ALL TRAINING AT MILLBRAE

Wednesday 26th March
Training at Millbrae.7-8:30pm

Contact BILL MURRIE on 07723 304086 or email HERE

DETAILS OF UNDER 16

NEW PHOTOS AVAILABLE FROM MARR GAME 07/10/07
GALLERY/NEW SEASON 2007-2008

ALL TRAINING AT MILLBRAE

26 April, Dalziel Tournament, U18s,
2 May, Irish team Dromore U18s, 6pm KO at Millbrae
May 17 Kilmarnock U18s 7 aside.
If any parents have concerns as to the timing of these games could they
get in contact with me on M.07866220487.
A good turn out on the 2 May would be appreciated to welcome the Irish team.

Contact TOMMY BROWN on 07866 220487 or email HERE

Contact NEIL HOWIE on 01292 445465 or email HERE

Contact DAVID BROWN on 01292 478476 or email HERE

Junior & Midis News & Photos

JUNIOR REPORTS

SUNDAY 20th APRIL. S1's

With at least six regulars missing, no substitutes and no recognised stand off as a result of injuries and the Easter holidays, Sunday’s away game with Cumnock was an opportunity try some new faces. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ayr started slowly, conceding two early tries to the powerful running of the Cumnock stand off, with missed tackles costing them dearly. Despite pulling back a try, Ayr found themselves four tries to one down after just 15 minutes. However, captain Josh McGilvray rallied his troops, and with the forwards upping their workrate and Gordon Gregor getting through a power of work, Ayr had pulled back to 4 all before half time, with tries from Blair Cooper and Ross Gilmour, whose second try came after a jinking run from inside his own half. A see saw second half saw each side score a further three tries, with the scores from Ayr coming from another run from the half way line from lively scrum half James Armstrong, Gregor rounding the Cumnock defence and a well taken third try for Cooper after some slick handling and a good angle of running to complete his hat trick. Despite the try-fest, Ayr missed out on the win as a result of Cumnock kicking four conversions to Ayr’s one. Despite the loss, it was an enjoyable, open game which will be good for the development of all the players. Despite strong performances from James Armstrong and Gordon Gregor, man of the match must go to Blair Cooper for his hat trick of tries in his first match starting in his preferred position of centre. TEAM; Ramage, Rennie, McGilvray (c), Cooper, Brown, Gilmour, Armstrong, Davidson, Gregor, Martin, Kennedy, Semple, McCormick. SCORES: Tries; Cooper (3), Gilmour (2), Gregor, Armstrong Conv; Armstrong

Weekend 24th FFEBRUARY.

Ayr Girls make National Youth Cup Semi Finals

A hard fought gritty performance against Crieff High School saw Ayr Under 18 Girls win through to the National Cup Semi Finals, showing total dominance with ball in hand during the first five minutes. It wasn’t long before Alix Picken seized the opportunity to sprint up the wing and touchdown under the posts for Natalie Hunter to kick the conversion, excellent support play saw quick offloads and again the try line was crossed following a 60 metre run by lock Laura Turner only for the referee to decide he didn’t like the way the ball was touched down. The line out functioned well with jumper Daryl Patterson dominant through the supporting efforts of props McCubbin and Jardine. A nasty blow to the nose saw center Natalie Hunter leave the field and replacement Ashleigh Nelson move into the Second Row with the versatile Natasha McGill moving to the wing, which saw Ayr continue to press forward and through to half time with their 7-0 lead in tact. A strong start to the second half by the home team saw Crieff score a converted try to level the scores which brought Ayr back to life, constant harrying by scrum half Samantha Russell certainly upset the flow of the Crieff game (as well as the referee at times) but great distribution and smart work from a backline marshalled very well by Lindsey Mathers soon saw Alex Picken in for her second try. Hard work in the rucks and mauls from the forwards saw Hannah McCubbin and Leigh Jardine dominate, making quick ball available in the off load for Laura Turner to run in an excellent try, which she made sure the referee clearly saw on this occasion. The next period saw Ayr having to call on all their defensive skills as Crieff started to hit Ayr with powerful direct running the tackles were effective but Ayr were penalised on a couple of occasions for infringements on the ground and a couple of quick tries both converted suddenly saw Ayr slip behind with the score at 21-19. At this stage things could have gone one of two ways however you could detect that there was a feeling that Ayr hadn’t travelled to Crieff to leave empty handed and from the restart the Ayr forwards were up quickly to state their intentions and the quick hands and good offloads combined with close support play kept Ayr going forward, with under five minutes to go Ayr once again ripped a ball out of a maul which was taken forward by Leigh Jardine and a smart offload to Carley Picken saw her in under the posts for Hannah McCubbin to kick her second conversion. There was little time left after the restart and Ayr ran out winners 26 – 21 with a solid all round team performance, the team trains on Sundays at Millbrae 12.30 – 2.30 and new recruits are most welcome.

