With the upcoming Scotland v Ireland rugby match on Sunday 9th February, Ayr Rugby Club is teaming up with Northern Ireland’s Orchard Cycling Club to raise money for the Doddie Aid charity.
The Ayr/Orchard team will be captained by David Neill, who grew up in Ayr and now lives in Portadown. David and his crew will join former Scotland captain, Rob Wainwright, and 500 other cyclists in the “Doddies Grand Tour 2025” challenge.
The challenge is not for the faint-hearted, starting in Dublin on 4th February and travelling 120 miles to Belfast, before crossing the Irish Sea to Cairnryan. Once on Scottish soil, the cyclists will crisscross the country, covering 700 miles in 4 days, arriving in Edinburgh in time for the Scotland v Ireland match at Murrayfield.
This coincides with the completion of the new access road and 3G pitch at Ayr Rugby Club’s home ground, Millbrae. To celebrate, on the morning of 6th February, 200 cyclists and support crew from the “Doddies Grand Tour 2025 Challenge” are going to visit Millbrae and be the first to use the new road!
Concurrently, to mark the opening of the 3G pitch, Ayr Community Rugby Trust will host a tournament for 150 children from local schools, and Ayr’s Walking Rugby group will play an exhibition match.
The event is expected to start at 9.30am, as cyclists start to arrive from their starting point in Biggar. The official “opening” will take place around 11.30am, with Rob Wainwright and Alan Macdonald (Macdonald Legacy) cutting the ribbon in front of invited guests and members. The cyclist will then leave en masse on their way to Greenock.
Everybody in the local community is welcome to attend and join the celebrations.
The rugby fraternity has long been big supporters of Doddie Aid, if you can, please show your support by making a donation through the following link: