Hamper runner up

Booby Horton

Christmas Hamper

Winner donald mcvicar

S1 Team - Dumfries visit Cumnock Sunday 6th November

Dumfries Visit Cumnock

After a recent victory on the road at Dumfries the Cumnock S1 team take on the role as hosts this w/e (Sunday 6th December).

Provisional KO is 1300 however will be confirmed before the end of this week. With no game since the trip to Dumfries in mid November the Cumnock team will be raring to get it on, so why not come down and support them on the day?

Pithcero link

Cumnock senior results for Sat 28/11/09

Cumbernauld 30 Cumnock 1st xv 0

After a week’s weather enforced lay off, Cumnock returned to action against Cumbernauld this weekend.

Eerie conditions greeted them with the pitch shrouded in a thick fog. This covered the fact that the pitch was soaking wet. It was never going to be a day for running rugby.
Cumbernauld started strongly with a powerful charge from their winger straight from the kick off. He was eventually hauled down twenty metres short although Cumbernauld retained possession and continued to drive forward through their powerful forwards. Stubborn Cumnock defence kept the home side at bay with some excellent defence round the fringes of the rucks. However, every time Cumnock retrieved the ball and cleared it, Cumbernauld’s solid set piece play meant they kept the ball and continued to drive forward. It was inevitable that they would eventually drive over the line and so it proved when they released the ball wide and exploited a bit of confusion in the defence to squeeze into the corner. The conversion was missed.
The game continued in this fashion with Cumbernauld controlling the possession and slowly but surely building a solid platform. Against this Cumnock continued to defend stoically with several good hits from Graham Hunter and Jamie Thomson on the much larger forwards of Cumbernauld.
However, it is hard to keep this up for ever and Cumbernauld eventually managed to score another unconverted try as well as a penalty. Kyle Johnson missed a tricky penalty in the fog which was to prove Cumnock’s best chance to score.
Cumbernauld also added another score just before half time when their forwards drove Cumnock over the line for their third try which was converted.
The second half was even scrappier than the first, not helped by the increasingly slippy playing surface and the thick fog. The first twenty minutes of the half were characterized by endless scrums caused by handling errors from both teams, not helped by the fact that often the players couldn’t actually see the ball coming in the fog. Cumnock again struggled to impose themselves on the game with Cumbernauld keeping hold of the ball where Cumnock were able to make several good breaks but then being isolated and losing possession. However, Cumnock’s defence was again excellent with Number 8, Jamie Thomson putting in a series of consistently bone shattering tackles backed up with good hits by Scott Houston and Ross Black, making his first start for the first team.
Cumbernauld managed to eventually break through as their winger showed excellent determination to stretch for the line despite a good tackle by Conner Nisbet. The conversion was again missed.
The last few minutes were very similar to the rest of the game with Cumbernauld running hard at Cumnock’s defence although the visitors stubbornly held their line. This was characterised by an excellent try saving tackle from Martin Hastings on his opposite number which showed Cumnock’s determination not to concede despite the score line. Cumbernauld did manage one more in the corner with another missed conversion ending the match.
Despite the disappointing result Cumnock showed a lot of character in adversity as promotion chasing Cumbernauld showed their experience to play the conditions better than the young visiting side.
Jamie Thomson was Cumnock’s man of the match with an outstanding defensive effort.

Team: Craig Greer, Paul Miller, Donald Hunter, Kevin Brady, Blair McMillan, Graham Hunter, David Kerr, Jamie Thomson, Craig McWhirter, Kyle Johnson, Gregor McMillan, Mark Bennett, Conner Nisbet, Tony Foster, Ross Black, Barry Horton, Scott Houston, Martin Hastings

Next Week: Cumnock host Oban at Broomfield in the latest round of league matches.


Garnock 2A 34 Cumnock 2nd XV 0

Cumnock 2nd XV travelled upto Garnock in 2nd XV League action against the team 3rd in the league. Due to late call offs Cumnock only went up with 12 players. Garnock were very kind to give Cumnock 2 players to make it 14 players for Cumnock and 15 for Garnock.

