collier comes off the bench to start at Hooker, with Scott Clelland shifted to seven for the injured Henry.

 

Josh Lawton is in at six for his first start in pink and black.

 

A 'compressed' bench is made up of Ben Cree, Fraser Miller and Jack Rennie, who will make his debut if used.

 

The action will be live streamed on YouTube for anyone who cant make the trip: Click HERE for coverage.

The Ayrshire Bulls will get their last taste of pre-season action tomorrow when they travel east to Watsonians. The game will be Peter Murchie's last chance to see his squad out on the field before the big game against Heriots in nine days time.

The game kicks-off at 16.00 and you can follow the action every step of the way on our new Twitter @AyrshireBulls.


U16s welcome Swedish Counterparts

Tomorrow Ayr/ Wellington U16s welcome a 56-strong touring party from Erikslunds Rugby Club in Stockholm, Sweden.  The 28 players and 28 Coaches/parents arrive in Ayr on Wednesday and will be staying with us till Sunday 3rd.

Wednesday evening the Swedes will play in a quick-fire round-robin tournament including teams from Ardrossan and Marr, kicking-off at Millbrae from 18.30 with after-match food being served from 20:30.

On Thursday our visitors will attend an Ayr Rugby Senior Academy session held by Development Officer and Ayrshire Bull Frazier Climo. They will also watch the Ayrshire Bulls training session, as Head Coach Pete Murchie gets his men ready for their pre-season match against Watsonians on Saturday.

Friday the teams will be off cheering on the Glasgow Warriors when they face Southern Knights at Scotstoun.

On Saturday morning they will be at the Vics and the Vine in Prestwick to watch the Rugby World Cup Final and get a spot of breakfast. They will be at Millbrae for dinner Saturday night with live music and entertainment.

The tour will wrap up on the Sunday with the Swedes facing a combined U15 & U16 team ahead of their league match against Hamilton.

Ayr/ Wellington U16s have expressed how lucky they are to be hosting a top team from Sweden and hope that this will be the start of a great friendship and regular event.

 

Please when you can join the two squads and give them an Ayrshire welcome!

Website: www.svenskalag.se/ekf-rugby


Ayr unveil New Online Shop

Ayr Rugby are delighted to launch our new, mobile-friendly, online shop at www.ayrrugbyclub.co.uk.

 

The online shop will stock all of your favourite Ayr RFC and Ayrshire Bulls' merchandise, alongside event tickets, pre-match lunches and bespoke gifts.

You will also be able to get your hands on replica jerseys for both Ayr and the Bulls.

Ayr Rugby have been working closely alongside sponsors' Launch Scotland to develop a user-friendly experience that extends our commercial arm.

 

The traditional method of buying from the rugby club on Thursday nights between 18.30-19.30 will remain, but this new platform allows us to reach far and wide and be in keeping with the modern world.

 

Check out what we have on sale below:


Fenwick takes positives from 'Derby Day' Defeat

Yesterday afternoon Marr Rugby left Millbrae with a rare victory, toppling defending champions Ayr 26-45 in the first round of the Scottish Cup.

Despite Cup exit, Stuart Fenwick couldn't have been prouder of his men come final whistle: "In terms of what we have asked the boys to do, get better week-on-week, we were delighted with how they performed today. You are never happy losing a game, but the boy's attitude and fight was fantastic.

 

"They showed character to play for the eighty minutes. At a few stages they could have rolled over but they kept battlin' and battlin'. That shows with them nabbing two late tries to finish".

 

The head coach also saw the benefit in the boys testing themselves against Premiership opposition: "This match allowed us to benchmark ourselves against the in-form side in Scottish Rugby.

"This squad gave a fantastic account of themselves".

 

It was a dream start for Ayr, ripping up the script to score within the first 90 seconds. Jamie Bova had the initial break before sharp hands found Johnny Mccorkindale, who dived over unchallenged.

 

The visitors got to grips with proceedings from then on, scoring a handful to make it 7-26 at the half.

 

Unperturbed, Ayr started the second half with a new lease of life and threw their own weight around. After a steady period of pressure they were rewarded with a try to show for it. Morgan Leatherbarrow's name was belted through the tannoy as scorer but on later reflection it was revealed hooker Scott Clelland was the man who burrowed over. Bova's conversion made it 14-26 approaching the hour mark - a scoreline Craig Redpath wouldn't have expected.

As the game marched on the visitors began to flex their muscles and assert themselves. A Robert Brown try was followed by a quick brace from captain Conor Bickerstaff and all of a sudden Marr had their healthy lead.

 

Heads could have dropped, but Ayr gritted their teeth and kept battling for every yard. As the game marched towards its' conclusion Stuart Fenwick's men mustered up two scores to sign off the derby on a positive note.

James Baird ran in the first, working well off the tail of a line-out to cut through purple bodies and dive over.

The final act came from Johnny McCorkindale, who added a touch of class to bag his second. The full-back chipped over the Marr line before hacking on and winning the footrace to score.

Full-time: Ayr RFC 26-45 Marr Rugby.

