P4 vs Ardrossan (home)

Cumnock's P4 squad welcomed our friends from Ardrossan to Cumnock on an overcast Sunday morning. Cumnock fielded 2 teams, Black & Red for this fixture that always produces some entertaining rugby. Ardrossan fielded a combined P4/5 side.
The Blacks lined up first against a big Ardrossan side who looked as if they would be a real handful. Ardrossan won the toss and started the match. From the first play the Blacks set off as a pack and hit the Ardrossan attacker square on causing the ball to fall loose. From the loose ball Ryan scooped it up and sprinted home for the opening try.
Again, Ardrossan from the restart attempted to use their size to their advantage however the Blacks were in no mood to allow our visitors any room to attack with Lewis, Reiley Kole and Mason smashing into tackle after tackle in numbers causing numerous turnovers.
On the attack the Blacks were almost scoring at will. Finding huge gaps in the Ardrossan defence, Lewis and Ryan ran in 9 tries between them, powering their way through the Ardrossan line on several occasions. Not to be outdone Matthew, Mason and Reiley added to the tally with some fine solo efforts of their own. Freya picked up and loose ball and charged up the wing for a fine try of her own, rewarding her efforts in winning the ball back in defence.
After some brave tackling from Kole, who was an anchor in the heart of defence for the majority of the match, another turnover was won. A quick offload found its way into the hands of Murray who side stepped his way half the length of the park to crash over the line with 2 Ardrossan guys hanging off his legs.
As much as the attack play was a joy to watch, it was the work rate and teamwork in defence that pleased the coaching team the most. Doubling up on tackles and a high defensive line kept the Ardrossan said at bay and kept a clean sheet for the Blacks. A fantastic performance finishing with the Cumnock Blacks winning 15-0.
Scorers: Matthew 2, Lewis 5, Murray 1, Reiley 1, Ryan 4, Freya 1, Mason 1
The Reds faced Ardrossan second. From the off the Reds pressed forward with Logan, Izaak & Cuinn flying into tackles and almost immediately forcing a turnover. A quick pass to Aaron set him free to gallop into space and sprint clear for the opening score.
The Reds battled hard to stop Ardrossan's big ball carriers but in doing so left some gaps on the wings which the visitors exploited effectively to score regularly. Cumnock's midfield defence, however, was solid & regularly forced turnovers with Ciara, Cuinn & Logan pouncing on dropped passes to secure possession which the Reds ruthlessly converted into scores. Cumnock attacked with power & pace, finding space well. Finlay sidestepped an on-rushing defender then blasted through the gap to score the first of 4 well-taken tries. Izaak carried ball with power, surging through tackles to score a deserved hat trick.
Logan turned in a captain’s performance, working tirelessly in defence while in attack he tormented the Ardrossan defence with power & guile, crossing for 4 tries.
Izaak & Ciara kept the Reds moving forward with strong runs. Their excellent offloads out of tackles built valuable continuity releasing support runners. Ewan was denied a score by a fine covering tackle, but Aaron did break clear to add 2 further tries.
Reiley danced through for a fine solo try as play raged from end to end in this pulsating try-fest. The game ending in a deserved 15-10 win.
The coaches were delighted with a great attacking performance that showed great development. While there is still plenty to work on, particularly in defence, there was great commitment shown & clear evidence of progress in the team.
Black team: Freya, Kole, Lewis, Mason, Mathew, Murray, Reiley, Ryan.
Red team: Aaron, Ciara, Cuinn, Ewan, Finlay, Izaak, Logan, Reiley.

Report by J Leitch & S Benzie