Rugby: Elena Hogarth

AYR will be hoping to turn Murrayfield pink and black on Finals Day on Saturday April 16, and with three teams in national semi-finals all played at Millbrae this weekend, they will have a good chance.

The men’s 1st XV have the first of their double-header against Melrose in the BT Cup semi-final this Saturday (they face off again the next week at Millbrae in the BT Premiership play-off last four), with Millbrae RFC playing Grangemouth Stags in the BT Bowl semi-final at the same time.

It's a shame that both matches kick off at 3pm, with Millbrae on the 2nd XV pitch, but an earlier time couldn’t be arranged for the bowl match. Grangemouth are mid-table in BT Caledonia 2 Midlands, whilst Millbrae are at the top of BT West Three with just one loss all season.

It will be a tough game, but the home side will be giving it everything to reach the final at the national stadium.

Ayr fans are excited at the prospect of another league and cup double after the feat was achieved three years ago, but getting past Melrose will be no easy task. The Greenyards team have beaten them both times in the BT Premiership this season and snuck past Ayr in last year’s league play-off semi-final.

But that provides a feeling of unfinished business for the men in pink and black, and currently on a run of good form, they’ll be backing themselves to make the final.

Cup semi-finals are familiar things for the men’s team, but for Ayr Ladies, reaching the last four of the Sarah Beaney Cup is a first and something of a watershed moment for women’s rugby in Ayrshire.

For a team formed four years ago, this is a terrific achievement and maybe something of a surprise. They beat mighty Melrose from the league above in the quarter-final and now ready themselves for the big guns of Scottish women’s rugby, Hillhead/Jordanhill on Sunday at 2pm.

With half a dozen internationalists in their ranks, the ladies from the west of Glasgow pose a huge challenge for Ayr, but there’s team spirit and belief aplenty amongst the home side.

‘Everyone is really up for it and excited to play these bigger teams." said Ayr Ladies vice-captain Laura Turner.

"We’ve got good, strong forwards and we’ll get our backs running and try to break that Hills defence.

They are poised to join Melrose and Hills in the BT Women’s Premier League should their form in BT National 1 continue.

With girls' rugby growing throughout the county – Carrick Academy have had a strong squad for a few years and Ardrossan have just formed a women’s section – Ayr Ladies’ progress is something to be savoured by everyone in Ayrshire.

All three Ayr teams come into these matches with confidence. Millbrae beat Clydesdale 107-7 in a league match, the Ladies beat Greenock 54-40 in a friendly and five Ayr men turned out for Scotland Club XV in a historic victory over their Irish counterparts.

Ayr captain Ross Curle led them to the 19-13 win in Cork, marking the first time Scotland have won both fixtures in one season, after their victory last month against the English Counties Curle’s team-mates George Hunter, Will Bordill, Rob McAlpine and Pete McCallum started both matches.

Ayr’s youth teams continue their impressive season, with the U18s beating Dalziel 40-26 to claim the West Regional Cup.

]The U16s will compete for their West Cup after their 34-23 win against Hamilton. The U15s are finalists too, beating East Kilbride 49-5 in the West Regional Bowl.

As well as preparing for their semi-final, Ayr Ladies had a busy weekend, hosting Mississauga U18s from Canada on the last stop of their ten-day Scottish tour. Their match was a curtain-raiser to the U18 boys’ final, with the Canadians triumphing 25-10 in a high-quality encounter.

Special mention goes to Lee Scott, Lewis Anderson, Catherine Shennan and Kelsey Swift who played for Scotland men and women U20s against Ireland and Belgium respectively. Both were on the receiving end of defeats, but Ayr’s youngsters gave a good accout of themselves.