BT Premiership

AYR 46

STIRLING COUNTY 33

by Elena Hogarth

REIGNING champions Ayr were full of energy as they beat Stirling County 46-33 in round five of the BT Premiership.

There was a busy touchline at Millbrae, as injuries before and during the match saw players limp off (and in one case, carried off) and others come on to play out of position, whilst four yellow cards between the two teams also added to the traffic on the sidelines.

The last-minute unavailability of second row Scott Sutherland, flanker Tommy Spinks and prop Adam Prentice forced a reshuffle of the starting line-up and the bench, with Michael Badenhorst, Gregor Henry and David Young pulled out of the 2nd XV squad on the morning of the fixture to replace them.

Within a few minutes of kick-off, Ayr second row Robert McAlpine fell awkwardly after a line-out and was treated by both medical teams and stretchered off to be taken to hospital for precautionary checks. The news from Millbrae later on the day was reassuring, as the big forward was said not to be seriously hurt.

It was just the first in a series of incidents throughout the match.

County got on the board first, thanks to a try by teenage winger Logan Trotter, but Ayr replied quickly through eventual man of the match, Scott Lyle. The winger was on kicking duty on Saturday too, and converted four of Ayr’s seven tries and added a penalty.

The two teams play for the Cairdeas Quaich, which marks the friendship between the clubs, but the usual amiable feel to this fixture was absent, due to the presence of three former Ayr players now playing for County.

Centre Ross Curle, who reversed his decision to retire after several years with Ayr to play with Stirling, winger Kerr Gossman, who switched from Glasgow Hawks over the summer, and player-coach Peter Jericevich, who left Ayr three years ago, were expected to make an impact during the match but didn’t really manage to.

Jericevich took his try well in the second half, but Curle and Gossman were all fingers and thumbs, racking up the handling errors and, in Curle’s case, displaying a woeful lack of judgement in defence when he dumped his former centre partner Stafford McDowall on his shoulder.

McDowall (19) out-shone Curle all afternoon and was none the worse for the dangerous tackle. Curle was very lucky not to be sin-binned, especially as prop George Hunter, his County opposite number Remy Chies, Henry (who replaced McAlpine) and fly-half Frazier Climo were all shown yellow for some slight misdemeanours.

Climo barged over for a try in the first half, as did flanker-turned-second-row Blair Macpherson. But County were chasing them all the way, with full-back Jonny Hope scoring twice in quick succession at the start of the second half.

Ayr fans were very happy to see Robbie Nairn make his debut from the bench, the powerful former Scotland under-20s winger making an immediate impact. He charged down a County kick, retrieved the ball and mowed down the defence on his way to the try-line.

Lyle got his second try after a terrific bolt up the wing by Badenhorst before Jericevich’s score.

Ayr didn’t take their foot off the gas. Scrum-half Harry Warr nipped over for a try before McDowall bounded his way to the whitewash for Ayr’s final score.

County scrum-half Ruairidh Swan’s try brought the exhaustingly entertaining match to an end.

“It was a bizarre game,” grinned Ayr head coach Calum Forrester, “but I’m proud of the players. They showed great adaptability and finished off their chances.”

Ayr will be hoping to bring that energy and enthusiasm to the big Ayrshire derby this Saturday when they make the short journey to Troon for their match with Marr.

Elsewhere, Ayr 2nd XV beat Stirling County in BT National Reserve 1 too, James Pinkerton, Adam Paxton, Lewis Young and Jamie Bova’s tries and Matt Davidson’s conversion and two penalties seeing them win 28-24.

Ayr Ladies put up a good fight against BT Premier League behemoths Murrayfield Wanderers on Sunday. They were eventually beaten 53-17 but will be pleased that, in a match that saw the debuts of several new players and a few up from the under-18s, they held their own.