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.