Callum Kerr

This afternoon Ayr rallied back from a half-time deficit to snatch a late victory over Highland at Millbrae. Despite the 3-14 disadvantage at the break, Ayr held their visitors scoreless in the second forty and conjured a handful of tries to inch a victory.

It was low temperatures with glimmering sunshine at Millbrae, creating crisp but ideal conditions for kick-off.

Ayr started off lively and controlled the early exchanges. A held-up try within the opening minutes was the closest they got to a score, but a penalty shortly after from Jamie Bova put them ahead.

Highland responded excellently and after regathering possession from the restart manged to break free. A marauding run from Magnus Holden propelled him up the touchline, evading a couple of tackles before dotting down. Scott Fraser made it a 3-7 lead to the visitors after 30 minutes.

Another score from Highland followed. This time they opted from route one and broke through the middle of the park. Ayr did well to rally but a well-timed pass to the supporting Hugo Crush was enough to make it to the line. Scott Fraser converted once more.

Half-time: Ayr RFC 3-14 Highland RFC

Ayr needed a resurgence and whatever words Stuart Fenwick shared at half time seemed to do the trick. A revived home side sprung into life at the restart and a quick score from Jamie Bova thrusted them back into contention. His conversion was followed by a penalty moments later and all of a sudden a single point was the difference between the sides.

The decisive play came with just minutes left on the clock. Highland looked dangerous but after a handful of failed attempts to kill the game Ayr broke from their own half. A string of well-timed passes managed to work the ball around defenders before Scott Watson found himself striding clear with nobody to beat. The conversion didn’t land but the difference was enough to secure Ayr a late victory.

Full-time: Ayr RFC 18-14 Highland RFC

It wasn’t plain sailing for Ayr but despite being under the cosh for much of the match Ross McCorkindale marshalled his squad around the field expertly and his tactical kicking kept Highland out when it mattered most. His performance earned him Press Player of the Match honours.

Stuart Fenwick’s men cruised to their ninth win in ten matches this afternoon at Millbrae with a 45-19 victory over league rivals Gala Rugby. With only two points separating the pair on the table many would have expected a tighter encounter, but a 26-0 run to start the match put Ayr in a favourable position early on.

Ayr have been in blistering form of late and started proceedings with confidence. Clearly willing to throw it wide, a handful of effective carries from full-back Scott Watson kept Gala guessing. Just ten minutes into the contest they were rewarded with their first score. Winger John Fulton swapped flanks to provide a man advantage and fed his counterpart Harry Lynch in the corner.

If their swashbuckling style of attack was spoiling the fans too much, they showed they were equally effective up front shortly after. A twelve-minute hat-trick for Stuart Collier all came from commanding rolling mauls. A smattering of Jamie Bova conversions made the 26-0 run in just over half an hour.

Despite the deficit and a yellow card, Gala began to rally back and enjoyed the bulk of territory in the final ten minutes of the half. A penalty on the stroke of 40 minutes gave them an opportunity to open their account from the kicking tee, but Harris Rutherford couldn’t connect.

Half-time: Ayr 26-0 Gala Rugby

The break came as a blessing to Gala, who came out a new team in the second half. An energetic start was rewarded when James Glendinning cut through the line unchallenged. With Watson covering wide there was no one home to stop the charging number eight. Harris Rutherford added the extras.

Despite their improvements Gala still didn’t have an answer for the rolling maul, and shortly after their score Stuart Collier burrowed over for number four.

Gala’s hooker Jack Easson responded in similar fashion with a rolling maul score of his own, but found himself in hot water moments later. With Collier back in his notorious position at the back of the maul, marching towards the line, Easson illegally infringed halting Collier of his fifth but gifting Ayr a penalty try. It also resulted in him picking up a second yellow and inevitable red. He’d spend the rest of the match watching from the side lines with his team a man down.

Despite the man advantage Gala were playing with confidence and managed another score shortly after. A looping pass from Harris Rutherford looked to land dead but Callum Pate was able to leap through the air and collect the ball before landing on the line. A missed conversion made the score 38-19.

