Ayr rugby coach Kenny Murray is excited at new recruits

Jul 15 2011 Ayrshire Post (main ed)

IT WAS hard to say who suffered the most – the players being put through the second night of pre season training or the onlookers being eaten alive by the virulent midges which inhabit the area around the pitch at Auchincruive.

Anyway, coach Kenny Murray seemed happy enough with the way things are proceeding (writes Ron Evans).

Ayr will go about re-building a side, which has been subjected to retirals and departures, into a team which can regain the title of top club in Scotland as well as retaining the now sponsored RBS Cup and again being the most successful of the Scottish representatives in the British and Irish Cup.

In the week when next season’s fixtures were announced, the coach agreed that the loss of senior players from the highly successful squad of the past three seasons would be a challenge but one which he was confident would be met.

Murray said: “Of course losing players like Damien Kelly and Glen Tippett who have been great servants to the club for many seasons plus those who have decided or been selected to play elsewhere, particularly Gordon Reid with Glasgow Warriors and Mark Bennett to Claremont Auvergne, will mean that the team will have a new look.

“However, we are confident that with the players we are planning to bring in as well as some really exciting youngsters coming through we will have a side which will be challenging come the end of the season.

"The key positions we have to fill are looking good with highly rated lock Josh Dunning from Australia and Nick Ellrick from North Harbour an excellent No10.

“Graham Fiskin has joined from West where he held down the No8 berth and he comes with an excellent pedigree both in 15-a-side and as a sevens player having been in the Scotland international sevens squad and in fact was playing in the Middlesex Sevens at Twickenham last weekend.

“Wing Richard Dalgleish, who has got real pace, has joined from West as well.

“Sylvan Diez played last season at Dumfries and is a scrum half from the academy at Castres and of course he knows all about Ayr from Stuart Fenwick as well as from Flo Marin and Julian Montoro.

“He will challenge for the No9 jersey while prop Nick Cox is making a comeback after being forced out for the whole of last season with a neck injury.

“We will have the core of the pack from last season with Andy Dunlop, Andy Kelly, Stuart Fenwick and Scott Sutherland all in good nick and Rob Colhoun hopefully back from injury before the season is too old.

“Grant Anderson, Mark Stewart, Ross Curle, AJ MacFarlane Cammy Taylor, Andy Wilson and Robbie Fergusson will all be raring to go giving us a really strong back division."

Murray added: "We are looking at a few more players to complete the squad and will be able to announce over the next couple of weeks who else we will be bringing in but I am really excited about the way the squad is shaping up and some of the players we are still talking to."

Ayr will have warm up matches against Hillhead Jordanhill on August 6 then Whitecraigs on August 13, both at Millbrae. The comes a final match before the serious business begins when they travel to take on London Scottish at Old Deer Park on Friday, August 19, a big pre-season test against the side newly promoted to the English Championship and who are also in this season’s B and I Cup

The season proper kicks off the following week with the RBS Premier One opener at Millbrae on August 27 against newly promoted Edinburgh Accies then a trip to Netherdale on September 3 to face another side promoted last season, Gala.

On September 10 it will undoubtedly be full house at Millbrae for the visit of Melrose and all that will entail then off to Malleny Park to take on Curried on the 17th with the month ending with a trip north to take on another bunch of newcomers to Premier One in Aberdeen Grammar.

Three newly promoted sides and the other two top Scottish sides who will join Ayr in the British and Irish Cup all before the end of September.

Quite a mix and quite a mouth watering prospect.