November/December social events in Cumnock RFC

14 November

The food nights at the club have become renowned for the variety of themes chosen in the past and the next event on the 14th November is no different. This time we are of to Italy, the home of Pasta, Chianti and Mozarellato plus many other culinary delights. This is a great night out for the all and if its predecessors are anything to go by, well worth the price of admission. Tickets are £15.00 per head and are available from the coaches in the Mini and Youth sections. Please do your best to support this event and there is little doubt that you'll have night to remember.


25th November
Quiz Night in Cumnock RFC, Only £1 per person and Play Your Cards Right for minimum of £20. Maximum number of players per team: 6.
Come test your general knowledge, sport, music and other categories and support the club.

ITS THIS WEDNESDAY.


31 December

Cumnock RFC event to celebrate the bells. Tickets are £5 for adults and £2 for children. See Alex Dunsmuir for tickets.

Cumnock minis at Ardrossan and S1 at Whitecraigs

Cumnock minis are playing at Ardrossan next Sunday 22nd November.

Kick Off is 12 noon please be there no later that 11:40am.

Meet Cumnock RFC at 10:30 for a 10:45 departure.

Meeting details for s1 match V Whitecraigs

Players in the S1 team are to be at the club for 1200 with the KO scheduled for 1300. Any players who have not paid their monthly subs for November are reminded to bring them along.

All news is on Pitchero site, come join us and get a weekly email of the results and all the club news.

Mini details for Sunday for 15th November

THIS IS NOW POSTPONED

Minis are away to Uddingston Rugby Club on Sunday 15th November

Meet at Cumnock RFC 9:15. Going up in cars and Community Bus

We need to be at Uddingston for 10:45 for an 11am kick off. Due to other games we need to be off the parks by 12 noon

Saturday 14th November - Food Night

Cumnock RFC Mini/Midi section are holding another of the food nights, this time it's Italian and looks to be another great night of great food and banter down at the club.

Tickets are £15 each and are available from mini/midi coaches.

Come support your club and enjoy this great night.

Cumnock chatboard link

Cumnock mini results/reports

P5

The team were short of players today and Ross,Adam and Rob stepped up from the P4 squad to boost numbers. The boys lost a few early tries to the visitors before they switched on and although they came back strongly were unable to overcome the early deficit and lost the game 8-4. Cumnocks tries coming from Zak Donald 3 and Owen Young

The second game saw the home team take an early lead running in some superb tries and putting up a solid defense.Unfortunately the visitors pulled this game back as the Cumnock boys tired and the final score of 10-5 was very flattering for the visitors and didnt really reflect the passage of play. Zak Donald picked up another 3 tries in this game with Rob Drummond and Owen Young picking up 1 each.

The Cumnock squad were Ryan Kennedy,Austin McBirnie,Owen Young and Zak Donald with Owen picking up the award for best tackler



P4

The team got off to a slow start in their first game losing some early tries to the visitors from Strathven. As the game progressed the Cumnock team started to find their form with Blair McNally and Blair Stewart picking up a try each but it was too little too late and the Cumnock team lost the first game 6-2

The second game saw a huge improvement in the Cumnock team stringing together some good attacks and better tackling. Unfortunately the visitors ran in a few late tries to steal victory winning the game 6-3. Cumnocks tries coming from Ross Watson 1 Adam Watt 2

The Cumnock squad was Blair McNally,Ross Watson,Adam Watt,Jamie Kennedy,Alex Hill,Rob Drummond,Blair Stewart,Matt Montgomery and Bailey Wood. Matt Montgomery picking up the award for best tackler.

Mini results for Sunday 4th October

P6

Cumnock P6s had a quiet day against Strathaven losing both their games. However there was a lot of good play especially some of the passing and tackling. Lucy and John Watt, Adam Carballo, Tyler Wallace and Kory Galloway. New player Karl Nelson showed that he was also a natural tackler by felling a number of bigger opponents despite this being his first ever game. Tries from Calum Bell, Cameron Teece, Sean Houston and Stuart Teece lightened up proceedings on a beautiful autumn day.

