Callum Kerr

Callum Kerr @ Millbrae

A win at Millbrae, a Pete McCallum try and Stuart Fenwick almost cracking a smile – Just like old times, eh? This afternoon Ayr triumphed 20-15 in a close tussle with visitors Dundee in front of a delighted home crowd.  

A lot has been said about the youthful nature of this side, but today it was cool heads and composure under pressure which sealed victory for Ayr  – the sign of a maturing squad

Dundee opened the scoring from relative obscurity after eleven minutes. From their first crack in Ayr’s 22, a crafty line-out play released their number eight up the blindside to touchdown unchallenged. The conversion slid off to the left of the posts.

Ayr retaliated in ideal fashion. A line-out drive on Dundee’s five didn’t bring any spoils, but a yellow card to their front row and scrum allowed them to muster another attack. It was here club stalwart Peter McCallum – on his return to Millbrae after a three-year hiatus – powered over from the back of a ruck to mark the occasion with a score!

A Jamie Bova conversion was soon followed by another three from the tee to conclude scoring for the first interval.

Half-Time: Ayr Rugby 10-5 Dundee Rugby

The second half started with another score for the hosts.  Deep in the Dundee 22 Zac Howard caught the ball in midfield and spotted his parallel winger, Jamie Bova, open on the touch line. Howard skimmed a flat pass over several players to find Bova in full flight to stride over.

The score didn’t faze Dundee, who began to flex some muscle and gain an advantage at scrum time. After a long period of pressure hooker Tom Hall wormed his way over. A subsequent conversion made it a three-point ball game.

Ayr managed to find a cushion shortly after. Well-worked hands found Fraser Thomson out wide to score his first senior try seconds after entering from the bench. The conversion didn’t connect making the lead eight with ten minutes left to burn.

Dundee fought tooth and nail till the bitter end, but the reward of a penalty kick in the last play of the match wasn’t enough to change their fate. The strike split the uprights to narrow the gap but also ignited the final whistle.

Full-Time: Ayr Rugby 20-15 Dundee Rugby.

The watching press rather poetically named Peter McCallum man of the match after a familiar eighty-minute performance for the former club and Bulls captain.

Callum Kerr @ Meggetland

This afternoon Ayr 1^st XV fended off Boroughmuir in what turned out to be a thrilling encounter. Trailing at the half, Stuart Fenwick’s men tallied up an impressive 29 points after the interval to seal a 29-39 victory on the road.

A joyous Stuart Fenwick expressed delight – and slight relief – at final whistle: “They (Boroughmuir) didn’t go away and they kept playing rugby… We didn’t expect them to keep coming back the way they did. The pleasing thing for me was that with ten minutes to go we re-composed ourselves and took control.

“If we let the game continue to open up and expand the way they wanted to play that could have been a very different ending.

“We did what we spoke about through the week in terms of what our jobs were in certain areas of the park and that’s what got the result at the end of the day”.

Boroughmuir led 17-10 after the first forty, with Ayr’s tries coming from John Fulton and Jamie Bova.

Ayr kick-stated the second half by going on a 24-point tear to flip the fixture on its head. It was interim skipper Michael Kirk who started the run with a close-range score. The next was courtesy of impact substitute Ben Paterson. The prop – returning to Meggetland for the first time since leaving on a stretcher two and a half years ago – won two scrum penalties within five minutes of being on the pitch, before marking his tenth minute of action barrelling over for a try.

A Jamie Bova penalty followed by a try on debut for Jack Burns made it 17-34 to Ayr after an hour played.

The hosts had no intention of shutting up shop. Two well worked tries within minutes of each other propelled them into the contest and set up a five-point gap between the sides with ten minutes left to play.

The hosts put themselves in touching distance of the line on numerous occasions but couldn’t break through.

With the clock deep into the red, Boroughmuir won a scrum and a last chance to roll the dice. A thunderous drive from Ayr muscled them backwards, resulting in the ball scuttling out and into the opportunistic hands of Ross McCorkindale. He slipped through a hopeful tackle to dive clear and conclude an epic encounter.

