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

Loch Lomond 26 – 23 Cumnock

Cumnock narrowly missed out against Loch Lomond despite spending much of the game on the back foot. The team made the trip to Bonhill on a high after last weeks comprehensive defeat of Paisley and hoped to build on this against a Lomond side that had had a similar start to the season as Cumnock.

However it was evident from the kick off that Loch Lomond were equally determined and showed their strength straight from the kick off by winning a penalty which was converted to give them an early three point lead.

Lomond continued to pressure Cumnock and were narrowly prevented from adding a try thanks to a last gasp tackle from Tony Foster. However, against the run of play it was Cumnock who grabbed the first try of the game when a hopeful Cumnock kick ahead was dropped by the Lomond full back and a grateful Mark Bennett picked up the loose ball to score under the posts. Kyle Johnson added the conversion and Cumnock unexpectedly had a lead in the game.

It was not to last though when Lomond’s outside centre burst through some flimsy Cumnock tackles to score giving them the lead again. Loch Lomond continued to dominate possession as their experienced forwards used every opportunity to slow ball down preventing Cumnock from playing their preferred style of free flowing rugby. Despite this some desperate defence meant that Lomond only managed to add a penalty to their tally which was cancelled out by a brace from Johnson meaning that at half time the scores were level at thirteen apiece.

The second half began much as the first had gone with Lomond dominating possession although it is credit to the young Cumnock side that the defence, despite several wobbly moments, held firm with several good tackles from wide men Martin Wilson and Gregor McMillan keeping Lomond out. Also impressive was Matt McCullough making his debut for the 1st XV and putting in hard shift, putting his body on the line to tidy up loose ball. Lomond added another penalty before the unflappable Johnson pegged back the advantage with another penalty of his own.

Cumnock almost picked up another try of their own when Johnson spotted Alan Haynes in space on his wing and cross-kicked to him. The ball evaded Haynes by inches, denying Cumnock from scoring a spectacular try.

On the whole though Lomond continued to exert pressure on Cumnock and spent a long spell camped on the Nock try line. They eventually broke through for the try when, after several attempts, they managed to push a maul over. They added the conversion and then a penalty to pull themselves ten points clear with only five minutes remaining. However, Cumnock’s fighting spirit showed itself again when Bennett scored his second after chipping the ball ahead and then stripping the ball off the full back. Johnson added the extras but time was against Cumnock and they were unable to make any more inroads into Lomond’s lead.

Overall this was a disappointing game for Cumnock as they allowed themselves to be bullied by the larger and more experienced Lomond side. However, they could take some solace from a bonus point for finishing within seven points of the winners. It was encouraging to see that Cumnock have become a hard team to beat because, by rights, with the possession that they had Lomond could have won this game a lot more comfortably than they did.

Man of the match was Kyle Johnson for an impressive display of defence against considerably larger opposition as well as for his imperious kicking which kept Cumnock in the hunt.

Team: Craig Greer, Paul Miller, Donald Hunter, Kevin Brady, Euan Cunningham, Alan Smith, David Kerr, Jamie Thomson, Scott Houston, Kyle Johnson, Gregor McMillan, Mark Bennett, Martin Wilson, Tony Foster, Conner Nisbet, Graham Hunter, Matt McCullough, Alan Haynes


Next Saturday the 1st XV return to Broomfield to take on Cumbernauld

Thanks to David Kerr for Report

West Division 1 Scottish rugby website results and table

Cumnock chatboard link

Cumnock RFC News from 16 September

Cumnock chatboard link to this blog entry

Image by trobertc via Flickr

Here is all the news from Cumnock RFC for things happening down at Broomfield.

On the results front Cumnock 1st won 41-0 against Paisley, the match report is here

Cumnock 2nd lost to GHA Over 35 team 22-5. The match report is on this link

On the mini front, there is training this Sunday at Broomfield.

There will be a dentist technician at the club on Thursday 24th September to measure for mouthguards.

Details of time and cost (£25'ish depending on one/two colour) are on a poster in the club, you will need to add you or your childs/adults name(s) to the poster indicating whether you wish one or two colours to assist the dentist technician.

On Saturday 19th September both senior teams are playing Loch Lomond. A bus is going and is leaving Cumnock RFC at 12 noon, with the normal pick-up points.