Captain Gregor Henry led his side with distinction before a knock ended his afternoon prematurely. The back-row went toe-to-toe with his Troon counterparts to be named Slaters Menswear Man of the Match.

 

Photos - George McMillan


Ayr Ready for Marr Muscle

It's 'Derby Day' tomorrow at Millbrae when Ayr welcome neighbours Marr in the Scottish Cup.

The two sides have a well-documented past and always put on a showcase of local talent when they come to blows.

The Troon men are high-flying in this year's Tennent's Premiership and are currently the top team in Scottish Club rugby. Ayr, who have a youthful side, are resigned to National 1 due to the Super6 but remain undefeated in front of the Millbrae faithful.

With a healthy contingent of Ayr youth system graduates playing in both pink and purple tomorrow, it promises to be a great exhibition of home-grown produce.

Head Coach Stuart Fenwick is looking forward to the challenge: "Cup rugby is a great opportunity to benchmark ourselves against the in-form side at the minute.

 

"Last weekend eighteen of our twenty players played youth rugby at Ayr and it will be similar numbers tomorrow.

 

"There is no pressure on us. We have just got to go out there and make everything a contest".

The backline remains relatively untouched, with Harry Lynch the only change. The hard-running centre pushes James Baird to the wing, with Camie Black dropped to the bench.

In the pack Scott Clelland moves to two, with Gregor Lynch coming on at loose-head. An injury to Mr. Consistent Euan Hamilton means he misses out, so Seth Rae moves from eight to the engine room.

Morgan Leatherbarrow takes the number eight jersey with Kerr Borland coming in at six.

Club Captain Gregor Henry returns from injury as a straight swap for Cameron Young.

On the bench Declan Bryce returns and Olli Ranasen is in line for his 1st XV debut.

The game kicks-off at 15.00 and you can follow the action every step of the way on Twitter @OfficialAyrRFC.


Ayr overcome Cartha Muscle

Today Ayr managed to weather a Cartha onslaught at scrum time to battle their way to victory.

 

Despite trailing early on Ayr showed great composure to retain their lead once stolen, and see out a 10-21 win.

It was a draw last week and defeat seven days before that, so head coach Stuart Fenwick was delighted to see his men get over the line this afternoon: "It is really good to get back to winning ways. Although we drew last week we also played some of our best rugby, so it was great to see out this game which was nip-and-tuck at half-time.

 

"Cartha made it really difficult for us around the set-piece. We didn't want to get sucked into that physical contest, so we managed to move their big boys around the park and get advantages from that later in the game".

 

The hosts got a grip on proceedings early on with solid scrum-work converting into territory. After 17 minutes they reaped their reward, barrelling over from close range.

Ayr were unperturbed and managed to put their stamp on proceedings shortly after. The ball was worked wide to Camie Black who pranced around his man and towards the line. Brought down short, Ayr quickly recycled to find the charging Seth Rae who dove over.

The lead was stretched soon after, with Jamie Bova converting a penalty into three points.

 

Cartha continued to strangle the pack at scrum-time, but when the ball was on the loose Ayr's backs made them pay. The last act of the half was a quick tap, which gifted winger Zac Howard a run-in catching the hosts' napping.

 

Half-time: Cartha Queens Park 5-15 Ayr RFC.

 

You could argue a ten-point lead at the break flattered the visitors, and soon after the restart, Cartha narrowed the margin. With Scott Clelland in the bin for repeat infringements, the hosts powered over, but couldn't add the extras.

 

All that was left was for Bova to see out the contest with two penalty kicks, one on the hour mark and another on the final whistle for good measure.

Full Time: Cartha Queens Park 10-21 Ayr RFC.

 

Zac Howard, whose running game was a constant threat throughout, was named Slaters Menswear Man of the Match.


McCorkindale to lead side into Cartha Clash

Tomorrow Ayr make the short trip up the M77 to face Cartha Queens Park at Dumbrek.

 

A journey that should take around the same time as a half of rugby, it is Ayr's closest opposition in the Tennent's National 1.

Stuart Fenwick has had a crop of local players to select from all season and has named a 20-man squad consisting of 17 former Ayr youth system players - a club record awaiting confirmation.

 

The success of the youth system has been the backbone of the club for many years and the current 1st XV is a showcase of the end product. Thirteen of the seventeen youth players have graduated from U18s rugby in the last three years.

 

Stuart Fenwick is proud of that achievement, and credits the hard work put in over the years from coaches and volunteers: "It is incredibly pleasing. We knew this season would be a testament to our youth and local players, and that is just how it is panning out.

 

"This is a team built through years of dedication from coaches and parents, and a team Ayr can be proud of".

 

In the pack Kerr Borland moves from back row to front, replacing hooker Dave Young who is out. Morgan Leatherbarrow comes in at six and Cameron Young replaces skipper Gregor Henry - it will be Young's debut for the 1st XV.

In the absence of Henry, Johnny Mccorkindale gets the nod to lead the side. The prolific scorer has been a constant for Fenwick's men all season and will captain his peers for the first time tomorrow. He is another product of the Ayr Rugby Academy system.

James Baird comes in at 13 for Harry Lynch and Camie Black moves to wing in replace of James Armstrong. Matt Donaldson is at nine.