Stuart Fenwick refused to pinpoint one man for Player of the Match honours, instead praising the collective effort of the squad: “Yeah we had a lot of great individual performers, but I’m genuinely delighted with every man across the park today”!

Callum Kerr @ Millbrae

This afternoon Ayr 1^st put in a valiant shift against Heriots Blues at Millbrae but inevitably came up short against the league leaders due to a last-minute score.

It looked like it was Ayr’s game when Richie Simpson dotted down to make it 20-10 on the 70^th minute, but Ayr shipped twelve points in the final ten minutes to fall 20-22.  

(Image – Ritchie Simpson’s late score, George McMillan)

“Intensity shouldn’t come at a cost” were the sharp words of head coach Stuart Fenwick at final whistle: “We talked all week about intensity and confrontation and today we done all of that, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of ill-discipline and silly penalties.

“You can’t fault the effort and energy of the side today, and the game was there for the taking – but we were our own worst enemy. Yes, I am happy that our performance put us in a position to win but that’s another loss that was preventable”.

Ayr started the match in fine fettle, with Harry Lynch cruising clear when a fine offload from Ritchie Simpson caught him in open prairie.

Such was the story for much of the afternoon, Ayr followed their score with an error-strewn exit and Heriots opened their try-scoring account moments later.

A second score for Ayr, this time through Robbie McLaren extended the hosts lead to 12-5, but once more a lack of discipline hindered any momentum. Despite the lead a succession of yellow cards – first to Ross McCorkindale and second to Scott Clelland – meant the best Ayr could do was hold out the visitors until the interval.

Half-time: Ayr Rugby 12-5 Heriots Blues

Heriots managed to close the gap early in the second half, with winger Craig Robertson darting over for his second score. They enjoyed the lion’s share of territory from then on but couldn’t quite break down a strong Ayr defence.

Opportunity eventually knocked for the hosts and Jamie Bova made full use of a penalty just inside Heriot’s half. A trademark punt from the tee gave his side some well-needed breathing room and kept the scoreboard ticking as we entered the end game.

Suddenly Ayr looked revitalised. A trio of line breaks within minutes of each other sprung the Millbrae faithful into life. It was capped off by a heroic break down the flank by Simpson, who dove clear to what many thought would be the deciding blow.

Alas the penalty count continued to grow, and as a result Heriots were given crucial territory in the dying embers of the match. Two late scores and one, nerve-tingling conversion deep into injury time, meant they left victors.

Full-time: Ayr Rugby 20-22 Heriots Blues

In an albeit disappointing afternoon, Ayr showed spectators watching on their league credentials, which on another day would have resulted in a win over the table toppers. A handful of individual performances stuck out, but it was Richie Simpson who secured Man of the Match honours. The fly-half produced moments of magic when called upon and conducted his backs throughout the eighty with assured confidence.

Ayr Rugby is delighted to confirm that Scotland International and current Ayrshire Bulls assistant coach Peter Horne will be stepping into the head coaching role in the new year.

The 32-year-old is set to retire from playing with Scottish pro-side the Glasgow Warriors to move into the position on a full-time basis, effective from January 1st.

(Image – Pat MacArthur (L) and Horne (R) lifting the FOSROC Super6 Trophy in October)

Horne replaces former Warriors teammate and friend Pat McArthur, who led the Bulls to lift the inaugural FOSROC Super6 trophy earlier this year. Horne was successful in applying for head coach in March 2021. To allow him to finish his playing career, MacArthur took on the role with the understanding that Horne would take over in January 2022. Despite stepping back from the role MacArthur will remain involved with his boyhood club going forward.

Peter Horne is a well-known face among Scottish Rugby. Since making his Warriors debut in 2009 he has enjoyed a 12-year career at the top level, amassing 45 Scotland caps in the process. He joined the Ayrshire Bulls coaching set-up last year and was heavily involved in the recent Super6 success.