P7 (From Cumnock Chronicle)

This week the P7 boys played host to Strathaven and with the visitors short of a few players, some of the Cumnock boys stepped up to play against their own team:-

Cumnock 4 Strathaven 0
Cumnock were quick at the start and it wasn't long before they drove through Strathaven's defence. The quick score gave the boys a real boost and they dominated the game right through till the end.

Cumnock 2 Strathaven 4
The second game was more equal and with Cumnock missing some important tackles Strathaven took advantage of this and once they had taken the lead they kept up the pressure on Cumnock and came out the winners.
Team consisted of- Louis Andrew (1), Gavin Gilliland (1), Paddy Dewhirst (1), Kieran NcNally (1), Caelen Wright (1), Callum Park (1), Connor Hill, Alex Smith, Alistair Birrell, Callum Findlay, James Smith, Callum Nicol, Callum Hyslop, Daryl McCulloch, Kane and Glen.

For the next 2 weeks there are no games with training on Sundays at 11am. Training is also on a Wednesday at the Cumnock Academy astro turf parks at 7pm for P6 and P7 players only. P3, 4 and 5s should still turn up at Cumnock Rugby Club at 6:30pm on Wednesdays.

Any player interested in starting rugby should turn up on a training night or call Morton Houston, Mini Coordinator on 07748827836

Cumnock chatboard link

Cumnock RFC mini fixtures as of 25/08/09

Date Home Away
06/09/09 Cumnock Kilmarnock
13/09/09 Marr Cumnock
20/09/09 Training
27/09/09 To be confirmed
04/10/09 Cumnock Strathaven
11/10/09 Training
18/10/09 Training
25/10/09 Kilmarnock Cumnock
01/11/09 Cumnock Ayr
08/11/09 To be confirmed
15/11/09 Uddingston Cumnock
22/11/09 Ardrossan Cumnock
29/11/09 Cumnock Hamilton
06/12/09
13/12/09 Cumnock Ardrossan

Indoor Training from 10/01/10 to 21/02/10, no games
28/02/10 Kilmarnock
07/03/10 Cumnock Marr
14/03/10 Cumnock Uddingston
21/03/10 Strathaven Cumnock
28/03/10 Hamilton Cumnock
04/04/10 Training
11/04/10 Training
18/04/10 To be confirmed
25/04/10 Cumnock tournament
02/05/10 Tournament to be confirmed
08/05/10 Strathaven tournament (Saturday)
16/05/10 Whitecraigs Tournament

Cumnock RFC mini/midi Reports for 27/09/09

Primary 4

The boys had an early start today travelling to Stewartry for their annual tournament with a few regular players missing and Bailey, Blair and Matt playing their first game of rugby this was always going to be a hard day for the boys.

The team got off to a great start in their fIrst game securing a convincing victory against Moffat with Adam and Rob scoring 3 tries each and Jamie and Bailey picking up one apiece. The second game against hosts Stewartry was a tougher game ending in a draw. Rob and Adam combining well with 2 tries each. Adam also picked up the man of the match award in this game.

Lack of substitutes saw the boys tiring and losing their last two games against Ayr and eventual overall winners Dumfries with Rob, Jamie and Adam adding to their try tallies.

A good all round performance from the team, WELL DONE BOYS!

Cumnock chatboard Link

Primary 6

Cumnock P6s had a interesting time at Stewartry turning up short handed and then having one player injured in the warm up and another in the first half of the first game.
However the remaining players rolled up their sleeves and gave a good account of themselves. They had 2 early loses against Stewartry and Dumfries followed by an impressive draw against Moffat. Adam Carballo and John Watt received man of the match awards in 2 of the games and the rest of the players acquitted themselves well as well.

News on Next week and Training

Next week the minis play Strathaven at home and players should meet at 11:30am. All players should bring sandwiches for themselves and 1 opponent. Training night is on a Wednesday and has changed to Cumnock Academy astro turf parks at 7pm for P6 and P7 players only. P3, 4 and 5s should still turn up at Cumnock Rugby Club at 6:30pm on Wednesdays.

Any player interested in starting rugby should turn up on a training night or call Morton Houston, Mini Coordinator on 07748827836

Cumnock chatloads link for P6 report

Dont forget this is on Cumnock RFC facebook page

Come Along And Give Rugby A Try

Sunday saw a training day at Cumnock Rugby Club minis in preparation for their trip to Castle Douglas to play Stewartry next Sunday. Players should meet at Cumnock Rugby Club at 9:45am. There will be 1 bus + parents cars making the trip. Players should come prepared with proper clothing in case of bad weather.