With the clock dwindling away Ayr pulled out one last score for good measure. A trademark dummy and break from Scott Watson put Gala on the back foot. Watson managed to draw the final defender before shipping the ball off to Ross McCorkindale to finish the move. Bova made no mistake in front of the posts.

Full-time: Ayr RFC 45-19 Gala Rugby

With four tries which – dare we say it – could have been more, Stuart Collier was the unanimous vote for Player of the Match.

Callum Kerr @ Millbrae

Ayr RFC defended Millbrae in heroic fashion this afternoon, downing old foes Melrose 35-31 in front of a rocking Millbrae. It’s the club’s annual ladies day and the electricity shooting round the marquee was soon replicated on the pitch, with both sides going hell for leather to provide a thrilling encounter.

It’s an old folk’s tale around Millbrae that the sun always shines on Ladies Day, and the conditions at kick-off were immaculate.

Ayr wasted no time in getting themselves in front. After four minutes Ruairidh Anderson worked his way through for an opening score, closely followed by a Jamie Bova conversion.

For as quick as the Ayr score, Melrose answered back even quicker. A failure to secure the kick off gifted the visitors field position and Bruce Colvine made them pay. The conversion squared it all up after seven minutes.

After a slower pace ensued both sides exchanged penalties to keep the score level.

As the game marched the half hour point Melrose pulled into the lead for the first time. A line break was brought down magically from a last-gasp Harry Lynch tackle, but the damage was already done. A glaring overlap for Melrose made it all too easy, and Struan Huchinson strode free unchallenged.

Ayr heads didn’t drop and soon after they earned a penalty and chance to narrow the gap by three. Bova made no mistake.

Three minutes before the break Melrose were dealt a blow when their openside flanker made contact to the head during an attempted clear-out. The punishment was a red card which would see the visitors down a man for the rest of proceedings.

The final act of the half came from Harry Lynch. The winger received the ball out wide shortly after the card and did well to power through contact and dive over.

Half-time: Ayr 1^XV 18-17 Melrose 1XV

Melrose struck first after the break, but a quick penalty for Ayr shortly after trimmed their lead to three.

A yellow for Melrose didn’t discourage them, and soon they were in again. An interception sparked a stampeding counter ending with Struan Hutchinson diving clear. His conversion made it a ten-point game with less than twenty left on the clock.

Melrose were cruising but once again indiscipline plagued them. As their yellow card returned another meant they would end the game on 13 men.

Ayr now had momentum and a try for Stuart Collier was quickly followed by a decisive blow for Harry Lynch. The later score put Ayr into the lead with just minutes left to defend.

Full-time: Ayr RFC 35-31 Melrose RFC.

For a brace of tries, including the dagger, Harry Lynch was named Player of the Match.

Callum Kerr @ Bridgehaugh

Ayr came out victors in this afternoon’s first match at Bridgehaugh. It was fine margins between the sides – with the lead changing hands numerous times – but in the end Ayr pulled away and defended their lead tightly en route to a 10-18 win.

Ayr came into the match following a disappointing defeat to Highland and were eager to start with intent. From the off they made good in-roads to the Stirling half and were rewarded with an easy three points through an infringement at the ruck. Jamie Bova didn’t need to be asked twice to split the uprights.

Ayr remained lively but a barrage of errors on both sides resulted in a lack of momentum. After a forgetful opening twenty minutes County’s Jonny Hope chalked it all up with a penalty of his own.

Eventually Ayr manged to turn their control into more points. From a rolling maul Stuart Collier burrowed his way over to make the lead five. Jamie Bova’s conversion didn’t stick.

One last charge before the break looked promising for Ayr, but Stirling did well to usher them into touch inches short.

Half-time: Stirling County 3-8 Ayr Rugby

Stirling came alive after the interval. A line-break at halfway thrusted them up the field before the supporting Andrew Rutherford found himself cantering over unchallenged. Jonny Hope’s successful conversion put them ahead.