Speaking of the appointment, Ayr Rugby President Stewart Kerr said the following: ““We are delighted to see Peter move into the head coaching role with the bulls after impressing over the past year under Pat MacArthur.

“He brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience with him and we are positive for what the future has in store. Be it Ayr or the Bulls we have built a reputation on success, and I have no doubt that more will follow in the coming seasons.

“It would be remiss of me not to pass on my overwhelming thanks to Pat in all that he has done for Ayrshire rugby. In his season in charge, he’s put the Bulls ahead of the chasing pack, setting the benchmark for others to strive for”.

Horne becomes the third person to take the reins of the Ayrshire Bulls, with maiden coach Peter Murchie now in the support staff at the Glasgow Warriors, highlighting that bridging the gap between club and professional rugby isn’t reserved solely for players.

Callum Kerr at Millbrae

This afternoon at Millbrae Ayr pulled themselves back to winning ways with a comprehensive victory over Stirling County. The hosts went into the contest on the back of three losses but displayed newfound confidence to dispel all County attacks, preventing them from registering any tries in a 28-3 win.

(Image – George McMillan)

Ayr head coach Stuart Fenwick would have played down the notion of it being a must-win game before kick-off, but he expressed how crucial it was to end the year on a high afterwards: “We have had a tough few weeks. It was massively important (to win). We spoke at training about how big a week it was – we did not want to finish this year on four back-to-back losses… Today we turned up and I’m really happy with the way we stuck in and did the work”.

To win is one thing, but to win in such a convincing manner in front of a home crowd is something that was particularly pleasing for Fenwick: “The defensive effort from the boys was huge and it was set by the tone and intensity we wanted to play at.

“In the past couple of weeks we felt that our attitude let us down a little bit and we had work to do. They turned up today and fired real well”.

There were multiple players who put their hands up for Player of the Match honours, but in the end Euan Hamilton stood out from the rest. The second row put in a heroic eighty minutes in the engine room and was still throwing himself around the park come final whistle. His attrition around the pitch was contrasted by an elegant display in the skies, proving to be a nuisance at line out time.

Stuart Fenwick praised the effort of his number four, and squad, with: “Euan was absolutely outstanding, and that contributed to an outstanding performance across the pack in those conditions. For me, another performance that stood out was Ross McCorkindale at nine. He controlled things expertly on his first outing in that position.

Callum Kerr

Ayr 1XV fell to their third loss on the bounce this afternoon with an unsuccessful trip to Netherdale to face Gala. In a match that ended up being a battle against the elements as well as the opposition, Gala controlled treacherous snowfall better than Ayr, cruising to a 36-5 victory.

For the second week in a row, Ayr didn’t strike a blow until the dying embers and by then it was merely a matter of honour over a realistic chance of a comeback.

Head coach Stuart Fenwick hasn’t diced his words when dissecting the previous few performances and this afternoon’s result was no different. Once again he was disappointed that a capable team struggled to find points on the road: “It’s just frustration! We didn’t adapt to the conditions and Gala continued to turn us and allow us to make errors without us really being under pressure and it just kept us in our third.

“We spoke through the week about playing more and whilst the conditions made it tricky, we didn’t try much at all”.

Ayr boasts a young team packed with razzamatazz and spark, but in the last few outings their opposition has decided how the game plays out. Describing what their main takeaway will be from the game, Fenwick touch once more on the conditions: “we need to adapt to the match and weather as things change. We proved when we did move the ball on occasion that we could do some damage but somehow didn’t continue to do so”.

It’s a performance the gaffer will be delighted to see the back of, but he did applaud the performance of one man in defeat. Scott Clelland has been a bright spark in the side for numerous seasons now, but he continues to turn heads when battling on the turf. Fenwick said: “Scotty was everywhere and continues to put in big shifts week in week out! His consistency is a massive driver for this side”.

