Angus Hyde @ MillbraeAfter a disappointing journey to Biggar left a sour taste in the mouth, the Ayr faithful looked homeward to reap back the scintillating form from the previous games - desperate to get back to winning ways at Millbrae.
Number Eight Seth Rae showed that Ayr meant business early on, opening the scoring with a great interception on a wayward pass in Dundee’s 22. Rae burst free and safely managed to get the ball down between the sticks, allowing James Armstrong to kick clean and give the Millbrae side a promising start to the game. After continued pressure from Ayr in the opening 20 mins, Jamie Bova utilised his size to prise his way through the Dundee backline and touch down, giving Armstrong anther easy chance to kick true. 14-0. Dundee coughed up the ball again from the restart and Captain Gregor Henry found an extra yard of pace to beat the defenders on the outside. The super seven took the ball well on the right-wing, leaving the Dundee players in his dust gliding through and diving down to get another try on the board. This time the kick flew wide and Ayr lead 19-0 after the first quarter. Following a mistake on Ayr’s 22, the home side conceded their first points on the day after Dundee’s cross-field kick failed to beat the defence, but play came back for the penalty and Paul Kerr made no mistake from the tee. The score stood at Ayr 19-3 Dundee as half-time reared its’ head, with a controlling opening forty from the Millbrae outfit. Pace and power were the topic of conversation at the break, but Ayr would look to improve on the finer aspects of their game in order to capitalise on chances created in the second half, with a couple of avoidable mistakes preventing a much higher score-line. Dundee started off their second half in a similar vein to how they ended the first. Kerr capitalised on an unforced error from the hosts and took to the tee, doubling their tally. Undeterred, excellent work on the ball from Ayr led to Johnny McCorkindale grabbing the bonus-point try. A hard tackle on the halfway line forced the turnover, with slick hands marching Ayr up the field. Bova managed to draw his man before finding the full-back on an inside line. Playmaker turned placekicker, Bova added the extras to make the score 26-6.
The visitors quickly replied, as a quick attack from Dundee High put the Ayr backline through their paces. After continued pressure on the home five, a wide pass freed up winger Ruairidh Hood to get their first try. The conversion fell short. With tired legs now a factor the game started to open up, and Jamie Bova took full advantage of slack defence to glide home for his second soon after. Dundee replied in quick succession, with Ayr’s defence burst open by reserve loose-head Finlay Jacobs, who crept through the line from a ruck. Seth Rae capped off a man-of-the-match performance soon after, changing down, retrieving, and scoring to get his brace. Scott Clelland added the finishing touches with a successful rolling maul score on the final whistle. Full Time: Ayr 45-18 Dundee HSFP. A far cry from their previous encounter, which saw Ayr snatch late victory in a 17-18 thriller, a special performance secured maximum points in style.Photos - George McMillan