Competitions continue across the country

In blustery conditions at Fullerton Park, Ayr started the brighter of the two sides, with their forwards controlling much of the early possession. However, it took an intercept to open the scoring after 10 minutes, with winger Lachlan Gilliland racing in to put Ayr ahead.

The visitors continued to enjoy the majority of the territory and their pressure eventually paid off, as strong work from close range created opportunities for prop Oliver King and scrum-half Oliver McKnight to add further tries.

Marr gradually settled into the game and began putting together a sustained period of pressure. Their efforts resulted in an Ayr yellow card for Kyle Scott and the hosts soon had their reward, with flanker Struan Anderson crossing to the delight of the home support.

Ayr responded immediately. Further pressure from their forwards led to tries from hooker Theo Ramahlosi and Gilliland, who added his second of the afternoon. The score gave Ayr a bonus point and saw them take a commanding 35-5 lead into the interval.

The second half was a much more even contest. With the wind now at their backs, Marr spent more time in Ayr territory and were rewarded with the only score of the half, home forward Josh Rice going over.

The two sides continued to battle hard throughout the closing stages, but Ayr’s first-half advantage proved decisive. They came away with a 35-15 win, while Marr were left to reflect on a second half in which they had shown plenty of character.

The result leaves Ayr third in Pool B, with Marr sitting in fifth. Elsewhere in the pool, Glenalmond College recorded a comfortable 53-17 win away to Stirling County.

There was a closer contest in Pool A, where Dollar Academy edged GHA RFC 29-21, while Merchiston Castle School enjoyed a convincing 45-5 victory over Boroughmuir Rugby.

Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership

There was plenty at stake across the Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership this weekend, with four of the five fixtures decided by a single score as teams at both ends of the table battled it out. With only a handful of points separating several sides in the standings, every result and bonus point could prove significant as the race for the play-offs begins to take shape.

At The Greenyards, Melrose Rugby and Heriot’s Rugby Men met in a closely fought contest between two sides near the top of the standings. Despite the blustery conditions, Melrose held their nerve to come out on top 28-26, with Luke Townsend’s accuracy proving important as he converted all four of the hosts’ tries. The result provided a welcome response for Melrose after last weekend’s last-gasp defeat to Currie Chieftains. The match was also played for the Graham Dall Trophy, held in memory of former Heriot’s player and Melrose match day doctor Graham Dall.

There was another tight encounter at Raeburn Place, where Edinburgh Accies and Glasgow Hawks were both looking for their first league win of the campaign. Hawks made the stronger start, but Accies gradually worked their way back into the contest before claiming a 33-29 win.

Glasgow had a late chance to snatch victory, only for their final attack to end with the ball being bundled into touch in the corner. The result means Hawks leave with a losing bonus point, while Accies have their first win of the season.

At Mansfield Park, Hawick RFC were hoping to follow up their previous home victory, but GHA RFC had other ideas. The visitors produced an impressive display to leave with a 33-19 win, with GHA full-back Ben MacDougall, who earned a Scotland U18 cap a few seasons ago, adding the bonus-point try.

Currie Chieftains travelled to Myreside aiming to make it four wins from four, but Watsonians FC brought that unbeaten run to an end. The hosts controlled much of the game and eventually came away with a 19-12 victory.

The final fixture saw Ayr RFC make the trip to Poynder Park to face Kelso RFC. The Borderers proved once again how difficult they are to beat on home soil, pushing Ayr all the way before the visitors eventually prevailed 28-26. While Ayr maintained their perfect start, Kelso took plenty of positives from the contest running them close, picking up two bonus points that could become valuable as we move closer to the business end of the season.

Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership

The Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership is gathering pace, with the third round of matches taking place this past weekend.

Stirling County, Hillhead Jordanhill and Biggar RFC all maintained their unbeaten starts to the season with impressive victories.

Stirling County recorded a 78-19 win over Garioch RFC, although the final scoreline does little to reflect the contest. Garioch put up a strong fight, with County leading by just seven points at half-time, 26-19, before pulling away in the second half.

Hillhead Jordanhill also secured a strong win, beating Heriot’s Rugby Women 53-26. Hillhead dominated the opening 40 minutes to establish a comfortable advantage and although Heriot’s came out firing after the break, they were unable to overturn the deficit.

Biggar RFC made it three wins from three after a 60-17 victory over Cartha Queen’s Park on home turf, continuing their perfect start to the campaign.

Watsonians FC also picked up a comfortable win in the Edinburgh derby against Corstorphine RFC. The result leaves Corstorphine still searching for their first victory of the season.