Ayr Rugby Club's double bid falls short

Apr 24 2009

AND so it came to an end. Ayr's hopes of doing a double disappeared at the Greenyards, certainly not with a whimper but a bang which almost saw them through to the semi-finals of the Scottish Hydro Electric Cup, a huge last minute effort not quite enough to overcome the borderers.

The clash between the cup holders and the Scottish champions was always going to be close but, as with the league encounters, home advantage proved crucial.

The scorelines were almost identical – 26-21 in the league at the Greenyards, 26-20 in the cup – and with arguably the two best club sides in Scottish rugby in opposition, it was nip and tuck to the final whistle.

Scott Wight and Frazier Climo exchanged penalties in the first ten minutes, a Wight monster kick from half way which went over via the post took Melrose back into the lead but a superb build up by Ayr saw prop Gordon Reid crash over to give the visitors the lead.

Seven minutes later, a speculative chip by John Dalziel saw Callum Anderson get the bounce to win the race for the touchdown and Wight's conversion then a penalty eight minutes later took Melrose into a 16-8 lead until a Climo penalty saw the game finely poised at 16-11 at half time.

Five minutes into the second half and Climo had banged over another two penalties to edge Ayr one point ahead but Wight replied with his fourth penalty to restore a two point lead.

The next score was always going to be vital and again, it was a kick ahead, this time from hooker Wayne Mitchell, which foiled the Ayr defence, full back Jordan Macey getting the bounce yet again outpacing his pursuers for the all important try.

With five minutes left, Climo slotted his fifth penalty signalling a furious siege in the Melrose red zone but the home line held secure and their defence of the cup continued as Ayr's competitive season came to an end where it had finished a year before, in the quarter finals.

"It was frustrating to lose a game which was touch and go for so long," said Ayr coach Kenny Murray "but fair play to Melrose they took their chances. They put us under pressure with their kicking from hand and they kicked their goals but they did get the rub of the green that you need in a cup tie when both the kicks they scored from bounced for them and not for us.

“We also picked up two yellow cards for Stewart Magorian and Stewart Fenwick and it is a big ask to play in that sort of tie for twenty minutes a man short."

"If it had been at home, I think that we would have taken that advantage but it was a really hard draw from when we went into the competition but I cannot fault the effort that the team put in and on the day is was just a bit short of what we needed."

It was always going to be hard for Ayr to keep their focus after the massive effort which went into winning the Premier One title although had it been any of the other quarter finalists, or indeed, as the coach pointed out, had they not had the cruel draw which gave them four away ties on the trot, at Livingston, Hawick and Currie before Melrose, they could have been looking at a home semi-final.

Indeed, had they not met before, many observers predicted that it would be an Ayr v Melrose final on May 10 at Murrayfield and the prediction now is certainly that Melrose will go on to successfully defend the cup.

It has been the most memorable of seasons for Ayr, the extraordinary feat of becoming Scottish champions something which will forever be etched in the minds of those who witnessed it but it will be interesting to look forward to how they follow that when, without any doubt, they will be the team to beat in Premier One.