Ayr 23 - 17 Doncaster: Knights and day for avenging Ayr

DONCASTER Knights yesterday joined the ranks of English teams to have pitched up in Scotland expecting to win and been sent homeward to think again. Last season they thrashed Ayr in the Millbrae side's first British & Irish Cup tie. Yesterday, with a last eight place up for grabs, the tables were turned.

"It was our defence that won it, we rolled up our sleeves and refused to let them pass - there are a lot of very tired guys in our dressing room," said departing Ayr skipper Damien Kelly at the finish.

"We frustrated them, I think they were too arrogant and paid the price", he added.

Mark Stewart ran a superb line to touch down from Ross Curle's popped pass in eight minutes, Curle coverted and Ayr were in front. But Christian Lewis-Pratt quickly cut the deficit with a penalty goal which only served to inspire the home side.

Ayr stretched their lead in 13 minutes, Andy Dunlop brilliantly getting the ball away from a disintegrating home scrum before AJ McFarlane linked with Steven Manning, and a quick ruck ball allowed skipper Kelly to rumble over for an unconverted try.

Kelly was again involved in Ayr's third try, in 24 minutes - another typical charge seemed to have foundered when his attempted off-load was swatted down, but Curle regained possession to go over for a try which he couldn't convert.

Lewis-Pratt failed to cut the leeway before the break, but when Curle put Ayr 23-3 up nine minutes into the second half, it seemed desperate for the visitors. They began to run everything, but their ambitions were repeatedly thwarted by magnificent Ayr tackling, while Curle's game management, which earned him the man-of-the-match call, kept the Scots advancing.

With nine minutes left, the visitors were wrongly given a penalty on half-way, by no means the first mistake made by a poor team of Irish officials. Doncaster kicked deep to the Ayr 22 and from the line-out, Ed Jackson was driven over.

But Curle's kicking kept the pressure on the visitors, before, as they grew desperate in defence, he goaled a simple penalty.

As the match went into added time, Lewis-Pratt scored and converted a try, but it was a case of too little, too late and Ayr had struck a great blow for Scottish rugby.

Scorers: Ayr: Tries: M Stewart, D Kelly, Curle. Con: Curle. Pens: Curle 2. Doncaster: Tries: Jackson, Lewis-Pratt. Cons: Lewis-Pratt 2. Pens: Lewis-Pratt.

Ayr: Steele; Manning, Fergusson, M Stewart, Taylor; Curle, McFarlane; Reid, Adair, A Kelly, D Kelly, Sutherland, Calhoun, Burke, Dunlop. Subs used: McClung, Samson, Fenwick, Gilding, D Stewart, Nimmo.

Doncaster: Flockhart; Denton, Briers, Gates, Devlin; Lewis-Pratt, Hampson; Corsar, Doughty, Thiede, Kenworthy, Challinor, Makaafi, Walker, Jackson. Subs used: McColl, Gidlow, Cusack, Cochrane, Jones, Brown, Lawrie.

Referee: Paul Haycock (IRFU).