Cumnock Minis are also recruiting new players at present between P3 and P7. All new players are welcome and will be coached by SRU trained coaches. The ethos at Cumnock is that every player gets game time no matter their ability or experience. Nobody is left to watch all the games from the touchline. Stewart Birrell the P7 coach said, “we are keen for all players to come along and take part. Boys and girls play in mixed teams and we make sure everyone who wants game time gets it. It is all about taking part and not just picking the best team all the time, after all a new player who is struggling just now may be a star in a few years once the develop.

We currently have 2 SRU trained SVQ coaches delivering sessions in local primaries. They are focusing on P4s just now but will soon be delivering sessions to P5 –P7s. keep your ears open and if you son or daughter has attended these sessions and has enjoyed them why not bring them along to Cumnock RFC to have a go. We have players from all the local villages and it is great to see how they all get on so well.”

Cumnock also has training sessions at 6:30pm on Wednesdays at Cumnock RFC and of course everyone is welcome. For further information please contact:

Morton Houston
Cumnock RFC Mini Coordinator
ardwell@zetnet.co.uk
01290 552987
07748827836

Cumnock chatboard link

Mini/Midi Reports for 13/09/09

P6

Cumnock Primary 6s had 2 tough games against neighbours, Marr on Sunday. Starting off with a few regulars missing meant that they were always up against it against a strong Marr side.

The fist game saw Cumnock go down 8 – 2 with tries for Scott Teece and John Watt. As the game went on Cumnock got stronger and started passing the ball really well, especially Tyler Wallace and Kory Galloway but a few missed tackles cost them dear. John Watt and Sean Houston tackled their hearts out and Scott Teece had some big runs up the middle of the park.

In the second game Cumnock ran out of steam and ended up loosing 5-1. New player Adam Carballo however had a great time with tackle after tackle against bigger opponents and he rounded everything off with a great try. Lucy Watt was also the fore with some great passing throughout both games. A second try for Scott Teece was well deserved both for him and the team.

Next week the team trains on Wednesday at 6:30pm at Broomfield and trains on Sunday (time to be confirmed). Any new players are welcome. For more information call Morton Houston on 07748827836

Cumnock Chatboard Link

New Mini Midi Season Rolls Into Gear

Mini Midi section will start Sunday training/games from 30th onwards. In addition P6/7 will continue to train at 1830 on Wednesday evenings at the club.

S1 - Full training commences this week with sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1900 from now on.

U15 - Training commences on Thursday 27th at 1900 from now on until further notice.

2009-2010 Player registrations for the Mini Midi section will take place at the club this Sunday (30th) at noon. Players for all age groups should attend with a parent/guardian to complete their registration form along with a subscrption payment for the season (£10), A training session for all age groups will follow once registrations are complete.

It is important that you speak to or call your coach to advise if you cannot attend.

Cumnock Chronicle Report

IRB 7s

We will be running a bus to the IRB 7’s again this year. Tickets will be allocated on a first come first serve basis and demand always outstrips supply so get your skates on. This event gets the kids and the old yins up close and personal with some of their heroes. I have attached some pictures from last year to give a flavour.

Let Kevan Aitken know how many tickets you need as well as getting the cash to him a soon as we confirm prices.

EDIT:- I hope everyone that is going has fun Saturday and Sunday, any details from Sunday I will post (hopefully including pics).

Tommy.

Cumnock Whitecraigs Tournament Report

Cumnock Primary 7s at Whitecraigs
Primary 4 reports:-

Cumnock 2 – 1 Whitecraigs

Cumnock kicked off their tournament by, unusually, playing Whitecraigs at touch rugby.
This inevitably meant that it was much harder to find space and as a result scoring chances were few and far between. Cumnock managed to open the scoring with Owen Young finishing off an excellent team move in the corner. However, Whitecraigs managed to equalise with a long range score before half time.
The second half continued in a similar fashion to the first with Cumnock scoring the only good chance of the half with Owen Young on hand to sprint clear of the covering defence after a break from Rob Drummond.

