Ayr v Bristol Match Report

Ayr 16-14 Bristol

Ayr brought some seasonal cheer to Millbrae with a last gasp victory over Bristol in a muddy British and Irish Cup tie on Saturday afternoon. After last week’s narrow loss to Munster, the men in pink and black were determined to end 2011 on a high.

            The first twenty minutes of Ayr’s fourth B&I Cup game were hampered by the slippery conditions. Although it was dry overhead, it was soggy underfoot, and the best efforts of those tending the Millbrae turf were spoiled as the two teams doggedly fought for territory and possession.

            The experienced Bristol side spent much of the first quarter encamped in Ayr’s half, solidly working their way towards the line with a series of driving mauls. But the home team proved tenacious in defence and repelled any Bristol attacks.

            Eleven minutes in saw two yellow cards handed out by the referee. Ayr second row Scott Sutherland and Bristol prop Darren Crompton found themselves in the sin bin for ten minutes. With the forwards down to seven men aside, the scrums became even messier in the increasingly churned-up pitch. 

            Both teams struggled with handling errors, which possibly led to the match’s first points opportunity at twenty-three minutes. Bristol were penalised for holding on just inside their own half. Robbie Fergusson easily slotted over the kick, making it 3-0 to the home side.

            With Sutherland and Crompton back on the park, the scrums continued to dominate the first half. Referee Jason Bessant continually stopped time to talk to the front rows, but to no avail. Bristol wheeled the scrum, giving Ayr an opportunity they couldn’t capitalise on.

            Bristol had all the territory, although possession was evenly matched. After a failed attempt at a cross-field kick, it seemed the men from the West Country would go into the dressing room without any points. The crowd was under the impression that time was up, and it appeared that Ayr’s Calum Forrester had kicked the ball to touch for half-time. But the referee brought them back from yet another scrum in the quagmire of Ayr’s half, which led to a quick try for Bristol’s fullback Sean Marsden. Mark Davies successfully converted, bringing the scoreboard to 3-7 at the break.

            Ayr took to the field with renewed purpose in the second half. Within five minutes, Fergusson had another successful shot at goal to bring the score to 6-7. Besides a scything run from Ayr’s inside centre Mark Stewart, the game continued in much the same vein as the first half. Bristol also had an opportunity at goal, but replacement Jack Gadd was unable to get any distance with his kick. It was gathered by Ayr and scrum-half Murray McConnell pinned his ears back but was closed down by strong defence from Bristol.

            Ayr applied the pressure further, but Bristol’s experience told when their number eight Dan Montagu crossed the line for the visitors’ second try. Gadd’s conversion took the score to 6-14 with twenty minutes to go. 

            The home team didn’t fade though, with the backs showing some good handling and running. Fergusson missed a penalty kick, but Ayr pressed on. A brilliant charge up the wing from Cameron Taylor took Ayr into Bristol’s half. Forwards and backs combined to bundle Mark Stewart over the line for Ayr’s only try of the match. Replacement Sylvain Diez converted with seven minutes to go, making the score 13-14. 

            There was more drama to come, as the referee reached for the red card with three minutes remaining. Already sin-binned, Bristol’s Darren Crompton’s second yellow became a red. With the ball teed up practically on the left touchline, Diez lined up for the penalty kick. The crowd held its breath as the Frenchman bisected the posts to put Ayr in front for the first time in the second half. After a line-out and scrum, Ayr gladly booted the ball onto the stand roof, which was raised by the ecstatic supporters. The final score was Ayr 16 Bristol 14. – Eléna Hogarth

 

Munster then Bristol

British and Irish Cup business continues this week as Ayr take on Bristol at Millbrae in the final pool match. Make sure you get down for the game.

Moray Low on the rampage for Ayr against Munster at Tralee.

McConnell Makes Glasgow Bench

Ayr scrum half Murray McConnell is on the bench for Glasgow Warriors this Sunday when they take on Newport Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade.

Gordon Reid is also on the bench and that other Ayr favourite, Johnnie Beattie, makes a welcome return at No. 8.

Good luck boys. The game is live on BBC Alba.

Lemi, Shaw and Barclay for Ayr

The Premier A Draft is published.

Go here for Scotsman story.

Pictures from Plymouth!

Courtesy of Dougie Stanley - here are some pictures from last week's big game at Plymouth

 

Murray Confirms Ayr Promise in Herald

From today's Herald:

Ayr and Melrose leading by example in British & Irish Cup

Neil Drysdale

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15 Nov 2011

NOT everybody would relish the winter trip from Ayr to Plymouth, but Kenny Murray is one of life’s little coiled springs of exuberance when he starts talking about rugby challenges in the British & Irish Cup.