From the kick-off all the Cumnock players moved forward very well, with some positive moves towards the home try line. Cumnock had several phases from the forwards keeping it around itself attacking the try line. Cumnock even had a try disallowed as it appeared it was held up on the try line.

Garnock took the sustained pressure from the first 20 minutes and finally started using its numerical advantage and moved up the pitch and used the overlap to score 3 tries in the first half to make it 19-0 at half time.

Cumnock started the 2nd half with more positive play and continued to have periods of play in the Garnock half. Unfortunately our hooker got injured and we had to change to uncontested scrums. Garnock again gave us another player who had been subbed to join the Cumnock team. Garnock scored another 3 tries in the 2nd half with its numerical advantage to finish the game 34-0.

The Cumnock players were all a credit to the club, who went up to Garnock. Man of the match was Jason Johnstone for his tackling, running in the backs and positional play.

Cumnock 2nd XV travels upto Waysiders/Drumpellier on Saturday 5th with 2pm kick off.

Cumnock team: A. Watt, B. Horton, B. Holland, S. Manning, M Harkin, A. Nairn, S. Taylor, J. Ferrans, K. Barr, J. Johnstone, J. Seng, M. Thomson

Alex dunsmuir

President

Happy birthday Alex

50th birthday

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.

U15 Team - Match Cancelled 22/11/09

The U15 match scheduled for the 22/11/90 has been cancelled due to waterlogged pitches

Cumnock games off

This weekend's match against killie 3rds has been cancelled as both Broomfield and Bellsland are unplayable.

Also 1st xv vrs Strathaven was off.

Sundays games for minis/midis are off as well.

Cumnock 54 Braidholm 5

After having no game last weekend, Cumnock were raring to go for this cup match against Braidholm.
The visitors are currently two divisions below Cumnock but they are leading their league and fancied their chances of causing a cup upset. However, Cumnock showed some class in recording a comfortable win in difficult conditions.
It was apparent straight from the kick off that heavy rain the night before had saturated the pitch with several players losing their footing and several handling errors which normally wouldn’t happen. The home side took the initiative in the opening exchanges of the game, soaking up Braidholm’s early attempt to drive with their larger forwards before turning the ball over and clearing the ball down the pitch. Braidholm won their lineout but a poor clearance from their stand-off meant that Cumnock were able to counter attack with the ball being spread from one wing to the other. It found Tony Foster in plenty of space to race past his opposite number to score. Kyle Johnson added the conversion. Cumnock continued to press the visiting team with some exciting line breaks and handling skills on display despite the pitch.
Also impressive was the linking between backs and forwards with the forwards running good angles to punch through the defence before offloading to the backs in space. Indeed several tries could have been scored but for several handling errors, some of which could be put down to the poor conditions and some couldn’t. However, Cumnock were soon back on the score sheet when Mark Bennett crossed the line after some clever interplay between backs and forwards. Kyle Johnson added the conversions before finishing off the next Cumnock try after sidestepping at least three Braidholm defenders. He converted the score to give Cumnock a solid lead.
Braidholm then had their best spell of the first half when they decided to kick the ball high constantly causing problems for the Cumnock back three on the slippery pitch. They kept this up for a long spell keeping Cumnock on the back foot despite never really looking likely to break the line or score. Cumnock, on the other hand always looked dangerous with the ball in hand and as soon as they recovered the ball from Braidholm and immediately broke up the pitch through Craig Greer who passed to Bennett before the ball was fed back to Greer who touched down with Johnson again adding the conversion. Cumnock were at it again when openside flanker, Alan Smith picked a good line through the defence before feeding Alan Haynes to score. Johnson missed the conversion from out wide to end the half.
The second half started well for Cumnock when Bennett gathered a long kick from Braidholm and set of through the defence to score after a neat exchange of passes with Smith. The reliable Johnson again added the extras. However, the rest of the second half was tight as Braidholm kept the ball tight to prevent Cumnock’s dangerous runners from causing them further strife. Braidholm’s patience eventually earned them a try after several phases sucking the defence giving their winger space to squeeze into the corner.
Cumnock took the chance to try a new style using their forwards to keep the ball tight which worked fairly well but they didn’t ever seem likely to score when doing this. It took until the last ten minutes before they scored again after a quick penalty caught Braidholm napping and the ball was spun wide with Bennett again getting on the end of the move to score with Johnson converting. Bennett finished the game after breaking through the tiring defence to score from well inside his own half. Johnson added the conversion to complete a comfortable win for the young home side to continue their impressive home form. This was a reasonably easy victory for the home side against a stubborn Braidholm side and bodes well for the second half of the league season and hopefully a continuing run in the cup.
Man of the match was Mark Bennett for adding another four tries to his considerable tally this season.

