2011 will be a big year for Ayr Rugby Club

Jan 7 2011 Ayrshire Post (main ed)

IT was the year Ayr entered as 2009 Scottish club champions, ended up league runners-up to Currie but celebrated a never forgotten day at Murrayfield.

Beating a side of the quality of Melrose to win the cup as a sea of pink engulfed the stand will always be the abiding memory (writes RON EVANS).

But that was then and this is now and Ayr sit poised to face the challenges of the second half of the season as we go into 2011.

The Premier title, the cup and the British and Irish Cup are all there to be played for and the year kicks off on Saturday with Ayr's second round pool match in the cup against GHA at Millbrae.

GHA will be no pushover and although they are currently in bottom spot in Premier C, they have averaged close to 30 points in their last four matches running in tries with strike runners like Niall Cassie and the dangerous Jamie Pinder a threat.

Ayr should take the points then move on to the next round of the B and I Cup cross border adventure on January 15 when they travel to take on Birmingham and Solihull Bees at Damson Park.

Ayr came out on top when the Midlands outfit came to Millbrae last season and a result anything close to the six try 49-14 scoreline then will what coach Kenny Murray will be looking for.

The two B and I ties so far have not given Ayr the best of starts, hunting around South Wales for a pitch on which to take on Pontypridd before finally losing 33-12 at Glamorgan Wanderers a day after the game was scheduled after losing a 12-8 half time.

That disappointment was compounded by the postponement of the match at Millbrae the following week against Llandovery despite heroic efforts by the club to get the game played.

A British and Irish Cup fixture list which has done Ayr no favours sees them travel south again on January 22 to face a Rotherham Titans side who were turned over at Millbrae last season 28-13.

As they currently sit in the bottom half of the league, the chance is there to pick up the points before Doncaster come to Millbrae in February with a date for the Llandovery match still to be agreed.

Finally on January 29, league action resumes at Millbrae with Boroughmuir the visitors and with the title race now narrowing down to probably four sides, Melrose on 52 points, Hawks on 50, Ayr on 49 and Currie on 45, this will be a must win for Ayr.

It is going to take a huge effort by all the sides in league, cup and B and I Cup contention to get back on track and - I slip this one in as a non-believer in a winter break - it will be interesting to see how long it takes the likes of Ayr, Currie, Melrose and Hawks to get back up to speed.

This week's cup encounter with GHA is as good a way to get back on track as any and one benefit that the weather induced lay off has brought for Ayr has been that the niggling knocks have had time to heal and the long term injured like Mark Stewart will now be raring to go.

So welcome 2011. Four months await which will see Ayr attempt to regain the title, retain the cup and make an impression in the cross border competition by at least getting to the play-offs.

Going into the new year, it is exciting times at Millbrae as the team now bristles with experience but perhaps more significantly, youngsters like Mark Bennett, who scored the try of the season so far against Heriot’s, Robbie Fergusson and Murray Beckwith, all still in their teens and great prospects, are in the squad and at this time of year which always brings a bit of reflection on what has gone before, they represent the future.

It only remains now to wish Ayr all the best in the coming months and all the readers of my weekly scribblings in this column a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year