ELATED Ayr Rugby Club head coach Calum Forrester lavished praise on his side as they finally landed the top domestic prize in the game at the third time of asking.

They won the BT Premiership Play-off Final with a 12-8 triumph against bitter rivals Melrose at the Greenyards.

Now the Millbrae men and their pink and black army aim to make it a double on Saturday as they head for Murrayfield to face the same side in the BT Scottish Cup final.

And on what should be an unforgettable afternoon for rugby, local rivals Carrick will go for glory as they take on Murrayfield Wanderers in the final of the BT Shield

Thousands of fans are set to descend on the capital to take in the games.

Forrester was delighted with his team's efforts and said: "It was great to win it after losing in the final last year and the semi-final the previous season. It was a great team effort with our experienced players like Pete McCallum and Scott Sutherland proving important.

"When Pete got a yellow-card just as he did in last year's final late on I thought 'here we go again'. We also lost possession to let them back into it and make the game closer than it should have been but we saw the game out and it's a great achievement, this is the top prize, which everyone wants to win."

However he is now focusing on Saturday's showdown in Edinburgh and warned: "It will be a big ask and it's a totally different game. Melrose will be hurting after losing at the weekend but the cup final is a big occasion and it would be a great achievement if we could complete the double. We will be ready for Saturday. The players are looking forward to it and we will have a lot of support from the fans."

Carrrick RFC head coach Gordon Brown acknowledges his side are underdogs but is hopeful they can defend the trophy they won last year.

He said: "Murrayfield will be the favourites as they won their league title this season and have the advantage of being at home. But we expect to bring 700 fans to Edinburgh with us and that will help. We don't mind being underdogs and are on a great run of form - we have won 17 out of our last 18 games and finished second in the league.

"We did well to beat Highland in the final last year and I am confident that if we play well we can win again. Players like Blair Jardine and the captain Michael Kirk should play a key part."