Is anybody wanting to apply for 6 Nations Tickets, the ticket allocation sheet is available from the club, so apply for your tickets. More details at blog and chatboard

2nds lose at GHA

GHA Gazelles 22 - Cumnock 2nd XV 5

The 2XV were on the road last weekend as they travelled to Braidholm to take on the Gazelles, which is their over 35 side. After the previous week’s result the squad were confident of putting in another good team performance. It was always going to be a difficult task as the home side contained a lot of players who had played at a higher level.
The home side started well and put the younger Cumnock side under a lot of pressure with some good driving play from the forwards. The defence held out well, but the home pack were not to denied and after a series of penalties conceded close to the line, the home No 8 crashed over to open the scoring in the 7th minute. The conversion was missed, but the home side led 5-0.
The referee allocated to the match was very inexperienced and the Gazelles used this to their advantage better than Cumnock did, being continually offside. They kept the ball in the forwards and they made ground in doing so. Too often when the visitors attacked, the pass was delayed or the wrong option taken and the chance was lost. Taking the ball into contact with these big forwards was a mistake as they were able to rip the ball out and steal possession.
The game swung from end to end, as Cumnock tried to spin the ball wide to keep the ball away from the home forwards, but dropped passes or good cover defence were the order of the day.
In the 18th minute the home forwards drove the visitors over their line and the No 8 scored his second try of the day to take the score to 10-0.
Murray Philp was doing well in the line outs, taking a lot of ball, and the backs looked to run at the defence every chance they got. Andrew Watt worked extremely hard in the unaccustomed role of hooker.
There was no further scoring until the 32nd minute when GHA finally spun the ball wide and the winger went outside the cover defence to score between the posts. This try was converted to stretch the home side’s advantage to 17-0. With half time approaching, a piece of quick thinking by the visitors allowed them back into the match. The ball had been kicked out for a lineout, but Greg Hamilton took a quick throw in and the ball was passed along the line to Mick Harkin, who ignored his supporting runner and sprinted over for the try. Craig McWhirter, who had another excellent game at scrumhalf, narrowly missed the conversion.
The second half showed a marked improvement in the Cumnock performance with several players putting in strong runs, but the final pass just didn’t go to hand. The defence was excellent, with some of the tackling outstanding. Cumnock spent most of the half on the attack, but were unable to get across the line. With time running out, GHA made one of their rare forays up the pitch and scored in the last minute to take the final score to 22-5.
There was an encouraging debut at No 8 for Matt McCulloch, who showed that he will be a welcome addition to the squad.


Squad: Watt, Ramage, Harkin, Lawler, Seng, Barr, Hastings, Hamilton, M Thomson, Taylor, Black, Philp, McCulloch, McWhirter, McConochie, Wallace, S Manning, P Manning
Saturday sees the 2nds travel to Renton to take on Loch Lomond looking to win.

Cumnock Chatbord 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

Update onn 10th October after 12 Sept.

Hi Everyone

Only 4 weeks to go everybody. This is shaping up to be one brilliant day. First had their first league win of the season following two narrow defeats. They beat Paisley 42-0 and their average age was once again ni.ni.ni.ni.ninteeen (feels like the lead into a song). Top try scorer was Mark Bennett at 16 with 4 tries.

I need to get some money in now to underwrite the catering. I have 73 names on the list but only 20 people have paid their money. I have attached the list of who is going so far. The maximum that can go is 80 so there are still some spaces and there will be a few call offs as well. Keep spreading the word.

Cheers,

Morton

Cumnock 41 Paisley 0

Cumnock picked up their first win of the season with an emphatic victory over Paisley at Broomfield. After narrowly losing their opening two matches, the side were determined to claim their first scalp against a Paisley side that had also lost their opening fixtures.

The game started positively for Cumnock with several powerful line breaks from both Cumnock backs and forwards and it was apparent that it was a case of when the first score would come rather than if it would.
The break came when Paisley were penalised for killing the ball after a break from the back of the scrum by Number 8 David Kerr (captain). Scott Houston took an offload and continued the forward movement before Paisley’s indiscipline. Cumnock took the penalty quickly with both Donald Hunter and Craig Greer committing defenders before unselfishly feeding Mark Bennett who crashed through the remaining defence to score. Kyle Johnson kicked the conversion.