Cumnock 1 – 6 Ayr A

This was a fine example of the kind of game where the score doesn’t represent the game. Cumnock stuck in well at this game with a committed defensive effort against a strong Ayr team.
Austin McBirnie scored Cumnock’s try after a typically jinking run which seemed to take him round every member of the Ayr defence at least twice. Also worthy of a mention was Ross Wallace who prevented two tries with magnificent covering tackles just short of the line.

Cumnock 5 – 7 Hamilton

The team then played a strong Hamilton team and once again were unlucky not to come away with a better result.
This was a very exciting game with excellent handling and running skills on show from both teams. Owen Young was the star of this game, scoring four tries and making the other for Adam Veitch. There were also impressive defensive showings from Adam Watt and Rob Drummond who unfortunately injured himself making a heroic tackle to prevent a Hamilton score.

Cumnock 7 – 4 Ayr B

Cumnock played their final game of the season against their second Ayr team and were determined to go out with a win.
This showed with a very impressive performance from the team who all worked very hard for this result with some excellent support play breaking the Ayr defence down time after time. Owen Young scored twice in the first half with Adam Watt and Austin McBirnie also adding scores before half time to make the score 4-3. After the break Cumnco took control of this game with a further two scores from Adam Watt to complete his hat trick with other coming from Adam Veitch. Once again the star defender was Ross Wallace who made another brace of try saving tackles.
The side had another encouraging weekend against strong opposition and this bodes well for next season.

Thanks for David Kerr for report.

Link to chatboard p4 thread

Primary 5 Report:-

The last day of the season saw Cumnock heading up to Whitecraigs for 4 games of rugby.

Cumnock 9 Whitecraigs 4

The team got off to a slow start in the game and were lucky to go in level at 1/2 time. The second half was a different story with some great running and solid defence work resulting in a convincing victory.

Garnock 6 Cumnock 5

This was a great game with Cumnock taking an early lead. Garnock pulled the game back and it looked to be a draw until Garnock scored in the last play of the game.

Cumnock 8 Hamilton 5

Another good performance from Cumnock taking an early lead. With a solid defence, great running and support play the result of this game never looked to be in any doubt.

Ayr 5 Cumnock 4

This was the best game of the day with both teams putting in a great performance, lots of exciting open play with possession changing hands at a furious pace. The game could have gone either way and this game again looked to be a draw before Ayr sneaked in a late try to snatch victory.

A great all round performance from the team of John Watt, Sean Houston, Scott Teece, Callum Bell, Lucy Watt, Tyler Wallace and Rory Nimmo. Tries scored by Callum, Sean, Scott and John

Lnik to chatboard p5 thread

Report for Cumnock RFC P7 Team, Whitecraigs Tournament

Whitecraigs 2 Cumnock 5

Cumnock started the game well, taking the game directly to their opponents. Some good interplay amongst the forwards allowed Callum McKenzie in for his first try for Cumnock. Cumnock kept up the pressure, forcing their opposite numbers into making handling errors and allowing the Cumnock backs to move the ball about freely resulting in tries for Zak North and Aiden Kerr (3). The team played together well going forward but again only mixed results in defence with fierce tackling from Kerr, Reilly and Aitken covering for some of the others.

Cumnock 1 Hamilton 2

The result didn't do justice to the effort put in by Cumnock against this bigger team, some of whom wouldn't have looked out of place in an S2 team.Cumnock opened the scoring with a great move from the backs with slick passing from Reilly and Aitken creating the space for Jack Reilly to score. Cumnock seemed to ease off a bit and let Hamilton back into the game. The tackling was ferocious at times but the indifferent refereeing didn't do Cumnock any favours. The winning try was scored after a pass that was so far forward it showed up in next weeks calendar. The Hamilton coach apologised but the score meant that Cumnock were out of the competition and Whitecraigs went through to the final against Ayr on try difference, having beaten Hamilton five nil.

Overall the team played well but the players knew that they should have won against Hamilton despite the refereeing decisions. The players felt a bit flat afterwards but the coaches have seen enough to look forward to next season as they move up to S1 to play Midi-rugby.

