Rugby: Elena Hogarth

THERE was despair and joy at Ayr RFC over the weekend, as the men’s and women’s 1st XVs lost out in their national semi-finals, but the oft-overlooked Millbrae RFC were victorious.

Ayr’s de facto 3rd XV, Millbrae took on Grangemouth Stags in the BT Bowl semi-final on Saturday. It was a low-scoring first half, with the only points on the board from Millbrae’s James Armstrong, who kicked two penalties.

Things picked up in the second, with Grangemouth getting on the score sheet thanks to a Duncan Fisher penalty. But Millbrae pulled away, man-of-the-match Armstrong scoring a try and adding another three points to seal the 14-3 win and send them to BT Murrayfield for the final against Aberdeen University on Saturday, April 16.

Try as they might, Ayr won’t be joining them there, losing out to Melrose 13-20 in the BT Cup semi-final in the dying minutes, just as Millbrae were triumphing on the next door pitch.

It was an at times sloppy match from both teams as they struggled on the muddy pitch. But Ayr’s indiscipline cannot be blamed on the conditions.

Two yellow cards, for flanker Will Bordill for a professional foul and for captain Ross Curle after a shoulder barge, left the men in pink and black a man down for ten-minute periods either side of the interval, and left them vulnerable to the hefty forwards and crafty backs of Melrose.

It had all started so well, with Ayr replying to Melrose’s Joe Helps’ penalty with a terrific try by Craig Gossman, who scurried up the wing after swift passing by second row Scott Sutherland and scrum-half David Armstrong, Ayr’s busiest men on the field. Where there was hard graft to be done or deft touches needed, there were Sutherland and Armstrong.

Stand-off Frazier Climo added a penalty to his superb conversion and Ayr led before Bordill’s sin-binning and a penalty try for Melrose tied the scores. The New Zealander nudged Ayr back in front with a penalty just after half-time.

Helps evened things up again, and both he and Climo had further chances for three points but missed. Just when it seemed there would be extra time, Melrose forced their way into Ayr’s 22 and prop Nick Beavon propelled himself over for a try converted by Helps that was the death-knell for Ayr’s BT Cup campaign.

There was extreme disappointment amongst the standing-room-only crowd as Melrose didn’t necessarily out-play Ayr but just capitalised on the home team’s lack of composure.

With another semi-final, the BT Premiership play-off, this Saturday again at Millbrae and again with Melrose, Ayr head coach Calum Forrester was keen to wipe the slate clean.

"There’s no point in worrying about this,’ he said. ‘We need to get our heads up and get ready for the next match."

Ayr Ladies were disappointed too, after their superb run in the Sarah Beaney Cup came to a halt against Scottish women rugby goliaths Hillhead/Jordanhill on Sunday.

A league above Ayr and boasting some of Scotland’s finest female international players, Hills were always going to pose an enormous challenge for the home team.

Their 108-0 win goes to show that there is a gulf in women’s rugby that needs to be narrowed if the game is to grow.

The lack of points will no doubt rankle Ayr Ladies, but they gave it their all against a team so much better than them. Youngsters Catherine Shennan and Kelsey Swift, fresh from Scotland U20s duty, showed some skill, and once again the back row of Lynda Morgan, Lynsey Turner and Rachael Mulholland played their hearts out.

Ayr Ladies will now turn their attention to reclaiming the top spot of BT National 1 and getting themselves into the Premier League where they will go up against the likes of Hills week in, week out and continue the wonderful progress they have made over the past four years.

Ayr Ladies U15s were runners-up in the National Shield final, after they were beaten 27-64 by a combined Orkney/Caithness team on the back pitches at BT Murrayfield.