Team: Craig Greer, Paul Miller, Donald Hunter, Kevin Brady, Blair McMillan, Graham Hunter, Alan Smith, David Kerr, Craig McWhirter, Kyle Johnson, Gregor McMillan, Mark Bennett, Alan Haynes, Tony Foster, Conner Nisbet, Jamie Hodge, Scott Houston, Ross Black

Next Week: Cumnock resume league duties away to title challenging Strathendrick

Report by David Kerr

Pitchero link to report and results

Cumnock 2nds beat Dalzell

The 2nds got their rewards today with a well fought victory over Dalziel.

The 2nd XV faced a stern test on Saturday when they welcomed a very strong Dalziel 3rd XV to Broomfield for the latest league match. The visitors have been performing well all season and had only been beaten once, so the Cumnock squad knew that they were in for a hard shift.

Gavin Kerr was making his senior debut, and had brought along some moral and physical support in the shape of his dad, Euan who was hoping to get some game time in the same side as his middle son.
The game itself was a hard fought affair with the home side coming out victorious 21 - 10.

There were tries for Greg Hamilton and Euan Cunningham, with Dougie Elliot converting one try and adding three penalties.

The game was well refereed By Mr Clift from Irvine who allowed the game to flow in difficult underfoot conditions.


Pitchero link to Report and Results

Dumfries S1 20 Cumnock S1 38

Cumnock S1 win again

Things didn't look very promising as the team travelled down the A76 through torrential rain, however Dumfries basked in glorious sunshine and the pitch was in great condition for a game of rugby. The Primary 7 game had been cancelled and some of the more experienced players swelled the numbers available giving Cumnock the luxury of a full team. However as Dumfries were short of numbers some of the S1 players agreed to play for the hosts to even things up and give everyone a game.

The match was played over three periods, each lasting fifteen minutes, giving the coaches a couple of breaks to pass on some tips to the players. Cumnock dominated the first period, running in four tries from McLaren, Gordon, Faulds and Kerr, with one conversion from Aitken, taking over kicking duties from Reilly who was playing for Dumfries. During the same period Gordon moved to the Dumfries team to replace an injured player and then somewhat uniquely scored for the hosts, which was also converted. Cumnock led 13-4 at the first break.

Changes were made amongst the players on loan to Dumfries. The second period was a more even affair with two tries for each team, the Cumnock scores coming from Dewhurst and Howie. Both scores came from good breaks from platforms set up by the forwards giving the boys an easy run in. Dumfries also scored two tries, both of which were converted. Cumnock were still in front at the second break, leading 19 - 12.

More changes followed at the start of the final period, with Cumnock again re-shuffling the players on loan to Dumfries. This forced Cumnock to make positional changes and allowed the P7 players to come more into the game and they took the chance to get stuck in. Cumnock scored five tries in this spell, from Howie. Kerr (2), Reilly, and Smith, with four fine conversions from Reilly. Most of the tries again came from the backs breaking the line and great support play and passing ensured the scores. Dumfries answered with two tries, both of which were converted by their excellent kicker. Final score Dumfries 20, Cumnock 38.

This was a fair result against a weaker opposition. By mixing the Cumnock players with the host team it gave some players the chance to play in other positions, which will assist in their development. The Primary 7 players enjoyed the wide open spaces of playing on a full size pitch and made a great contribution to the game, in fact they were collectively given the Man of the Match award for their efforts. Donkey of the day was Scott Faulds for his clearance kick from inside his own in-goal area which went higher than the five metres distance that it travelled!

Cumnock team was Harkiss, McLaren, Faulds, Phillips, Gordon, Kerr, Reilly, Aitken, Howie, Birrell, Smith, Hill and Dewhurst.