Link to Primary 7 chatboard topic

Player of the Year Awards

It's that time of year again. Nomination forms are now available behind the bar for you to vote for the various awards. The categories are:

Player of the year
2nd XV player of the year
Most improved player
Young Player of the year (U21)
Most deserving Player

If you can't get down to the club, then contact Jim Morton in order to cast your votes. The awards will be presented on Sunday 24th May after the 1st XV v U17 game.

As we should all know the Under 17s and playing the 1st team next Sunday 24th May. It is ofcourse still the the Mini/midi awards day. tickets are £6 for adults and £3 for children.

There is some unfortunate people that need to be at the club for 9am. The marquee we used at the mini festival will be there again. There is going to be a BBQ and a tuck shop. There is some of you that are at Kilmarnock this weekend and Whitecraigs. So that we can order enough food we need to know this weekend for many tickets are sold, so that we can buy enough burgers, so buy your tickets this weekend.

So help us all out and get the tickets sold.
(thank you coaches/parents and everyone else)

Tommy (Webmaster for mini/midi officially (seeing as that me on that committee as well) and senior section of Cumnock Rugby Club.

Uddingston tournament with Cumnocks p5 & p7 AND primary 3/4s

Primary 3/4

Cumnock Primary 3 &4 Uddingston Tournament Report

Uddingston Lions 4 Cumnock 3

Cumnock kicked off their tournament against one of the two entries from the home side. Uddingston had taken 10 tries off the Cumnock side only a few weeks ago and would have expected another comfortable win.

However, this was without considering the considerable fighting spirit that this team discovered today and this game developed into an enthralling affair with some rugby played by both teams.
Cumnock’s standouts in this game were Ross Watson who made some heroic try saving tackles as well as try-scorers Owen Young (2) and Alex Houston.

Uddingston Tigers 4 Cumnock 2

It is perhaps a mark of how impressive the team’s first performance had been that the coaches were left slightly disappointed that this game got away from them.
Uddingston Tigers were the eventual winners of this competition but they were lucky in some respects that Cumnock let them run in a few tries virtually unopposed while Cumnock narrowly missing out on a couple of scores with both Austin McBirnie and Alex Houston both bundled into touch just short of the line.
Both of Cumnock’s tries were scored by the outcasting Owen Young who finished off good team moves with typically jinking runs as well as making some crunching tackles.

Cumnock 4 Waysiders 3

Cumnock came flying out of the blocks for this match with alex Houston breaking straight from the kick off before slipping the scoring pass to Owen Young.
This set the tune for the match with Cumnock finally putting in the kind of team performance that they threatening to produce for several weeks.
Cumnock’s defence in particular was outstanding with thumping tackles from Rob Drummond causing spilt ball that the side’s dangerous running could benefit from.
Cumnock seemed completely in control with further scores from owen young and Austin McBirnie. However Cumnock looked set to blow it when they allowed waysiders to sneak a couple of quick scores and level the scores.
However, the fighting spirit that the side had shown all day came to the fore once more again on the lastb play of the game when McBirnie broke from behind his own line, beat most of the wayside’s team before being caught just short of the line. The ever present Young was on hold to receive the pass and cross to claim a richly deserved victory.

Cumnock 2 East Kilbride 5

Cumnock started well against a much larger East Kilbride team with Austin McBirnie using his pace well to score in the corner after a looping run.
East Kilbride answered with score of their own before Owen Young finished off his prolific day with his eighth try.
However their busy day suddenly caught up with the primary 3 & 4s and East Kilbride were able to use their size advantage to run in four more tries without answer.
Overall this was a very positive day for the p3 & 4s with several outstanding individual performances. However, it is the team that counts and this is a side that is starting to gel and work together which bodes well for their two remaining tournaments.


Primary 5s

The team played 5 hard games of rugby during a long day at Uddingston tournament.

Cumnock 8 Uddingston 8

The team got off to a poor start against the hosts and were trailing 5-2 at half time, but the team put in a great performance in the second half and ended up with a draw.

Cumnock 2 East Kilbride 7

This was a hard game against the eventual winners of the tournament. The end result not really reflecting the passage of play. Missed tackles and poor support play losing the team this game.