Ferocious defence from Cumnock kept Paisley on the back foot with several crunching tackles from Stuart Hunter and Alan Smith meant that Paisley were unable to make any impression on the game. Another positive was the much improved line-out with Paul Miller regularly hitting his target, giving Cumnock’s backs free rein to run at their opposite numbers. Paisley had a player sin binned for a high tackle on Johnson who used the penalty to kick Cumnock deep into Paisley territory. Another smooth line-out meant that the backs had plenty of time to run a well rehearsed move to give Bennett a clear run to the line for his second try.
Johnson added the conversion and then a penalty when another Paisley high tackle meant another Paisley yellow card.

Cumnock made use of these indiscretions to run in a spectacular long range try with centres Bennett and Haynes slicing through the defence before feeding Stuart Hunter who drew the last defender and passed to Johnson who finished the move in the corner. He then stepped up calmly to knock over the kick from the touch line which trouble many international goal kickers.

The second half began with points from the reliable boot of Johnson when excellent pressure from Cumnock’s forwards resulted in a penalty. Paisley then made the mistake of kicking off straight to Bennett who showed the individual skill that has earned him a place in the Scotland Under 18 training squad by simply running straight through the Paisley defence to score his third. Johnson easily kicked the extras.

Paisley finally started to come into the game by slowing the game down and turning the game into a dull mix of scrums and rucks in order to prevent Cumnock’s backs from continuing to run riot. Disappointingly Cumnock picked a yellow card of their own when Rab Cross was sin binned, marring an otherwise impressive return to first team rugby.

Cumnock managed another try when Bennett made another trademark solo run to score his fourth try. Johnson reliably added the extras.
The rest of the game was spent mostly tight as Paisley set about making sure that Cumnock were unable to extend their lead. However, they never looked like scoring which meant that Cumnock were able to hold onto an impressive clean sheet.

Cumnock nearly added a sixth try after an excellent move with Gregor McMillan breaking down his wing before feeding Jamie Thomson who carried the ball forward before spreading the ball wide to the opposite wing where Tony Foster squeezed into the corner to score before being called back by the Paisley touch judge for having been in touch. Cumnock continued to pressure the Paisley line until the final whistle although they were unable to force their way over.

There several outstanding performances but the man of the match had to go to Mark Bennett for his four tries and for looking dangerous every time got the ball in his hands.
This was another very positive day for the young Cumnock team and if they continue to play the kind of free flowing rugby that they played in the first half especially then it will be hard for any team in the league to deal with them.

Team
Craig Greer, Paul Miller, Donald Hunter, Kevin Brady, Rab Cross, Stuart Hunter, Alan Smith, David Kerr, Scott Houston, Kyle Johnson, Gregor McMillan, Mark Bennett, Alan Haynes, Tony Foster, Conner Nisbet, Graham Hunter, Jamie Thomson, Martin Wilson

Next week Cumnock are away to Loch Lomond

Thanks to David Kerr for report
Cumnock chatboard link

1sts v Paisley and 2nds v GHA Gazelles

On Saturday 12th September Cumnock 1sts are at home to Paisley while the 2nds are away to GHA Gazelles at Braidholm. Let the coaching team know if you are available for selection.

Jim

Glasgow Under 17 Squad

Glasgow Under 17 Training Squad
Tuesday, 08 September 2009

Glasgow U17 Training Squad –

Sessions Monday 21st & 28th September

Both sessions start at 7pm (players to arrive between 6.15 and 6.30pm)

at Hughenden.

Cumnock RFC names:-

Name
Alan Haynes
Scott Houston
Graham Hunter
Gavin Kerr

Cumnock chatboard link

Scottish rugby weblink

SCOTTISH NATIONAL ACADEMY UPDATE

Scottish rugby weblink

SCOTLAND UNDER-18 TRAINING SQUAD NAMED
Monday, 07 September 2009

Scotland under-18 head coach, Grant McKelvey, today announced an initial training squad of 34 players ahead of the 2009 / 2010 season.

The training squad was selected after a performance review of the players who spent a fortnight in Valladolid, Spain, on a strength, conditioning and rugby camp in July, and those invited to attend the national rugby camp at Struan, Perthshire in August.

McKelvey, said: “After working with the players in Valladolid and Struan these sessions present an excellent opportunity for us to compare and contrast the players while measuring the development of those who have been in the under-17 programme.

“For the majority this won’t present a new beginning in a new side. The sessions continue on from the work done in the under-17 sessions and the two camps – it’s a continuous development process rather than starting afresh.