On the bench Stuart Collier returns having served his suspension. Gregor Lynch and Zander Howie are also in the mix, after featuring for the 2XV last week.

The game kicks-off at 15.00 and you can follow the action every step of the way on Twitter @OfficialAyrRFC.

 

Ayr/ Millbrae are also in action tomorrow at Dumbreck, the team is still TBC.


TCS Construct further Relationship with Ayr Rugby

Ayrshire-based firm TCS Construction Consultants have become a key sponsor of the Ayrshire Bulls and will feature on the jersey’s right sleeve. Senior partner Martin Muir joined their player sponsor Isaac McNulty at Millbrae last week to launch the sponsorship.

TCS’s mission is to deliver outstanding quantity surveying, project management and CDM consultancy services to the construction sector, consistently adding value to their client’s assets and businesses.

 

Muir was delighted to further his support with Ayr Rugby, stating: “We’ve been involved with the club for several years and the debut of the new Ayrshire Bulls team was something that we were keen to support”.

 

“We are an Ayrshire based company and the Bulls will be representing our area on a national stage. This is also a great opportunity to inspire youngsters in the area: Ayr Rugby provides significant community work and we take pride in supporting that.

 

“The club values of Respect, Enjoyment, Achievement and Lifestyle are important to us as a company and we look forward to working with Ayr this season”.

Ayr Rugby C.O.O Glen Tippett mirrored Muir’s enthusiasm and is delighted to see TCS come on board with the Bulls: “Having a company of TCS Construction Consultant’s stature involved is fantastic, they share our club vision, mission and values.

 

“The Fosroc Super6 season is providing a fantastic new spotlight for our club and having the support of TCS is greatly appreciated”.


Even Share of the Spoils when Ayr met Stirling

Going into the fixture it was billed as a close call, with both sides tied on 16 points in the league, so it should be no surprise that it played out to be a stalemate.

 

An emphatic opening forty for Ayr was followed by a terrific second forty for Stirling, with the match leveling out at 26 points a-piece.

Despite Ayr bagging the bonus point early in the second half, assistant coach Robbie Fergusson feels that it was a case of two points lost instead of three points gained: "At the end of the day our penalty count in the second half put us to bed. We spoke about that after last week, about discipline in the second half. They take their toll when you are up against a big pack.

 

"There are positives to take from this, especially our first half. We were in a good place at 26-7 up, but Stirling came back and we were lucky to squeak through in the end".

 

The result means Ayr retain the Cairdias Quiach, a trophy yet to grasp County hands since its' inception in 2014. It also keeps the Club XV's 100% home record intact, but the visitors will leave as equally disappointed not to have full servings. It could have been different reading, had their ten slotted a penalty attempt in the 80th minute, but it slipped wide to conclude the fixture.

In what was a frantic opening to the game Stirling scored before their lead was denied by Ross Mccorkindale who managed to ride a high tackle and slip-free to canter in.

 

Zac Howard bagged the second to add to the lead. The winger came off his sideline to catch an inside ball and shoot through contact. With gas to burn he torched the flailing tackler to dive clear.

 

On the stroke of half-time James Armstrong got the third. The thunderous runner was at the heart of Ayr's go-forward throughout the contest and was awarded a score when he powered over from close range.

Kicker Jamie Bova slotted all three to make it 21-7 at the break.

 

The interval didn't seem to cool off Ayr's red-hot backs, and soon Zac Howard ran in for his second. Matt Donaldson done well to prance through the line in open play, before the ball was shipped wide to the open Howard.

Ayr's scores dried up from there. Two Wolves tries in quick succession all of a sudden made it a tight affair. On 65 minutes the ref awarded a penalty try from a scrum which drove Ayr over their line, to chalk up the game.

The final 15 minutes played out well for the visitors, but they couldn't put a brave Ayr team to the sword. Two try-saving tackles, the first by Bova and the second Donaldson, inevitably kept the hosts alive.

Full-time: Ayr RFC 26-26 Stirling Wolves.

Ross Mccorkindale, whos x-factor generated much of what was great for Ayr, was named Slaters Menswear Man of the Match.


Cross Border Fixtures Confirmed

Scottish Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union have announced the cross-border fixtures for 2020, with the Ayrshire Bulls traveling to Pontypridd on opening weekend.

After the inaugural Fosroc Super6 season ends, the six sides will go toe-to-toe with Indigo Group Premiership sides Merthyr, Cardiff, Pontypridd, Llandovery, Ebbw Vale and Aberavon. The cross-border tournament commences on April 25th and ends on May 30th.

 

The 2020 schedule is as follows:

 

Week 1 - April 25th: Pontypridd v Ayrshire Bulls

 

Week 2 - May 2nd: Ayrshire Bulls v Llandovery

 

Week 3 - May 9th: Ebbw Vale v Ayrshire Bulls

 

Week 4 - May 16th: Cardiff v Ayrshire Bulls

 

Week 5 - May 23rd: Ayrshire Bulls v Merthyr

 

Week 6 - May 30th: Ayrshire Bulls v Aberathon