Cumnock 7 Helensburgh 8

Another smashing performance from the team in this game. Helensburgh running in 2 late tries to deny Cumnock a victory.

Cumnock 6 Waysiders 2

A well deserved victory in this game with another thrilling performance from the team. Putting up a strong defence and running in some well worked tries.

Cumnock 5 Strathaven 5

The last game of the day was a real spectacle with both teams giving their all to provide a thriller for the spectators.

The Cumnock team today were Calum Bell, John Watt, Jack McSeveney, Sean Houston, Tyler Wallace and Lucy Watt. Tries coming from Calum, Sean, Jack and John

Primary 5 chatboard topic

Report for P7 Team

Strathaven 3 Cumnock 0

Cumnock opened well, pressing their opponents from the start. Only poor ball retention at the breakdown and a few missed tackles allowed Strathaven in to score. This was a much better performance by Cumnock and the scoreline flattered their opponents.

East Kilbride 4 Cumnock 2

Cumnock started lively enough with a fine team effort allowing Connor McSevenney in at the orner. However the powerfull running and supprt play from their bigger opponents soon started to tell and East Kilbride replied with two fine tries. Cumnock took the play to their opponents in the second half but it was always a chasing game and the outcome wasn't in doubt despite a try from Zack North.

Uddingston 3 Cumnock 2

This was the best game of the day and again Cumnock started well with an early try from Aiden Kerr. Both teams passed and tackled well and the crowd were treated to a fine dsplay of rugby. Cumnock's other try came from Cameron McGuire but injuries started to take their toll and in the end Uddingston managed to sneak a win.

Cumnock 5 Waysiders 4

Cumnock were playing for pride in this game and played to their strengths. At last the backs moved the ball wide and utilised their pace in the wide open spaces. In fact the Cumnock score should have been higher but poor retention of the ball in the tackle and poor decision making by the ball carrier , often cutting back inside and ignoring the over-laps outside him kept the game tight until the final whistle. Scores came from A Davidson, A Harkiss, E Hendry, A Kerr and J Reilly.

Over all the performance was good from the Cumnock players, in particular the forwards gelled well and provided a good platform for the backs. The Players Player of the Day was Rachel Shankland who had some great runs with the ball and tackled fiercely on the wing.

The other players on the day were C McKenzie, S Faulds, G Aitken, T Dowds and R McLaren

Primary 7 chatboard topic

Social events in Cumnock Rugby Club in April and May

The following are the social events being run in the club for the month of April/May (more details will follow).



under 17s vs 1st Cumnock team, Awards Day 24th May

Come along and support them.

Mini festival inlcuding reports

Picture of winning Primary 5 Cumnock team
P7 Coaches - Jim Faulds, Kevan Aitken, Danny McLaren
Winning Cumnock P7 team

This was a festival that was scheduled for last October but was cancelled due to inclement weather. However this did not diminish the quality of the rugby on show and produced two age group winners for Cumnock.

Over 160 primary school players from P3 to P7 competed against teams from Ardrossan, Dumfries and Kilmarnock in the quest for silverware.

The format used for these young players has been pioneered by Cumnock Rugby Club to promotes the use of the players skills as the mechanism to win the tournament and rather than the team who scores the most. “We tried to focus on encouraging the core skills that players of these age groups should be displaying” said Harry Reilly, one of the Festival Organisers. “Too many times we see teams at these age groups focussing on winning a tournament/festival rather than focusing on the basic skills that produce high quality players for the future”. These coaching principles are certainly showing results as Cumnock had four players selected for U16 Glasgow Warriors Squad which won the Inter District Championship today.

Primary 7 reports for Cumnock Mini Festival

Cumnock 8 Ardrossan 3

Cumnock were fired up for this game, closing down Ardrossan right from the start. Once Gregor Aitken got the first score after some great team interplay the result was never in any doubt. The midweek training session paid off with the forwards using their new move to pentetrate the Ardrossan defence again and again and by the interval Cumnock were 5-0 ahead. Some slackplay and poor defending let Ardrossan in for three scores, but Cumnock replied with three fine tries of their own. Man of the match for Cumnock was selected by the Ardrossan coach and was Andrew Harkiss who had put in a powerful performance in the centre of the pack. Cumnock scores came from Gregor Aitken (2), Jack Reilly (3), Taylor Howie and Aiden Kerr (2).