“There are, of course, many other opportunities for players to gain selection into this squad. The Performance Development team will be watching a lot of rugby in Scotland as well as travelling to and gaining recommendations from our counterparts in the Exiles Performance Programme in England.”

Players will be continually assessed throughout the season before the final selection of the national under-18 Squad for the 6 Nations International Festival due to take place in Wales in April 2010.

SCOTLAND U18 TRAINING SQUAD – SEPTEMBER SESSIONS 2009

- FORWARDS -

Props
Robin Hislop (Hawick Wanderers) **
Gavin Robertson (Earlston High School /Melrose Wasps)
Alex Allen (Sedbergh School)
Struan Cessford (Dundee High Rugby)
Jo Wasinski (Hampton School)
Craig Davidson (Ayr)

Hookers
Jack McFarlane (Gourock High School / Greenock Wanderers)
George Turner (Stewart’s Melville College)
Ryan Hood (Strathallan)
Fergus Scott (Currie)

Second-rows
Fraser Wem (Hampton School / London Wasps)
Craig Ferguson (East Kilbride)
George Barnes (Chesterfield)

Back-row
Mitch Eadie (Filton College)
Malcolm Peathingy (George Watson’s College)
Andrew Nagle (Jed Thistle)
Jamie Swanson (Glasgow Academy)*
Adam de ste Criox (Firhill High School / Boroughmuir)
Lawrie Seydak (Edinburgh Academy)

- BACKS -

Scrum-halves
Murray McConnell (Lenzie Academy / West of Scotland RFC)*
Jonny Adams (Aberdeen Grammar)
James Munro (Edinburgh Academy)

Stand-offs
Fraser Gillies (Edinburgh Academy)
Finn Russell (Stirling County)

Centres
Jack Bradford (Worksop College)
Michael Crawley (Stewart’s Melville College)
Mark Bennett (Cumnock) *
Stewart Hogg (Heriot’s) **
Jack Ferguson (George Watson’s College)

Back three
Murray Beckwith (Marr College)*
Harris Jones (Merchiston Castle School)*
Aiden McCall-Haden (St Aloysius College)
Ross Inglis (Calderside Acadademy / Hamilton)
Ben Francis (Epsom College)

* Member of National Academy supported by AIS (Area Institute of Sport)
** Member of National Academy supported by Scottish Rugby

• The first two Scotland sessions will take place on Sunday 6 and Sunday 13 September.

Cumnock chatboard link

New update on 10th October after 06/09/09

Hi Everyone,

Only about 5 weeks to the sponsor day. Latest numbers are around 70. Latest names:

Bell + 2 pals

Doreen Findlay

Jim and Elspeth Mair

Spoke to Soupie yesterday and he is having a think about it as well.


Ists lost 12-8 away at Oban and were unlucky not to win (agreed I was there (tommy). Last year in the same fixture they lost heavily so there is a big improvement. Next week they play Paisley and should get a win at home against them.

2nds beat the Police 45 – 5. things are looking up on the playing side.

I have 20 people paid up so far and I really need to get payments in so that I can confirm the catering. Please send payments to me below or give them to Alex Dunsmuir or Tober.

We still have a few places left please pass the word.

See you all soon,

Morton

Cumnock chatboard link

Cumnock mini/midi results from Suday 6th September

S1 Report for Suday 6th September

Kilmarnock 11 - Cumnock 15

Cumnock travelled down to Kilmarnock for their opening game of the season, minus a few experienced players and with one new face. Moving up from the mini-section to play midi-rugby is always a big step, introducing more of the laws of the game and playing on a full size pitch. Kilmarnock are always a well drilled team and this would be their third game of the season, giving them the edge on Cumnock, or so it was expected.

The game was to be played over three 15 minute periods and Cumnock started the first period well. The backs were very sharp in setting up their alignment and the forwards were getting around the pitch well. However, the larger Kilmarnock pack were winning some good ruck ball and were putting the squeeze on at the scrums. Nevertheless, some quick thinking allowed scrum-half Aiden Kerr to pick the ball from the back of a scrum and squeeze through the Kilmarnock defence for the first score, converted by Jack Reilly.
Reilly added to the score with a good try and converstion just before the interval.

During the break the coaches were able to speak to the forwards regarding body positions at scrums and rucks and straight away there was an improvement in this part of their game. The forwards were winning their fair share of ball at the breakdowns and the backs were linking well and created a number of over-laps, which unfortunately weren't used. The teams traded scores with Reilly again scoring a try following a move from a penalty inside the Kilmarnock 22.