The lead was short-lived, and moments later Jamie Bova inched Ayr back in front with a routine penalty in the shadow of the posts.

Showing no sign of slowing, Ayr added to their lead moments later with another score. Jamie Bova split the uprights to make it an eight-point lead.

County mounted a late charge as the match ticked on but couldn’t shift a stubborn Ayr defence.

FULL-TIME: Stirling County 10-18 Ayr Rugby

It was victory too for Ayr/Millbrae, beating their county equivalents 10-18. Zac Howard was named Man of the match on his return to the side.

Callum Kerr @ Millbrae

Ayr 1XV left arguably their best performance of the season to their last home game with an emphatic 64-7 victory over Cartha Queens Park this evening at Millbrae. The last of the daylight dwindled away shortly after kick-off setting up a dramatic scene under the lights in Alloway. Stuart Fenwick’s men rose to the occasion, delivering on much of the promise that’s shimmered in spells throughout their campaign.

(Image – George McMillan)

It comes on the back of a 39-14 win over Melrose on Saturday, with the boys now seemingly hitting their stride at the business-end of the year. It’s too late in the day to challenge, but recent form indicates that their potent mix of youth alongside a few Millbrae veterans bodes well for next season.

At final whistle Stuart Fenwick was full of praise for a clinical performance with ball in hand: “I think attacking-wise you could say that was our best performance of the season. Certainly one of the best. We spoke at length about how we needed to back up the Melrose performance. We came out excited and did a bit of damage in those first ten minutes”.

It’s a score line that Cartha will want to forget, but it doesn’t highlight the full story. Despite early set-back the visitors held in there and made a game of it. A try late in the fixture gave them minimal consolation, but with three previous scores held up over the line it could have been a different match. Fenwick continued: “Fair play to Cartha. They refused to go away. The first half an hour was fairly even. We just had the advantage on the board from the early blitz.

“They had another good patch after half time but we weathered that pretty well and clinical finishing let us pull further away on the little ball we had. Our tempo didn’t drop all game even when we flooded the bench and got everyone on which is immensely pleasing for us”.

One of those to enter the field in the second half was 17-year-old Scott Watson, making his Ayr and senior rugby debut after dispensation from Scottish Rugby at the eleventh hour. Unperturbed by the challenge of bossing a game from stand-off, Watson took to the task at hand like a duck to water. A few glimpses of stardust rounded off a measured performance in the ten jersey, gelling immediately with his new teammates.

“You’d never have known. He kicked from hand really well and made all the right decisions” insisted his head coach: “It is very promising for the future”.

The frantic scoring provided press with a headache when it came to selecting man of the match. A trio of players walked away with two scores, Frazier Climo carved his away around the park providing numerous assists and Cam Reece controlled the game before being rested at half time. In the end, Harry Lynch rose above the rest. Two tries were the product of seamless support running all evening and he didn’t put a foot wrong defensively. He was physical with ball and hand and also provided a few silky touches to put his comrades over.

Ayr will look to take their rich vein of form into their final league match on April 16^th, when they travel to Biggar.

Callum Kerr @ Millbrae

This afternoon Ayr triumphed over their old foes Melrose Rugby at a sun-drenched Millbrae. A match which went tit-for-tat in the early stages eventually opened up for the hosts, who put together a 24-0 run in the second half to secure a 39-14 victory.

(Image – George McMillan)

Millbrae was buzzing come final whistle, with Stuart Fenwick’s men delivering on the promise that fans have seen in glimpses throughout the season. Speaking at final whistle, the head coach’s jubilation was easily spotted: “I’m really proud of the boys and the effort they put in. It’s brilliant to see everything we’ve spoken about at training over the last couple of weeks coming out.

“It’s even more pleasing when we can sit and look at the age of the team, particularly in the backline. We brought on two eighteen-year-olds and a nineteen-year-old off the bench today. It’s fantastic to be able to give these youngsters opportunities and see them step up to this level and play with that intensity. They rewarded us with one hell of a shift!”