Cumnock 5 Kilmarnock 4

This was a terrific game played with great determination by both teams. The skill levels demonstrated by both teams were of an extremley high level and the crowd was treated to a wonderful game of rugby. Kilmarnock opened the scoring but Cumnock dug deep and responded quickly with a great move leading to a try for Jack Reilly. Both teams traded scores until Cumnock opened up a two point lead. After that the result wasn't in doubt and Cumnock held out for a fantastic win over their old rivals. Scores came from Jack Reilly, Taylor Howie, Andrew Harkiss, Zack North and Connor McSevenney. Special mention must be made of Man of the Match, Scott Faulds, who works away in the game, winning and securing ball for his team.

The P7 team were overall winners of the Festival and the coaching team of Kevan Aitken, Euan Kerr, Harry Reilly and Danny McLaren won the P7 coaches award for the way that they coached their players on the day, assisted by Jim Faulds. The Players Player of the day was Andrew Harkiss.

Cumnock P5 Match Reports

The Cumnock P5 team put in a great performance on Sunday at the clubs annual mini festival. The club were hosting teams from Ardrossan, Dumfries and Kilmarnock . The day produced 3 thrilling games of rugby at P5 level with the Cumnock team stepping up to the mark and securing victory in all of their games. Man of the match awards going to Sean Houston, Jack McSeveney and John Watt. The team also went on to win the overall award for their age group. This was a real recognition of the team's performance as this award is based on the team's execution of the core skills (running, tackling and support play) and not on game results. The P5 team which put in such a great performance were Calum Bell, Kory Galloway, Lucy Watt, Sean Houson, Tyler Wallace, John Watt, Calum Hendrie, Jack McSeveney and Rory Nimmo. Congratulations P5, you all put in a superb performance today.

Cumnock P3/4 Match Reports

Cumnock 11 – 12 Ardrossan

Cumnock kicked off their tournament against a dangerous Ardrossan team.

Unfortunately it took the side a few minutes to realise this and they quickly found themselves three scores down. After this slow start however Cumnock fought back with two quick-fire tries from Owen Young and from then on both sides scored freely with some tremendous attacking and support play from both sides.

Cumnock’s much improved support play was the most impressive aspect of this performance with breaks made by Alex Houston and Adam Watt ably followed up by Rob Drummond and Ross Watson Indeed it was noticeable that Cumnock’s overall team play was much better than that of Ardrossan whose man of the match scored ten of his sides tries in an impressive individual display.

Cumnock’s man of the match as selected by the Ardrossan coach was Austin McBirnie who put in probably his best performance of the season so far and had a hand in every move of the match, despite somehow not managing to score himself!

The rest of the scores came from Owen Young (7), Alex Houston (2) and Craig Sloan (2) and despite the result Cumnock could take a lot from this game as their attacking play was much better than in recent weeks.



Cumnock 4 – 10 Kilmarnock

This local derby was the sides other game of the day and they were confident of another competitive display following their impressive form in the opening game.

However the traditional Cumnock slow start was in action once more and the powerful runners of the Kilmarnock side took advantage of this score five tries before half time. Only one long range try from broken play by Adam Watt came in Cumnock’s favour.

The side rallied after a reminder at half time about the importance of tackling the opposition and they came flying out of the blocks for the second half with some excellent tackling by Ross Watson and Rob Drummond. This seemed to rattle Kilmarnock and it allowed Cumnock to run in tries from Owen Young, Alex Houston and another from Adam Watt.

Unfortunately this fight back was short lived as Kilmarnock ran in another five tries without reply as Cumnock’s defence seemed to go to sleep. The man of the match for this game was Adam Watt for his two tries and a tenacious defensive effort that many of his team mates could learn a lot from.

Ultimately this was mixed weekend for the P3/4s though several positive aspects such as an impressive attacking performance with some spectacular individual moments from several players means that this team can be very positive about its future.

Link to chatboard

Credit to Fiona and Harry for the reports and pics.

Harry (and the rest of us) wishes to thank everybody who helped out Sunday.

