Ayr 12 - 41 Currie: Unhappy farewell for Ayr's captain but 'brave' Currie delight Donaldson

IN what has not been a stellar season for Scottish referees, young Andy McMenemy emerged bruised from this tousy affair. Ayr and Currie don't do meaningless games. There is always an edge which requires firm handling.

McMenemy came up short; the game was always seemingly about to run away from him and the manner in which he repeatedly penalised Ayr, while missing similar Currie infringements, frustrated the home team and supporters and helped create a malodorous air around a match which included lots of cracking full-throttle, committed rugby.

The better team won, which left Currie coach Ally Donaldson a happy man, but pondering the "what if" question. Had Currie started the season as they finished, they would surely have retained their title. However, with second place, a good showing in the British & Irish Cup, no domestic defeat by more than four points and some youngsters maturing, Donaldson had to be happy.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"We had to stand up and be brave. We were and this win gives us confidence for next season," he said. Less happy was departing Ayr captain Damien Kelly. "It wasn't the farewell I wanted," he said. "But I've won things here and I've made so many friends in my ten years in Scotland. I'll miss this place."

Fellow antipodean Glen Tippett also hung up his boots at no-side, but is staying in Scotland. "I came here, to East Kilbride, on a six-month holiday, 14 years ago", he noted. "Now I've got a wife, two kids and a great job with the SRU. Scotland's my home and it's time to move on with some wonderful memories of a great time here. I'm happy to quit."

The way both got caught up in Ayr's frustrations with the refereeing and their own club's mistakes, spoilt their farewell. Currie scored six tries, three in each half. The first, from Finlay Gillies, came from an incisive Andrew Binikos break. The next two, from James Johnston and skipper Andy Adam from basic Ayr errors. Between tries two and three, Ross Curle scored Ayr's opener.

After the turn-round, replacement hooker Stu Simonsen grabbed the bonus-point try, then Hayden Abercrombie, who had converted Johnston's and Simonsen's tries, kicked a penalty and added the minor points to tries from Mike Entwhistle and Andrew Turnbull to put the visitors 41-5 clear, before Ayr's late flourish saw an Andy Dunlop try, converted by Curle.

Ayr's indiscipline saw Curle, Scott Sutherland and Cammy Taylor - for taking a right hook to the jaw - sin-binned. That third yellow card perhaps the worst of a few poor decisions in a match referee McMenemy will surely seek to erase from his memory banks.

Scorers: Ayr - Tries: Curle and Dunlop. Con: Curle. Currie - Tries: Gillies, Johnston, Adam, Simonsen, Entwhistle, Turnbull. Cons: Abercrombie (4). Pens: Abercrombie.

Ayr: Anderson; A Wilson, Curle, M Stewart, Manning; R McCallum, MacFarlane; Reid, McArthur, A Kelly, Sutherland, D Kelly, Dunlop, Burke, Tippett. Subs used: Fenwick, Sykes, Nimmo, Steele, Taylor.Currie: Abercrombie; Turnbull, Johnston, McMahon, Brown; Binikos, Snedden; Cox, Gillies, Hamilton, R Wilson, Adam, Burton, Entwhistle, Weston. Subs used: Simonsen, Merrilees, Temple, Cairns, Strachan.

Referee: A McMenemy.