BT Premiership

STIRLING COUNTY 6

AYR 10

by Elena Hogarth

BATTLING Ayr edged to victory at Stirling in the penultimate regular match of the BT Premiership.

Stirling, floating around perilously in seventh place in the table, were desperate for a win to avoid a possible relegation play-off.

At the other end of the scale, a victory would seal Ayr’s place at the top and technically see them ‘win’ the league, but not really. They have to come through the play-off semi-finals and final in April to get their hands on the trophy.

With the Wallace Monument looming at one end of County’s ground and Stirling Castle visible from the other, history abounds at what is probably club rugby’s most picturesque venue.

Aptly, it all began with a battle for Stirling’s try-line and the home team repelled the visitors admirably for the first 20 minutes. Ayr had numerous chances for a score in the opening quarter but the defence was just too good.

There were no scores at all until the clock hit thirty minutes and County’s Jonny Hope struck a penalty. He got another after half-time, but the crowd had to wait an hour for a try.

Ayr’s burly flanker Blair Macpherson refused to be moved by County’s doughty defenders before he got the ball down with millimetres to spare in the corner. It was a fiendish angle for stand-off Frazier Climo to convert from, but he nailed it, adding a penalty shortly after.

That, in a nutshell, is the story of the game. Low on scores, high on tough tackles. There were set-pieces aplenty too. Ayr struggled at the line-out again but they dominated the scrum.

County got a losing bonus point to keep them away from the dreaded ninth place for the time being, and there seemed to be some satisfaction in the real test they gave the de facto league winners after Ayr mauled them 55-21 at Millbrae back in September.

The visitors were relieved to come through such a physical encounter that could have ended with a loss, especially after winger Richard Dalgleish was shown a yellow card in the final five minutes for a tackle that was more unwise than dangerous.

Ayr are now12 points clear of second-placed Heriot’s, who found themselves in a similar position to the Millbrae side last year. The Edinburgh-based team topped the table by – obviously – winning more games and scoring more points than anyone else. They just beat Melrose by two points in the play-off final to win a title that was technically already theirs, and had they lost, it would have felt like a bit of an injustice. Here’s hoping Ayr follow in their footsteps this season.

There were wins all round for teams pulling on the pink and black jersey last weekend.

The 2nd XV beat County 17-3, thanks to tries by Aidan Holland and Sam Graham, with the latter adding the extras. Millbrae RFC recorded a huge 67-7 win against Clydesdale, whilst the U18s beat Biggar 26-7 in the National Youth Cup quarter-finals.

On Sunday, the U16s made their way into the National Youth Cup semi-finals after a tense 18-8 win against Stirling County, and Ayr Ladies racked up the tries to secure a 56-5 victory over Oban Lorne in BT National 1.

The Ladies have a big week ahead of them as they host BT Premiership side Melrose in the Sarah Beaney Cup quarter-finals at Millbrae this Sunday, kicking off at 2pm.