Ayr will aim to halt their run of losses next weekend when they return to Millbrae. With a home crowd behind them and a confidence that only Millbrae can bring, Stuart Fenwick believes it’s important they put together a performance: “Stirling next Saturday is huge now for us.

“We will undoubtedly benefit from the break but it’s so important that we finish on a positive note to allow us to carry on the great start made early doors into the final quarter of the season”.

Back at Millbrae it was a narrow defeat for Ayr/Millbrae, who fell 6-7 to Marr 2XV. Despite the loss the squad will take great confidence in running the 2XV of premiership Marr to the closest of margins.

Callum Kerr @ Millbrae

Ayr’s undefeated run at Millbrae came to an end on Saturday courtesy of a 10-18 defeat to Highland. Stuart Fenwick’s men were successful in all five of their home fixtures prior to the match but left it too late to catch Highland who controlled much of the territory straight from the off.

 Ayr didn’t deal a blow until 74 minutes in, with two late tries only managing to flatter the final scoreline.  

Head Coach Stuart Fenwick expressed frustration at full time with the result fresh in his mind: “I’m really disappointed. We started playing rugby with ten minutes to go and we scored two tries. We allowed them to dictate the pace of the game, we allowed them to dictate the physicality of the game – we didn’t step up – that’s the frustrating side of it”.

Expressing positives from the result, Ayr’s late flurry managed to convince Fenwick that his side can play when called upon: “The positive is that with ten to go when we needed to score we looked dangerous. If we did that for the first seventy minutes it would have been a different game.

“Fair play to Highland. They did exactly what they needed to do. They limited our opportunities to play rugby, they nullified our threats out wide forcing us to keep it tight. We didn’t react well which we needed to do and we spoke about that during the week. I think that’s why everyone, including the players, are a bit frustrated”.

Although it was a team performance Ayr will be happy to put behind them, Fenwick named skipper Cameron Reece his player of the match. The number eight seemed to be everywhere during the game and at points looked like he would single-handedly drag the side back into contention.

Ayr will look to right their wrongs this coming Saturday when they travel to the Borders to face Gala. The action kicks off at 15.00.

It was similar fortunes for Ayr/Millbrae, who lost 23-12 away to Stirling Wolves 2XV.

Callum Kerr @ Dumbreck

This evening Ayr didn’t manage to muster a result on their trip up the M77 to face Cartha Queens Park at Dumbreck. In a scrappy war of attrition, neither side covered themselves in glory with the ball in hand, but it was the hosts who seemed more streetwise in close quarters.

In the end, Ayr salvaged two points with an injury-time score but ultimately fell 37-31 short.

Speaking at full time, assistant coach Frazier Climo cut a dejected figure on the field. His overriding emotion – frustration: “We didn’t turn up. At times we built some pressure and built on phases, then just coughed it up. They didn’t really have to fight for their scores, we were soft.

“We got into position’s where we could have scored points and then that last pass wasn’t there… I’m pretty gutted with that tonight”.

There were numerous changes to the squad listed in previous weeks, including a debut for Ayr/Wellington youth graduate Fraser Thomson. Despite the result, Climo was pleased with how the changes performed in the circumstances: “Yeah, we have got boys out, but the boys that came in went well. It’s more the fact that some of the senior, more experienced, players were making the mistakes.

“Once we lose momentum, we really struggle to get it back at times – our heads go down. We’ve just got to learn to soak it up, give it back… It’s good learning though I suppose for this young team”.

Cartha scored first in the contest and stayed in front until final whistle, but Ayr remained in touching distance throughout. At 25-24 and ten minutes left on the clock it was anyone’s game. The hosts remained unperturbed and showed cool heads to deal two late scores and take the win away from Ayr.

Despite the clock in red and the result determined, Ayr ended on a positive, plucking one last score through Adam McGowan to secure a try-bonus point. Jamie Bova then slotted the conversion to add a losing-bonus point to the bag as well – two key points which could prove valuable down the straight. Referring to the last play, Climo said: “Coming away with two points is definitely a positive. We’ll take that away from it and the boys were determined to end on a high note. In terms of performance though, we know we can do better”.