The Millbrae club may have struggled with injuries this season, in addition to losing several of their talismanic performers to retirement or professionalism, but they demonstrated their resilient qualities again at the weekend by transforming a 17-10 deficit into an 18-17 victory over Plymouth Albion, with Glasgow’s Johnnie Beattie powering his path to the try line in the last five minutes of the feisty encounter.

The sight of the barnstorming No.8 in his element was one of the significant pluses of the lengthy trek for Murray, though he appreciates that the Scotland player might have preferred a berth in the Warriors ranks for their Heineken Cup tussle with Bath.

Yet, if there was any sense of injustice festering beneath the surface, Beattie kept it well concealed.

“His attitude, his application and his work ethic were all first-rate and I can’t overstate the influence which he had on our squad. The Plymouth pack were a big unit, they featured at least one lad who had played in the World Cup [for Canada], and they did their best to get physical with John, but he just dusted himself down, kept battling away, and eventually gained his reward,” said Murray.

“Sometimes, these pro guys don’t really want to be here, turning out for clubs, but Johnnie and Jon Welsh both did their best to feel part of the team, they were with us on the journey down, they relaxed with us afterwards, and you won’t hear a bad word about either of them from Ayr’s players, management or supporters.

“To be honest, we would like to have them both back for Saturday’s [home] match against Cross Keys, because that will be another very tough fixture for us, but we recognise that they want to be involved in European action and you can hardly fault them for that.”

With Melrose also orchestrating a heroic fightback to defeat Bedford in the same competition on Sunday, Scotland’s club representatives have definitely punched above their weight, and no organisation has adapted better than the Ayr men, who have also claimed wins over Rotherham, Doncaster and Birmingham-Solihull since the cross-border tournament was launched.

The majority of these clubs boast greater strength in depth than their Caledonian counterparts, and yet, as Murray argues, there isn’t a massive gulf between the best amateur performers and those who earn their living from rugby.

“We found out later that 70% of the Plymouth boys were full-time professionals, and the other 30% were on part-time pro contracts, so there is no doubt this event is a step up from what we are used to in the Premiership, but we managed to cope, and so did Melrose. The fact that we both rallied from conceding early points perhaps showed that it took us a little bit of time to get up to speed with these English opponents, but we managed it soon enough,” said Murray.

“I was a bit frustrated when we fell behind, but we were playing into a strong wind in the first half and when we cut the deficit to 17-5 before the interval, I fancied our chances. We’ve a lot of youngsters in the ranks, but they can only learn quicker from these sort of experiences.

“Now we have to prepare for Cross Keys, who beat Moseley by 40 points, so we have no illusions about their threat. But that’s one of the things I love about this event; the fact that you are constantly coming up against new clubs and travelling to places you would never normally visit. You never know what will happen from one week to the next. It’s terrific.”

• TEAM OF THE WEEK

There’s no need to look any further than Ayr and Melrose, who defeated strong English opponents in the British & Irish Cup over the course of the weekend. Hawick also notched up their maiden victory of the season against Selkirk.

• TALKING POINT

The British & Irish Cup is a tremendous innovation [of which Scotland has three participants]. But the vast majority of the country’s clubs now have to wait until January to resume action. Is this really the best means of promoting the grassroots game?

Robbie Makes the Herald...

Fergusson shines in Ayr’ famous victory over Plymouth

david kelso

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14 Nov 2011

MARK STEWART, the Ayr captain, praised the display of teenager Robbie Fergusson following his side’s 18-17 British and Irish Cup victory over Plymouth Albion.

It was arguably the most impressive competitive win by any Scottish club against a professional side – particularly away from home.

Perhaps more notable was the confidence and composure shown by Fergusson, though. The 18-year-old even scored the penalty which clinched the win for his side.

“You have to hand it to young Robbie,” said Stewart. “It was just tremendous to see how he handled the situation. For someone that age to slot a kick like that in the circumstances was exceptional.

“It has been pretty up and down for us in Premier 1 so far but this could be the turning point in our season. To win like that on the road against an English Championship side is a great start to our campaign and hopefully we can build on that and try to get at least as far as we did last season.

“The lads who came into the side from other clubs did a fantastic job and along with the Ayr players who have experienced this level before, we didn’t let our heads go down when we went behind and pulled out a great second-half performance. Our defence and discipline was outstanding and we denied them any points after half-time.”

The picture had looked bleak as the visitors were 17-5 down at the interval. Albion made a strong start with Jack Nowell scoring a try which was duly converted by Mark Lee. He then added a penalty before converting Rupert Freestone’s try. However, Hayden Wisnuski, the Ayr hooker, was able to claw back five precious points.

Then came the fight back. Fergusson sparked it off with a penalty – before scoring the decisive points following a try from Johnnie Beattie. The Glasgow Warriors No.8 was omitted from his club’s squad to face Bath, but it was his younger colleague who stole the attention.