Weekend 4th November.

Ayr Youth Rugby on Fire

Girls too hot to handle ………….at Glasgow tournament organised by the Scottish Womens Rugby Union, playing their first competitive games of the season Ayr Under 18 Girls showed no mercy as they won all their games whilst maintaining a score sheet with no points against them to return home with the silverware. A score in the first minute set the scene for a great team display as they saw off Carrick 27 – 0, next up were Hillhead/Jordanhill and a 10 – 0 score line was enough to secure the spoils. The Coaches said ‘It was a real team performance with plenty of ball secured to make the scoring opportunities, the girls had been looking forward to the day for several weeks as it was competitive rugby that was needed after many weeks of hard training’ The Girls now look forward to a home game against Cowall on Sunday.
Boys steaming ahead ……..as the S2s, 15s, 16s and 18s all record victories, the 16s and 17s still top their respective Glasgow Leagues. The Under 16s can secure the league next Sunday at Millbrae v West of Scotland 2 pm kick off. The Under 16s 34 – 17 victory last week at Cumnock was followed by a 67-0 points haul, over Dumfries on Sunday which has epitomised the style of play this season with over 280 points scored and only 30 against.
Two good weeks for the Under 18s sees their potential begin to flourish, Ayr got off to a good start against Annan with 6 tries in the first half coming from, Ewan McKnight, Cammy Taylor, Blair Macpherson 3 and Lewis Pendelton 1 plus 4 conversions. The second half was a much slower affair with tries from Josh Currie and Stuart Howie, converted by Lewis Pendelton. Jamie McNeal sneaked a cheeky drop goal in between the tries ensuring Ayr victory by 55 points to 10.
This week saw a 27 – 0 success at Cartha, although the score suggests the game was one sided the Cartha boys put up a great defence. Ayr eventually scored their first try when Callum Lack went over the line with Lewis Pendleton adding the two pionts. Altough Ayr gave away two silly penalties Cartha failed to convert them into any points, however Blair McPherson crossed the line twice before half time. The second half started with Cartha making a few forays into the Ayr half but they were always driven back. Blair McPherson added a third try to his tally, his second hat trick of the season. After several phases of pick and drive which Cartha managed to defend, Callum Leck and Craig Brown finally managed to secure the last try, but unfortunately the kick was wide of the posts.
Saturday 11th November U18s v Dumfries at Millbrae.
Mixed fortunes for Ayr Under17s,following their 36 points to nil victory at Dumfries which left them nicely placed at the top of the league, a 28 – 0 defeat at East Kilbride leaves the league a little more open with a potential title decider between Ayr and West of Scotland to come. Ayr Under 15s season continues to ebb and flow following disappointment last week the team came good to beat glasgow hawks 45-25, with tries scored by stuart doolan(2), Burns Tennent-Bhohi(2), jordan McInnes(2) and Robert Beech(1) tries converted by Mckie, Grant and connell. Coach Bill Murrie was pleased with the result, ‘the boys put in a very good performance but we would always welcome some extra players to give us a little more strength in depth and give the squad a few more options’
No problems with numbers in the S2s as they are now looking to put two teams out wherever possible, this augers well for the future and victory also helps to generate the enthusiasm a 15 points to 10 win over GHA at Rozelle rounded off a good weekend for Ayr Youth Rugby. Ayr Minis entertained Cumnock, Ardrossan and West of Scotland at Millbrae with the P4 – P7s playing a series of training games designed to coach and develop players under game conditions. The tremendous numbers of youngsters at Ayr provides much competition for game time and there were plenty of success stories for the Ayr teams.

