Callum Kerr @ Millbrae
Ayr 1XV cruised to a 62-11 victory over Glasgow Accies on their opening match of the season at Millbrae. Ladies Day is always a memorable day on the calendar and Ayr rewarded the hordes of supporters with a 10-try display under the blistering sun.
Image – George McMillan
Glasgow Accies were keen to squash the rapture of noise coming from the marquee and stand and did just that after two minutes. A slack bit of defending from Grant Anderson’s men gave the visitors three points from the tee in their first attack of the game.
Ayr answered back immediately, with Scott Watson strolling over five minutes later courtesy of an overlap.
In rather repetitive fashion, Accies added three more shortly after only to be followed up by a second Ayr try.
This time it was returning hero Craig Gossman, who rolled back the years to snipe out wide in his second debut for the club – a sight the Millbrae faithful have missed during his five-year hiatus.
Gossman made it a double shortly after with a similar trademark dart into the corner making it 15-6.
He got his hat-trick on the stroke of half time. Gossman started the move by putting Jamie Bova through the line with a lovely inside pass. Bova ran clear before drawing in the final defender and passing back to Gossman to finish.
Bova’s conversion concluded the scoring.
Half-time: Ayr RFC 22-6 Glasgow Accies
Fortunes turned for Ayr early in the second half. A yellow card to hat-trick hero Craig Gossman was followed by another to debutant Tom Martin. Just two minutes after the break Ayr would need to play the next ten minutes with thirteen on the field.
Despite the numerical differences Ayr were soon in again. From broken play Jamie Bova managed to switch on the afterburners and carve through the middle of the park. The centre sliced through several tacklers before leaping between the posts.
Bova doubled-up shortly after. After some lovely interplay in the midfield a looping pass landed in the hands of Bova out wide, who skipped past the final defender to score.
Glasgow Accies managed to get over for the first time shortly after. The visitors worked the ball back and forth well before creating enough space to worm over in the corner.
If a Craig Gossman try-fest wasn’t enough injection of nostalgia for the fans, Pete McCallum soon blasted his way over to add to the scoring. Since joining from the bench the club stalwart looked his fearful best with a number of carries of the base of the scrum. After numerous phases but them on Accies try line McCallum muscled his way over to extend the lead. Bova’s conversion made it 41-11.
A try on debut for Ayr/ Wellington Youth Academy Graduate Yeadon Davie extended the lead with five to play. Gossman, who is now at ten, found the winger on an inside line to canter over unchallenged!
Jamie Bova became the second man to run in a hat-trick, intercepting quickly after the restart to go the distance.
The final act was from Angus North, who earned a try on debut to make the tally ten and round off an emphatic victory!
Full-time: Ayr RFC 62-11 Glasgow Accies
Craig Gossman was named Press Player of the Match.