Earlier today Tom Jordan signed a short-term deal with the Glasgow Warriors, seeing him join up with the Scotstoun based club for the remainder of the season.

Jordan, who initially joined the Bulls back in 2019 ahead of the inaugural FOSROC Super6 season, played an integral role in this year’s league success. The 23-year old was named player of the match in the cup final victory over Southern Knights.

Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, Jordan has had previous involvement with Glasgow Warriors, having trained with the Scotstoun club during the 2020/21 season. He will become Scottish qualified in October next year.

The move sees Jordan join the likes of former Bulls Ross Thompson, Ollie Smith (Warriors), Marshall Sykes and Sam Kitchen (Edinburgh) in making the step up to Scotland’s professional sides.

Speaking exclusively to glasgowwarriors.org, Jordan said: “I’ve been here in and out for training over the last year or so, but to sign a professional contract here is awesome.

“I’m over the moon and I can’t wait to get stuck in with the boys for the rest of the season.

“If I get the opportunity to run out in front of a full house at Scotstoun, that’d be amazing. The crowds so far have been unreal so far this season, and they really give such an amazing atmosphere.

“I really like to chuck the ball around and put others in space, so I’m looking forward to playing the Glasgow style of rugby and playing some heads-up footy.”

All at Ayr Rugby and the Ayrshire Bulls wish TJ the best of luck with the season ahead.

With numerous other Bulls finding action elsewhere during their offseason, Ayr Rugby will have a round-up very shortly highlighting who’s in action where.

Callum Kerr @ Millbrae

This afternoon Ayr extended their unbeaten streak at Millbrae with a 33-19 victory over Biggar RFC.

Kicking-off at the earlier time of 11:00 am due to the action at BT Murrayfield, both sides were slow out of the blocks, but Ayr came out better off of a frantic second half. The result moves Ayr into joint second position in the league, trailing frontrunners Heriots by two points.

(The boot of Jamie Bova accounted for 18 points. Photo: George McMillan)

Ayr made hard work of it early doors. Just minutes into the contest a destructive rolling maul put the visitors’ inches from the line. Already with a penalty advantage, their nine tried to play it wide but was interrupted by Euan Hamilton, scrambling over the maul. Hamilton was sent to the bin for the infringement.

Ayr did well to exit and received better fortunes seconds later when an intentional knock-on sent Biggar’s twelve to the sin bin, squaring up both sides on 14 men.

After a period of back-and-forth, Ayr opened the scoring on the 23^rd minute. From a stolen line out Robbie McLaren found the ball in the middle of the park. He managed to palm off the rushing defender and propel through the line to score. Jamie Bova duly converted.

A pair of penalties shortly after extended Ayr’s lead to 13-0 at the break.

Half-time: Ayr RFC 13-0 Biggar

The break initially suited the visitors better. With a newfound spring in their step, they wasted no time in mounting an attack. From Ayr indiscipline they were rewarded with a kick to the corner which ignited a powerful rolling maul that couldn’t be halted. In the end, it was deemed Number Eight R. Jackson was last to rise from the pile holding the ball. The conversion didn’t connect.

The home crowd were quickly relieved moments later when another pair of penalties from Bova stretched Ayr’s lead to 14.

The decisive moments of the game came after the second penalty. Two converted tries in as many minutes propelled Ayr to 33 points and took the result away from Biggar. The first saw Zac Howard torch up the line, skipping through one last-ditch tackle, to dive clear. The second was almost a carbon copy, with Harry Lynch releasing Ross Gilmour down the same wing to dot down with his first touch of the ball.

In the final stages of the match Biggar managed to salvage two scores of their own to stop the haemorrhaging, but it was too little too late.

Full-Time: Ayr Rugby 33-19 Biggar RFC.

In a match that needed leaders, captain Cam Reece naturally stood up to be accounted for. An aggressive performance around the pitch was matched with an elegant display in the air at lineout time.