In the final part of the match Kilmarnock ran in two fine scores from deep, missed tackles letting the winger through, however one of the conversions was missed. Kerr scored again, with Reilly adding the extras, for Cumnock rounding off a fine performance for the whole team. Tackler of the day was Gavin Wight, playing in his first ever rugby match and man of the match was Scott Faulds who ripped the ball from the opposition at will.

Cumnock team was R.Phillips, R.McLaren, C McKenzie, Z North, S. Faulds, A Harkiss, A Kerr, J Reilly, G Aitken, T Howie, G Wight, E Hendrie, with AN Other from Kilmarnock.

The coaches are on the look-out for more S1 players to add to the team so if you fancy TRYing out rugby SCRUM on down to Broomfield on a Tuesday and Thursday night at 7pm.


Report by Kevan Aitken

s1 Report link to Cumnock chatboard

Primary 6 Reports

Cumnock P6 10 Kilmarnock P6 10

The first game in the season for the P6s was a belter with loads of tries to thrill the support. Both teams were full of talented runners in what turned out to be end to end stuff.

There were 3 tries each for Jack McSeveney, Sean Houston and Scott Teece as well as a well deserved first score for Lucy Watt. There was another try scored by a Cumnock player as Lucy’s brother John scored “on loan” to Kilmarnock . The game had loads of tenacious tackling especially by new boy Cameron Teece who put in big tackle after tackle.


Cumnock P6 7 Kilmarnock P6 5

In the second game the tries flowed once more and the quality of the game improved. Tyler Wallace showed up with some great tackles and good inter passing and Korey Galloway was involved in everything with a permanent smile on his face. Tries followed from Jack McSeveney, John Watt, Scott Teece (2) and Sean Houston (3). Coach martin Wallace picked out Scott Teece for the man of the match award for his hard tackling, bullocking runs and 5 tries. Martin commented, “ this was a great performance from the players in their first game. They scored some great tries and really enjoyed themselves.

We could do with a few more players and anyone interested should turn up at training at 6:30 on Wednesday nights or call Morton Houston on 01290 552987.

Thanks to Morton Houston for reports

Cumnock P6 Reports link to chatboard

p3-p5 Reports

P3/4/5

The new season got under way with Cumnock playing host to local rivals Kilmarnock

Kilmarnock 8 Cumnock 2

Cumnock got of to a slow start in their first game allowing Kilmarnock to take an early lead which Cumnock was always going to struggle to pull back, but as the game progressed the Cumnock boys showed signs of improvement with tries coming from Zak Donald and Ross Watson.

Kilmarnock 4 Cumnock 1

Cumnock started this game much stronger and were only one score behind at 1/2 time. The second 1/2 saw Kilmarnock pulling away again but overall a much improved performance from the Cumnock team with the home sides try coming from Alex Houston the Cumnock squad today were Alex Hill, Matthew Morrison, Jamie Kennedy, Blair McNally, Ross Watson, Adam Watt, Alex Houston, Austin McBirnie, Kieran Vance, Ryan Kennedy, Zak Donald and Rob Drummond.

We are always looking for new players, anyone interested in giving it a try come along to the Rugby Club on a Wednesday night at 6.30pm or call Andrew Watt on 01290 553095

Oban 12 Cumnock 8 Senior rugby report 05/09/09

Cumnock travelled to Oban for their first away fixture of this season. Last season this fixture resulted in a massive win for the experienced Oban side who have gained a reputation for strong and direct forward play. However, Cumnock’s young guns were encouraged by their competitive start against Strathendrick last week and were determined to build on this to record their first win.

Cumnock started brightly with some intelligent kicking pinning the home side back in their own half. Smart line out work made space for stand-off Kyle Johnson to kick across the field for winger Gregor McMillan who gathered the ball and shrugged off Oban’s despairing defenders to score in the corner. Johnson missed the conversion from the touchline.

This try seemed to wake Oban up with powerful runs from the large back rowers although their Cumnock opposites, Alan Smith and Stuart Hunter managed to cope with the increasing pressure. However, Cumnock caused themselves problems by giving away some soft penalties which made it impossible for them to clear their lines with a well organised Oban maul resulting in the equalising try.