One of the youngsters to enter the fray later on was U18s star Jamie McLauchlan, earning his senior debut in an emphatic win. Jamie, son of Ayr Ladies stalwart and committee member Louise McLauchlan, becomes the fourth generation of Ecrepoint to pull on the pink and black jersey.

The two sides previous encounter this season fell in favour of Melrose in a match that could have gone either way. Stuart Fenwick believes that having the memory of that result fresh in the minds helped focus the squad on the task at hand: “That game down there certainly hurt a lot of the boys. We spoke about it through the week but didn’t put too much emphasis on it. They knew they underperformed that day in a real physical game, so yeah I think it spurred us on”.

When Ayr are firing they can score for fun, and some of the length of the field efforts on display today didn’t surprise anyone watching, but in previous games this young side often struggle to manage the closing stages – Today was the opposite. A Jamie Bova penalty before half time snuck them a 15-14 lead at the break, but it was in the latter stages where they kept their foot on the gas and managed to pull clear.

Stuart Fenwick added: “We spoke a lot through the week about how we often need just that extra ten percent to win games when the going gets tough. We are a good side to get in those positions, but we often lack that extra ten percent particularly on the road. We re-emphasised that at half time today and we wanted to come out and hit them hard. Those two tries within the first ten minutes of the second half were the reward of that!”.

Ayr will look to build on today’s win to finish the season on a high. Although lingering in the mid-table they’ll be keen to keep the momentum up and grow confidence before the break. Their next trip out is this coming Friday where they host Cartha Queens Park under the lights at Millbrae. The action kicks off at 19.45.

Callum Kerr @ Myreside

This afternoon at Myreside Ayr fell short in a 52-point stunner on ladies’ day.

 It was a result that could have gone either way, but truth be told when the going got tough, Watsonians got going. Ayr chased the game from the first minute to the last and did well to make it a three-point ball game on numerous occasions, but there was no denying the hosts composure at decisive moments.

With just two minutes left on the clock Ayr could have squeaked a victory, but Watsonians showed their mettle to stretch the lead and secure a 31-21 final score line.

Watsonians currently find themselves in treacherous relegation territory and came out all guns blazing from first whistle. An early penalty, followed by a converted score shortly after, put them ten points clear after fifteen minutes.

Ayr responded well, and after a period of back-and-forth bagged a try of their own. The backs exploited space out wide to make valuable yards before last-minute stand in Caleb Rae – who was pencilled for the bench before injury to Ben Paterson – muscled his way over. Ritchie Simpson’s conversion made it a three-point game.

Both sides seemed to grow into the game as the half unfolded, but it was the hosts who showed greater discipline. Watsonians mustered their next score from relative obscurity. All winger Jamie Stove needed was a metre head start on his defender to show off his wheels and sprint clear out wide. The touchline conversion concluded the scoring before the interval.

Half-time: Watsonians 17-7 Ayr Rugby.

Despite a discrepancy on the scoreboard, it remained anyone’s game, but Stuart Fenwick’s men knew they needed to start the half with intent. Debutant on the day Moe Zimmerman created an opportunity to do just that when he shot out of the line minutes into the first half to intercept the ball. He galloped valiantly and managed to unleash a speculative offload when brought down. The ball didn’t find the intended target of Danny McCluskey, but the quick-thinking centre managed to hack on and win the foot race for the ball over the line. Richie Simpson added the extras to make it a 17-14 game.

From then on it became a shoot-out. Watsonians would score to make it a ten-point game, then Ayr would retaliate in similar fashion to make it three. Watsonians made it 24-14 first, with Fraser Cousin taking full advantage of Ayr sleeping on a quick tap. True to script, Scott Clelland wrestled his way over to return the favour.

Unfortunately for Ayr the definitive score would be Watsonians next. With the result hanging in the balance at 24-21, Watsonians utilised their next turn to score by leaving mere minutes on the clock for Ayr to answer back.

Despite the result most likely away from them, Ayr still had a try bonus and losing bonus on the table, but they were found wanting on their final attack.

Full-time: Watsonians 31-21 Ayr Rugby.