Pitchero Report and results

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/midi food night

Italian Food Night

Just a wee reminder to everyone that the food night is on at Cumnock Rugby Club on Saturday 14th November where the theme for the evening will come as no surprise from the pictures - Italian. So looking forward to some rustic fare all washed down with a cheeky wee Chianti.

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

Cumnock S1 - Travel details for 15/11/09

Dumfries(A) 15/11/09 - Meeting times and travel arrangements.

The S1's travel to Dumfries this w/e looking to roll over their good form from last w/e.

Travel details as follows:

1015 Meet at Club

1030 Bus departs for Dumfries

1040 Pick up in New Cumnock (see coach to agree pick up point on Main Road)

1230/45 Match KO @ Dumfries

1600 Approx bus returns to Cumnock

Note: All players are asked to be at their meeting/pick up points on time.

S1 update for Sunday 15 November

Dumfries(A)15/11/09 - ....Update

The S1's travel to Dumfries this w/e looking to roll over their good form from last w/e. Travel details to be confirmed - so watch this space! (the pitchero site s1 news).


Dont forget the match reports appear on pitchero site (its very user friendly) just look for senior, junior or mini to find what your looking for.

Glasgow Under 18 IDC training Squad 2009

After two selection evenings and a two day October Camp the Glasgow Under 18 training squad has been selected to take part in three skills sessions prior to final selection of the IDC squad at Christmas.Due to ongoing injuries among some of the players the coaches have selected cover in each position to allow all players to promote themselves. The final squad of 22 will play games against the Exiles as a warm up on the 24th January and will play Edinburgh at Myreside on 21st February, The Borders at Jedburgh on 28th February and finally Caledonia in Glasgow On the 7th March.

Cumnock RFC Players

5 Mark Bennett
13 Craig Greer

Scottish rugby link

Cumnock pitchero link

Greenock 8 Cumnock S1s 14

The S1 team travelled to Greenock on a glorious Sunday afternoon, with conditions perfect to suit Cumnocks style of open running rugby.

Cumnock kicked-off the first period, playing into the sun. The game ebbed and flowed, with good breaks from both teams, with some equally good covering tackles when required. The Cumnock pack started to win some good ball at the breakdown and the backs got the chance to move the ball wide, showing off their excellent handling skills and running deep into the Greenock half. Just before the interval Cumnock pressure on the Greenock backs nearly resulted in a score, however there was a knock-on just before the touchdown. From the resulting five metre scrum, McLaren took one against the head allowing Kerr to release Aitken into the corner for the first score. Reilly converted to give Cumnock a 4-0 lead at the break.

The coaches were full of praise and looked for more of the same in the second period. However, Cumnock seemed to relax a bit and allowed Greenock more space to run at the defence. Two scores followed for Greenock, both of which were converted. Then Gordon broke from the back of a ruck just inside the Greenock half, fed to Reilly and after a looping run took the return pass and powered over for a well deserved score. Greenock had a slender 8-7 lead at the end of this period.

In the final 15 minutes of the game Cumnock domninated all phases of the play. The forwards were first to every breakdown and turned over Greenock time and time again. This gave Cumnock most of the posession and only some determined tackling from Greenock prevented the pacy Cumnock backs from scoring at will. Some great passing allowed the wingers a number of opportunities to run at their opposite numbers and Hendry, Wight and Reilly all had chances to score. Scrum-half Kerr was alert at a scrum near the Greenock line, picking up from the back of the scrum and darting through un-opposed for a fine score, with Reilly adding the extras. Shortly afterwards Reilly chipped through into the corner and the ever alert Aitken was first there to touch down for his second try of the day. A well deserved 14-8 vicory.

The coaches were full of praise for all of the team, particularly considering that this was only the fourth game of the season. No player was singled out as man of the match as this was a great team effort with everyone playing their part. However mention must be made of the donkey of the day, awarded to Aiden Kerr for his attempted drop goal, which only rose about two feet off the ground and struck the referee!

Team, Phillips, McLaren, Harkiss, Faulds, Gordon, Kerr, Reilly, Aitken, Howie, Wight and Hendry.