The next spell of the game saw Cumnock putting pressure on their hosts with some good work from centres Mark Bennett and Alan Haynes causing their opponents problems, though they couldn’t break down the stubborn defence enough for a real scoring chance. Another positive for Cumnock was their much improved lineout with Paul Millar and Blair McMillan working in tandem to supply plenty of good ball for the young backs.

The second half started well for Cumnock with the referee finally spotting one of the many blatant attempts by Oban to kill the ball, giving the away team a chance to regain the lead. A composed Johnson slotted the kick despite the increasingly strong wind.

Like the first time Cumnock scored, this just seemed to spur the home side on and once again their forwards took control of the game as conditions started to favour them with the rain slowing the pitch and making handling difficult for the more adventurous Cumnock side. The home side benefited from the referee giving them the greater benefit of his doubt. Sustained pressure eventually led to Oban crashing over despite many heroic tackles from the smaller defence.

Cumnock rallied and a series of scrums deep in Oban territory led to Tony Foster and Scott Houston going close. However, robust defence as well as some impatience from Cumnock meant that Oban managed to hold on and clear their lines. Oban put their experience and size to good use as they kept the ball tight and played the clock down. The game ended in controversy as the referee finally blew for full time on a Cumnock penalty although, in truth, it would have been remarkable if anything had come of it as the penalty was awarded on the Cumnock try line, at completely the wrong end of the field.

Despite being on the wrong end of a narrow score line for the second successive week, the young Cumnock side could take a lot from this attritional game against a team who had expected a comfortable victory. Cumnock picked up a bonus point for finishing within seven points of the winners which was some consolation.
Man of the match was Blair McMillan for a hard working performance as well as an impressive lineout display

Team
Craig Greer, Paul Millar, Donald Hunter, Kevin Brady, Blair McMillan, Stuart Hunter, Alan Smith, David Kerr, Scott Houston, Kyle Johnson, Gregor McMillan, Mark Bennett, Alan Haynes, Tony Foster, Conner Nisbet, Graham Hunter, Craig McWhirter, John Ferrans

Next week, Cumnock take on Paisley at Broomfield, kick-off 3pm

Thanks to David Kerr for report.

Cumnock chatboard link

2nds give polis a doing

Cumnock 2nd XV 44 - 12 Strathclyde Police 2XV

The 2XV welcomed Strathclyde Police to Broomfield on Saturday as the league campaign got underway in earnest. The visitors were a few players short due to work commitments, so 4 of the Cumnock squad volunteered to play for the visitors.
The game started well for the home side as they got into their stride very quickly, putting the police under a lot of pressure with good driving play from the forwards. The first scoring chance fell to the home side in the 4th minute when Greg Hamilton crossed the line, but it was called back for a forward pass. It was after some real pressure from the pack that Cumnock were awarded a penalty 5 metres from the police try line. The ball was tapped quickly and Rab Donald drove over for the first try, which was unconverted to take the score to 5-0.
The interplay between forwards and backs was great to watch considering the conditions, with both sides looking to run the ball at every opportunity. In the 15th minute, Cumnock were awarded a free kick for a scrum offence and the forwards took it on, with several players coming close, but it took the experience of Ian McCrorie to drive over for his try which Rab Donald converted to stretch the lead to 12-0.
The midfield of McPheators, Johnston and Barr were starting to orchestrate the play, supported by the back row of J Thomson, Hodge and Donald, and only dropped passes and excellent cover defence prevented the home side extending their lead. Steven Taylor capped a good all round diplay with his first try of the season in the 20th minute, sneaking over from a ruck on the line after some excellent play by the forwards. 17-0.
Rab Donald scored his second try of the game in the 23rd minute popping up to crash over and extend the lead to 22-0.
Martin Thomson was as solid as ever at full back and was always looking to attack whenever he got the ball. The ball was being passed around with every player looking to make ground, then offload to a supporting team mate. After one such passage of play, Jason Johnston crossed the line, but the ball slipped out of his grasp and the chance was gone. In the 33rd minute, the visitors got on the score sheet when the on loan Martin Hastings danced his way through the home defence to score a well worked try. This was converted and half time arrived with the home side ahead 22-7.
The Cumnock representation in the visitors ranks increased to 5 as Martin Wallace joined Martin Hastings, Barry Horton, Andrew Watt and Euan Laidlaw. The second half provided more of the same with both teams running the ball every chance they got. The game got a bit scrappy with a lot of passes not going to hand. Cumnock had been ringing the changes with several players getting well deserved breaks from the action and it was Mick Harkins who was the next player on the score sheet with a try following some excellent play from the forwards. After 50 minutes the score was 27-7.
Jason Johnston notched his first try of the season in the 58th minute with a well worked backs move. The police defence was being well tested by the home side as wave after wave of attacks were repulsed. The score had to come and Dougie Elliot profited after several players had been held up just short of the line. The kick was converted by Rab Donald to move the home side further ahead 39-7.
Both sides continued to attack, but the defences stood up well. James Hastie appeared on the right wing and used the men outside him as a decoy to crash over for Cumnock’s 8th try in the 67th minute. The difficult kick was misses, but the home side were now 44-7 ahead. Dropped passes prevented any further scoring by the Broomfield side although they continued to put several excellent moves into action. There was an encouraging debut for Kevin Lawler, who showed several neat touches and a willingness to go forward with ball in hand.


