Welington/Ayr win local derby

Due to the condition of the Wellington pitches the U18s match was transferred to Troon. However it was the visitors who started more brightly and put Marr under early pressure. It was no surprise that it was Ayr who scored first with a converted try scored under the posts. It was to be hoped that Marr would now wake from their slumber but it was Ayr who scored again with their stand off dancing through a number of missed tackles to score a converted try. 14-0 and Marr were still walking about in a dream.

Ayr continued to have the bulk of play in the first half but Marr gradually became more involved and after a break by Press, O'Leary continued the move and took the game close to the Ayr line However Marr failed to take advantage of the scoring opportunity and the first half finshed with no further score.

Some harsh words were said at half time and Marr came out for the second half a totally different team. It was Marr who put Ayr under early pressure. Ayr lost a player to a yellow card for a high tackle and Marr continued to press their line. Eventually after repeated penalties by Ayr the referee lost his patience and awarded Marr a penalty try. 14-7. Game on.

It was then Marr's turn to lose a player to the 'bin' and with the man advantage Ayr spread the ball wide and their left winger scored an unconverted try.

Marr were soon on the front foot again and after a period of pressure Paterson went over for a try which he converted himself. 19-14 to Ayr.

Marr struggled to retain the ball from the kick off and from the resultant scrum the Ayr left wing went through from an inside pass to score a converted try under the posts and extend Ayr's lead to 26-14.

The Marr players showed a 'never say die' attitude and again put prssure on the Ayr defence. Marr kicked a penalty to the corner and after a number of pick and drives Keir Gaw went over for Marr's third try. The conversion by Paterson made the score 26-21 to Ayr.

Shortly after the referee blew the whistle for the end of the match. Marr will reflect on what might have been if they had played with the same level of commitment in the first ten minutes as they did for the remainder of the match. They now have ten days to recover and prepare for the Schools Plate semi final match at Trinity Academy which is due to be played on Tuesday 28th November. Todays match was a useful workout but highlights the need once again to play from the first whistle. Surely the opportunity of playing a final at Murrayfield will provide the required incentive!!