MAGNIFICENT Marr Rugby Club reached the pinnacle of the sport for the first time amid joyous scenes on Saturday.

They clinched promotion to the BT Premiership, wrapping up the National League Division One title with a thumping 39-22 triumph against GHA at Braidholm in front of 500 travelling fans.

It was remarkably the 21st win in a row for the team, who are unbeaten at home for two seasons.

For coach Craig Redpath it was a career highlight and he said: "To think we are going to be in Premier One next season is a phenomenal achievement for this club. It has been great - fantastic. We have a good bunch of boys who have worked hard. To take Marr - a small club from the West of Scotland to the Premiership in eight years is my greatest achievement. As a player I was with Melrose, so getting accolades was quite easy. When I started off I didn't think we would get here."

Winger Scott Bickerstaff has been with the club since the age of seven and said: "We are a home-grown side and the key is we stuck together. It was nice to score in the last game. To play against the top teams is going to be amazing but we have been working towards this. We want to stay up there and do as well as we can."

Stephen Adair, who scored two tries said their motivation had come from just missing out last season and said: "We came up short last year but we have worked really hard all season. It was good to get a couple of tries. We were nervous but confident. I won the Scottish Cup with Ayr. But this is up there with that. When I joined Marr we were in West Division One. This is an amazing achievement. We will go up as underdogs and aim to compete."

Marr Club President Kevin Quinn added: "We have gone from club 100 to the top 10. Our rise has been staged as part of a plan. Craig Redpath is the key component of what we are trying to do and is the best coach in Scotland. We want Marr Rugby to become a household name."

Meanwhile Ayr Rugby Club blasted into their second straight final on Saturday, when they hammered Glasgow Hawks 38-22 to reach the BT Premiership playoff final. They face Melrose away on April 15 and a week later take on the same club in the BT Cup final at Murrayfield.

Coach Calum Forrester said: "We dominated and played well. The game was over by half-time. Hopefully we can end the season with some trophies."