Squad: B Horton, Watt, Ramage, Linden, Harkin, Lawler, Seng, Barr, Hastings, Hamilton, J Thomson, M Thomson, Taylor, Wallace, McPheator, Johnston, Hastie, Elliot, Donald, Hodge, I McCrorie, A McCrorie, Laidlaw.

Saturday sees the 2nds travel to Giffnock to take on GHA Gazelles.

Cumnock chatboard link

Attention All Members

As part of your membership you can apply to hire the function hall at a cost of only £35 per booking. We can hold up to 100 in the Hall, with full bar facilities available.

We have a fully equipped kitchen in the hall and outside caterers can be arranged. If you wish to hire the hall please contact Jim Morrison or call the club on 01290 420292 for booking details.

Cumnock Rugby Club sponsors

Cumnock Rugby Club would like to express their sincere thanks to all of the club's sponsors for season 2008-09. Too many times it goes unsaid but: WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOUR HELP:-


Hillhouse Group
D.W. Shaw
Wallaces Express
K.B. Refrigeration Ltd
Donaldson & Paterson Ltd
Scottish Hydro Electric
Adam McPheators Gernal Builder
Horton & Sons
Kitwash
Tower Tools & Equipment
Bridgend Garage (Auchinleck) Ltd
Iain Watt Haulage Ltd
Mega Mix Concrete, New Cumnock
CB Radios & Accessories, Ayr
Taylors
Keith L Miller Associates

Cumnock Rugby Club History

55 Auchinleck Road, Cumnock, Ayrshire KA18 1AN Telephone Number 01290 420292

www.yell.com map of Cumnock RFC

CLUB HISTORY

Following the traditional end of season Old boys versus Cumnock Academy 1st XV game in March 1961, Jim Donaldson, Kenny Blair and Ross MacPherson discussed the possibility of forming a local rugby team. Indeed a Cumnock Academy FP club had been discussed on and off for a few years. The main stumbling block was however a lack of changing and training facilities at the Cumnock Academy School.

It was decided to approach the Head Teacher of the newly built St Conval’s School. After assurances that the new club would indeed be open to all, irrespective of class and creed the Head Teacher gave his permission for his school facilities to be used. Following an advert in the Cumnock Chronicle on 29th September 1961, inserted by Ronnie Houston and Allan Davidson, a meeting was held in the Dumfries Arms Hotel Cumnock on Friday 6th October with a view to forming Cumnock Rugby Football Club. It was at this meeting that Cumnock Rugby Football Club was officially formed. The following weeks Cumnock Chronicle read “Birth of a New Club”.

The report went on to state that although rugby had been played at Cumnock Academy almost consistently since 1935, this was the first effort to form a senior Rugby Club in the District. Until now rugby players in the district have had to travel to Ayr, Kilmarnock and even Glasgow clubs to continue playing, may of them achieving First XV status. Now it is hoped that the Club with these new facilities at Broomfield will be able to arrest this flow of talent from Cumnock. With this thought in mind, messrs R Houston and A Davidson (Ayr Rugby Club) and J Donaldson (Kilmarnock Rugby Club) got together and decided there was sufficient enthusiasm in the district to warrant the formation of a club. The enthusiasm was amply rewarded by the attendance at the meeting where there was between twenty and thirty prospective members present and the promised support from a like number.

