Teenagers help Ayr Rugby Club crush Watsonians

Oct 22 2010 Ayrshire Post (main ed)

YOUTH was to the fore as Ayr scored a comfortable win against Premier One’s bottom team Watsonians.

When you add together the ages of the three 17-year-olds who combined to score Ayr's final and eighth try, it comes to considerably less than the age of your correspondent (writes Ron Evans).

Jamie Fergusson started it off with a fine break, Mark Bennett carried it on and put Murray Beckwith away to score.

Tries from prop Gordy Reid, a regular on the scoresheet, Damien Kelly, Dougie Steele and a cracker by Andy Wilson with Ross Curle converting three had the bonus point tucked away after half an hour then came a foot off the gas spell as the home side got their game together.

Back row men Harris Grant and Sergiu Ursache grabbed touchdowns for 'Sonians to get them on the board but with Ayr ahead 26-10 at the break, the result was never really in doubt.

Ayr cranked up the pressure into the second half with tries from Dean Stewart and Rob Colhoun bracketing a third try for Watsonians by Dan Gorman but into the final quarter Andy Dunlop went over before the final strike by Beckwith. Curle added six out of the eight conversions although coach Kenny Murray reckoned that the score could have been much higher.

He said: “It was a good start with 26 unanswered points and the bonus by the half hour mark but we did get a bit sloppy and tried to score from everywhere.

“That led to a couple of lapses and they punished us with a couple of tries so we have to make sure our concentration is right throughout the game.

“We were back in control for the final third of the game and I honestly think we had another 20 or 30 points in us but a bonus point away from home is so important and with Hawks not collecting a bonus, they drop behind Melrose and we stay three points clear at the top.

“It is now a case of getting maximum points from our last two games before the play-offs but that won't be easy because Stirling will come to Millbrae on Saturday fired up to get a win which could help keep them out of the bottom four. Then we go to Currie for the last of our initial 11 games and no one needs to be reminded how difficult that will be."

Another interesting fact to emerge from the game at Myreside was that three new names appeared on the scoresheet.

Beckwith is out of Marr College and anyone who has watched his performances with the school, still in the archive of www.scottishrugbytv.com under Ayrshire schools finals, will not be surprised that he, like Bennett is in the Scotland U18 squad.

Lock Dean Stewart is the brother of Mark and another from the New Plymouth Old Boys club in New Zealand, almost now an associate club of Ayr, and he has shown in the past few weeks that he combines set piece technique, line out skills and presence around the park which make him a formidable opponent.

Colhoun came to Millbrae highly recommended out of North Harbour in New Zealand having been in the Otago squad, played against Dundee then pulled a hamstring for the first time in his rugby career.

His return against Watsonians had the coach purring about his performance as absolutely outstanding. A really top class performance and Rob is obviously someone who combines all the attributes of a flanker and then some said Murray in the wake of Colhoun's all round display then try scoring contribution at Myreside.

Missing from the squad against Watsonians for a variety of reasons were Mark Stewart, Scott Forrest, Grant Anderson, Johnny McClung, Steven Manning, Paul Burke, Jono Crossan, Julian Rae, Nick Cox and Andy Kelly who have all played in the nine games so far and with the top eight play-offs then the British and Irish Cup ties looming, Ayr are not only the form team in Premier One but boast a squad that is the envy of their rivals.

Stirling travel on Saturday with the intent of storming fortress Millbrae and trying to avoid the promotion/relegation play-offs and any lapse of concentration will be punished by Eddie Pollock's men.

There can be little doubt, however, that Ayr will be equally full on to maintain their target of a bonus point win from their home games and carry that three point lead into the title play-offs which start on November 13 after the first round of the cup at Perthshire the previous week.

Ayr 2nd XV beat Musselburgh 50-3 to stay three points ahead of Biggar at the top of Reserve National League Division Two.

Millbrae pulled themselves off the bottom of West Regional League Division One after beating Clydebank 24-22 for their first win of the season.