BT Charity Shield

AYR 31

MELROSE 44

By Elena Hogarth

THE two giants of Scottish club rugby whetted the appetite for the new season as they went head-to-head in the name of charity at Millbrae on Satudray, and it was the visitors Melrose who came out on top as they beat hosts Ayr 44-31 to claim the BT Charity Shield.

It is now tradition for the BT Premiership champions to play the BT Cup champions the week before the new season starts, with all the admission fees donated to charity. This year, the match was in aid of the fight against motor neurone disease after Doddie Weir, the former Scotland and Melrose player, revealed his recent diagnosis and his intentions to support and raise awareness of those also affected by MND.

A charity friendly it may have been, but there was no quarter given between the two sides on the pitch. Eleven tries were scored during the eighty minutes, and if this is anything to go by, 2017/18 is going to be a season to remember.

Melrose opened the scores through hooker Richard Ferguson but Ayr soon replied with an Adam Prentice try, a conversion by fly-half Frazier Climo all that separated the teams.

Climo and his opposite number Ben Chalmers exchanged penalties before Melrose juggernaut prop Nick Beavon’s try opened the flood gates.

Climo was yellow-carded for an apparent deliberate knock-on and a penalty try was awarded to Melrose, swiftly followed by scores for winger Ross McCann and full-back Fraser Thomson.

Ayr were trailing by 22 points but narrowed by gap slightly before half-time when second row Robert McAlpine barged over for a try.

Back row Blair Macpherson scored for Ayr twice in the second half but they had left themselves with too much to do, and Melrose got further tries through McCann and fellow winger Sam Pecqueur.

Despite the loss, there were bright spots throughout the game, not least the young front row of Robbie Smith, Lewis Anderson and Adam Prentice who more than held their own against the heavy hitters from Melrose.

Youngsters Paddy Dewhirst and Scott Lyle – one of the summer’s new recruits – injected energy and flair into the attack and defence, and back row additions Tommy Spinks and George Stokes showed glimmers of their wrecking ball reputations.

Ayr head coach Calum Forrester was sanguine in defeat and said: "There are a few things that need to be tightened up but there were a lot of positives in our game.”

The Millbrae side start the defence of their BT Premiership title this Saturday with an away game to Boroughmuir, with the 2nd XV also taking on their counterparts at Meggetland.

Ayr Ladies have their first BT Premier League fixture on Friday at Millbrae against Stewartry Sirens, kicking off at 7.30pm.