The question of colours, practice nights, games etc was discussed and a running Committee was formed to deal with these problems for the remainder of this season. The Committee consisted of J Donaldson, J Ferguson, J R McClure, R Houston, W Morris, R Jess and A Davidson. The meeting was chaired by Mr J McClure who, in closing, said he was particularly pleased with the turn out and hoped that those present would pass on the word to any one interested. The first official committee meeting was held on 17th December 1961 when the under noted were elected.President:
L Sim
Vice President :
Ronnie Houston
Secretary:
Allan Davidson
Treasurer:
W Davidson
Captain:
Bill Cooper
Vice Captain:
Ronnie Houston
Committee:
Adam Blair, Robin Armour, Harry Scott and Jim Donaldson
A typical early First XV game was against the Ayr Seconds on 8th December 1961 when the team was D Johnstone, W Lammie, W Morrison, W Cooper, A Stirling, A Blackwood, A Davidson, F Little, S Stobie, A Blair, J McAtee, B Gunn, J Jenkins and K Blair.

THE EARLY DAYS


From these early days the club has grown from strength to strength and from 1962 when they really got started up until the opening of their own clubhouse at Broomfield in June 1979, the club used St Conval’s for changing and Broomfield for training and used the local pubs, Craighead, or the Tup Inn for their after game hospitality. In 1976 the club obtained a lease from the district council for Broomfield house and spent the next three years completely renovating with the help of a grant of £5000 from the Sports Council and a brewers loan from IND Coope.


PRESENT DAY


In season 1993/94 Cumnock won the Glasgow and District league gaining promotion to National League Division 7. League reconstruction then saw Cumnock promoted to Division 6. In 1998 we carried out major internal changes to the clubhouse at a cost of £20,000 making it one of the most envied in the district. In season 1998/99, Cumnock won National League Division 6 clinching the title with a hard fought win away to Earlston. However league reconstruction saw Cumnock entering National League Division 5 West. In season 2002/03, Cumnock won Division 5 West beating Newton Stewart in the play-off gaining promotion to National League Division 4.

1st Team Scores and Table from Scottish Rugby website

Reports from the games will follow (I hope).

Cumnock 2nd Team league can be found on Div 6 west fixtures and results website

Hopefully I will get results as well for these.

Membership

TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP
FEE (YEARLY) FOR SEASON 2009/2010
Playing member:£40
Social member:£20
Under 18/student/unemployed:£20
School student:Free

Match Fee per game:- £5 per player

CLUB OFFICIALS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Office Bearers
President Alex Dunsmuir alex@dunsmuir5.freeserve.co.uk
Vice President Jim Morrison
Secretary Jim Morton
TreasurerRobert Hunter
Club CoachKevin Horton
General Committee Members
Daniel McLaren
Robert Horton
Mick Smith
Morton Houston
Thomas Cunningham
Marie Johnson
Yvonne Bennett
Catriona Hunter


ANY COMMENTS FOR CUMNOCK RFC CONTACT ME ON:- trobert_c@yahoo.co.uk
That includes reports, pictures, suggestions. Just let me know.

Thomas Cunningham.

2nd XV league fixtures

The fixtures for the 2nd XV have now been received. We will have 14 games before XMAS, when the league will split and the top 6 teams will play off for the promotion places. The remainder of the division will have games arranged for them.

We start off on Sat 5th September with a visit from Strathclyde Police, followed by a trip to GHA Gazelles.
The full fixture list is:

Sep 5th Strathclyde Police H
Sep 12th GHA Gazelles A
Sep 19th Loch Lomond A
Sep 26th Paisley H
Oct 3rd Cartha 3XV A
Oct 10th H/J 3XV H
Oct 17th Clydebank A
Oct 24th Allan Glens H
Oct 31st Wigtownshire A
Nov 14th Dalziel 3XV H
Nov 28th Garnock 3XV A
Dec 5th W/D A
Dec 12th Hamilton 3XV H
Dec 19th Jordanhill Phoenix H



chatboard link

Oban Lorne vrs Cumnock league fixture 5 September

View Larger Map

Hello players and family. I hope you have all enjoyed the pre-season.

Are you planning to travel to Oban Lorne RFC on Saturday 5th September (only a week away). Cumnock RFC are running a bus there.

So if you like to follow our youthful senior team on this our first away league game, please contact Alex Dunsmuir or any member of the coaches/committee.

Chatboard Link

Cumnock RFC 1st XV (29th August 2009)

Credit to Harry Reilly and Stewart Bennett for pictures