Ayr U16's travelled to Motherwell to play Dalziel this week and came away winning 0 - 74 in a game dominated by Ayr from the start. Dalziel, however, did not give up and continued to attempt to break Ayr's defence but at no time threatened to score. Ayr continue to build momentum and play very convincing 15 man rugby. Scott Robertson and Luther Hall had there first outings for the team and both contributed well with Scott being held up just short of a debut try.
Ayr's scorers were Peter McCallum (4), Euan MacGibbon (2), Walker Lynch (2), and further tries from James Stirling, Andy Kerr, Jack Rountree and Connor Mackie. Calum Duncan scored 7 conversions. Ayr are away to Cumnock next weekend for what will be a much tougher game with Ayr narrowly winning in their pre-season friendly by 12 - 7. Ayr U 17s managed to grind out a good victory at Garnock by 20 points to 7. Garnock playing down the slope led by 7-5 at half time, with Ayr's score coming from Blair McPherson's No 8 pick from a 5 metre scrum. Ayr managed to apply greater pressure in the second half and scored 3 further tries from Aiden Holland(2) and Blair McPherson's try right on the final whistle ensured a 20-5 victory. Ayr are still unbeaten in the U-17 Glasgow League 1st division, and with only 3 matches remaining are mounting a serious challenge. Whilst still making unforced errors the team spirit is such that they continue to grind out results when not playing to their full potential.

Under 18s training ground effort pays dividends as Ayr recorded 41-5 win against Kilmarnock An impressive performance from the the forwards, which was direct and aggressive, gave the backs the opportunity to exhibit their full potential and move the ball wide where there was space and pace waiting, which pleased the coaches no end !!!. Coaches George McMillan and Jim McKay said after the game, ‘The team deserved their win after all the hard work they put in over the last few weeks and are now starting to realise their true potential, all players had their best game so far this season’. The tries came from Blair McPherson, Jamie McNeil, Max Rankin, Euan McKnight(2) and Stuart Howie, kicker Lewis Pentalton Scored 3 conversions and a penalty with Jamie McNeil landing the other conversion.

It was a hard and tense affair for Ayr in the Under 17 Glasgow District game v Hamilton played at Rozelle. The visitors had the best of the opening encounters scoring three tries, before Stuart Howie scored and converted his own try to give a 19 – 7 half time score line. Ayr stepped up their game in the second half, with Ayr new boy Blair McPherson making a real impact this season at Number 8 whilst taking his try tally to 6 in 3 league games, further tries followed from Ben Rankin and Johnny McCann which edged Ayr in front with a conversion added by Lewis Pentleton. Hamilton managed a penalty score in the second half but Ayr ran out winners by the narrowest of margins 24 – 22. Ayr U16's gave Marr a head start with an interception in the first phase of play resulting in a 7 point lead. This was a marker as to how fiercely contested the game was to be. It was an extremely close battle throughout with Ayr backs looking strong in attack but Marr forwards not allowing clean or quick possession to be provided. This was the biggest test Ayr forwards had faced all season and while they held there own most of the game the turnover count was strongly in Marr's favour. Quick ball out for Ayr backs with Neil Wallace providing the perfect pass to Euan Mcgibbon saw a try for Ayr which resulted in the teams turning around at half-time with Ayr 5 - 7 down. The second half was even more fiercely contested although Ayr took the lead with good possession won in quick phases and a great individual finish from Walker Lynch. Marr struck back with a penalty kick to level the score at 10 - 10. Marr built up some good quality possession and territory but failed to convert it to points. Ayr worked there way back down the pitch with some good tactical kicking from Christian Donaldson and good pressure by Ayr's back row. This resulted in a copy book catch and drive from Ayr with Craig Hogg scoring what turned out to be the decisive try. Despite Marr maintaining excellent pressure in the last 10 minutes of the game, Ayr held their line to win 15 - 10 and retain top position in their league. A great team effort!

JUNIOR PHOTOS more available in GALLERY

OUR UNDER 18 GIRLS

OUR UNDER18 BOYS

MIDI PHOTOS more available in GALLERY