AYR streamrollered Aberdeen Grammar 51-12 in the third round of the BT Cup to kick off a weekend of victories for the teams in pink and black, writes Elena Hogarth.

It was always going to be a bit of a mismatch at Rubislaw as the BT National 1 team hosted the joint-leaders of the BT Premiership. The visitors ran in nine tries to the home side’s two and ruled the roost at the set-piece.

The Ayr fans who made the long journey to see their team got more than a glimpse of a future as three 18-year-olds started the game – scrum-half Harry Warr, stand-off Paddy Dewhirst and hooker Robbie Smith – and looked comfortable and capable throughout.

Dewhirst will perhaps be disappointed at missing so many conversions (he landed three from eight attempts; Frazier Climo, moved to inside centre to accommodate Dewhirst, also had a go and missed), but with the majority of tries scored out wide on the wing, his team-mates didn’t exactly make it easy for him.

Climo flew away for the first try after an initial period of possession for Grammar. But Ayr’s firepower was just too much for the hosts. Winger Jamie Bova soon added another, pouncing on a chip-kick.

Prop Adam Prentice scored his first try in a pink and black shirt before winger Richard Dalgleish strolled across the line for the fourth of the day.

Captain Pete McCallum scored back-to-back before half-time, diving over in the corner and then simply dotting down the ball from the back of a trundling scrum.

At 32-0 down with another 40 minutes to go, anyone would have forgiven Grammar for throwing in the towel, at least mentally, but they retook the muddy pitch with their heads held high and didn’t let Ayr have things all their own way.

Winger Matt Arnold scored two good tries for the hosts, slicing through the defence and then later homing in on a wayward Ayr pass in his own 22. Tom Aplin converted one.

But Ayr added three more tries before the match was done, replacement prop Steven Longwell barrelling over, outside centre Danny McCluskey once again turning on the speed and style, and replacement flanker Gregor Henry appearing in the backs to run in.

Ayr head coach Calum Forrester was magnanimous in victory and said: “Aberdeen showed some good stuff and thoroughly deserved their tries. The pleasing thing for us was the solid play of youngsters Harry, Paddy and Robbie.”

Ayr’s win takes them to the quarter-finals of the BT Cup on Saturday, Marc 4. with the draw taking place this week.

While the 1st XV were winning in Aberdeen, Ayr-Wellington U18s were winning in Troon. Their National Youth League Cup semi-final against Highland was switched to Marr College playing fields to ensure the fixture went ahead in the wake of heavy overnight rain.

The switch didn’t affect the boys, who marched into the final with a 33-0 win.

Twenty-four hours later and the U16s followed. Millbrae had dried up sufficiently to let them play Boroughmuir on the main pitch and they didn’t concede a point either, winning 17-0.

It will be a tough afternoon and early evening on Friday. February 10 when the U18s face Stirling County and the U16s Hawick in their respective finals at BT Murrayfield.

County have one of the strongest youth sections in Scotland, while Hawick – even at U16 level – can claim to be the proudest club in the country.

However, the U16s are defending champions and the U18s will have revenge on their minds after County beat them in the final last year.

With Millbrae RFC beating Cambuslang 32-5 in BT West 2, Ayr Ladies emulating their male counterparts by scoring nine tries to beat Broughton 48-12 in the second round of the Sarah Beaney Cup, and the U15s winning their West Regional Cup first round match against East Kilbride 50-20, six Ayr teams won last weekend, and that’s not counting the younger youth teams who went to Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh and returned home with victories.