Cumnock Primary 7s report for 19 April

Link to Cumnock Chatboard

Cumnock 2 Strathaven 7

This was a glorious day for running rugby but it was the Strathaven team, fresh from an Easter Tournament in France that took the initiative, leaving Cumnock to play catch-up. The boys looked rusty, particularly in the first half and their handling, usually their best skill, let them down. Some poor tackling and covering let Strathaven win this desicively. Overall though Cumnock didn't play badly, with improved performances from Ross Phillips and Scott Faulds leading to a try from Ross. Cumnocks first score came from the ever eager Aiden Kerr.

Cumnock 6 Uddingston 7

Cumnock played much better against a strong team that had just drawn with Strathaven. They closed down their opponents and didn't give too much space to the stronger Uddingston runners. Again, though poor tackling let them down. Some of the Cumnock tries came from well worked set-pieces and there were some good individual runs from Gregor Aitken and Robbie McLaren ending in scores for these players. The other scores came from Jack Reilly (3) and Zack North. Man of the match fro the day was awarded to Ross Phillips who put in his best performance in a Cumnock shirt.

Glasgow Under 16s vs Edinburgh Under 16s

Link to report on Scottish rugby website

Link to chat board

GLASGOW SCRAMBLE TO LATE VICTORY OVER EDINBURGH
Glasgow U16’s played Edinburgh U16’s on Easter Sunday at Stirling County Rugby Club on a sunny Easter Sunday. Both sides showed good intent to move the ball around in the early stages with Glasgow having the brighter start with a close chance when Bennett broke through the midfield, an excellent cover tackle form the Edinburgh full back stopped the attack on the try line. Glasgow’s pressure was rewarded as Bennett slotted over two penalties to make it 6-0. Edinburgh fought their way back into the match, playing with great width – Glasgow’s defence was stretched out wide and Ryan Gray crashed over for Edinburgh’s first try. Half time: Glasgow 6 – 5 Edinburgh Edinburgh continued setting the pace straight from the restart stretching Glasgow’s defence from touchline to touchline. Only terrific scramble defence and errors from Edinburgh kept the score the same. Glasgow rarely escaped from their half, but on both occasions that they did Bennett converted two penalties. Again Edinburgh exerted terrific pressure and great work from Templeton, Beckwith and Goodrich held the attack inches from the line. Eventually Edinburgh forced a try through Glasgow’s drift defence - Jamie Farndale crossing over (Sam Hidalgo-Clyne converting) to level the scores 12 all. Edinburgh were straight on the attack from the restart and looked to be closing out the match when Glasgow broke out their half. From a penalty, Bennett broke through the midfield and out ran the cover defence to score under the posts (Bennett converting) with 5 minutes left. With minutes to go Edinburgh stretched Glasgow’s defence, but a loose pass was snatched by Beckwith and some fantastic offloading to Robbie Ferguson and David Scott let the substitute stand off score under the posts (Scott converting his try) in the final minute. Some great defensive effort and clinical finishing made the final score: Glasgow 26 – 12 Edinburgh. Glasgow U16 Team:R. Hughes, Goodrich, Beckwith, Bennett, G. Ferguson, R. Ferguson, Houston, McQuade, McMillan, Barr, K. Hughes, Templeton, Graham, Singh, Vernell. Subs: Agnew (for Barr), Campbell (for McMillan), Mulligan (for Graham), Cubie (for Singh), Barnett (for Vernell), Scott (for R. Ferguson), Haynes (for G. Ferguson).

Cumnock Girls Team

Congratulations to the girls team who have made it through to the semi-final of the U18 cup after a hard fought victory over Ayr. They now travel to Aberdeenshire to meet Aboyne. According to coach Mark Linden, it was an excellent game of rugby and the Cumnock team were worthy winners. The final score was 10-29 in favour of the girls in Red and Black.

In the semi final the Cumnock Rugby Club Girls Under 18s team play Aboyne/Banchory Academy in Aberdeenshire on Sunday 12 April.

Anyone wanting to come along and add their support are more than welcome.
We have arranged a coach and for a small fee will be charged.
All welcome. For details contact Mark Linden.

Chatboard link, comments please

Unfortunately the Girls lost 34-19. The aboyne team had a couple of quick players. The Girls played really well. Thanks to Una for the update.