It was a beautiful day at Dalziel RFC in Motherwell as Ayr Ladies squared up to Broughton in the RBS Bowl Final. An enthusiastic crowd had gathered in the sun and they were treated to a tough and determined display from both sides as they tusselled to take home the silverware.
It was the Edinburgh side who got off to the better start, touching down for an unconverted try within the first five minutes. But Ayr Ladies were undeterred and slowly moved play up the park, with some assured work at the line-out from hooker Amy McGillivray and flanker Claire McGill getting them into an attacking position.
Broughton, however, showed incredibly tough defence, as they did all day, and managed to get a turnover as Ayr were going for the line. The pink ladies, though, somehow got possession back, much to the delight of their devoted supporters, who were yelling their hearts out.
An accidental offside led to a Broughton scrum but a huge shove from the Ayr front row of Louise Mclauchlan, McGillivray and Gemma Swankie put them under pressure and soon the ball was in the hands of Ayr full-back Ann-Marie Connelly, who made off on a nicely angled run.
An infringement from Broughton gave Ayr a penalty and a charge from Swankie pushed Ayr to the try-line. Some good handling moved things closer and it was scrum-half Niamh Durnan who spotted a gap in the defence and danced her way through for a try. Winger Emily Irving easily converted. 5-7.
Ayr had their tails up and centre Laura Turner shot off up the wing. However, errors at the scrum gave Broughton the advantage and they were making inroads in the attack. Some strong play from the likes of second rows Ashleigh Nelson and Ruth Barclay-Paterson and back row Laura Sommerville saw Ayr turn over but Broughton later intercepted, only for Turner to track down their speedy back and put in a crucial tackle.
Irving showed a few of her trademark swirving runs but had to go off and her loss was keenly felt by Ayr. They stayed strong in the defence but Broughton's centre sliced her way through and flew in at the corner for an unconverted try. 10-7.
There was an absolute clatter at the restart between Ayr number eight Lisa Croniken and her Broughton counterpart but the youngster got to her feet unscathed and continued to displayed extremely tough skills in attack as well as defence.
Turner again showed great attacking play, handing off a Broughton defender to make a break. Daryl Paterson, Phoebe McDowall and Laura McTaggart also made some effective charges. But there were no further pushes for the try-line as Broughton kept them pinned in their own half before the interval.
The second half was a war of attrition and there were several stoppages for the physio teams to scurry on to attend to crumpled bodies. As well Irving leaving the field, Mclauchlan, McGillivray and McGill all had to hobble off at various points, demonstrating just how difficult this game was.
Ayr were again trapped in their own half but Broughton repeatedly knocked on. However, Ayr couldn't capitalise and were under pressure at their own scrum for most of the half. They were also penalised in a kickable position but Broughton's stand-off missed the kick at goal.
They didn't panic though and again used the line-out to their advantage, this time replacement Lynda Morgan proving a safe pair of hands in the air. Fellow substitute Kirstin Daly threw herself into tackles throughout the day and the remainder of the bench, Megan Thomson, Sarah Smith, Lyndsay Dick, Zoe Montgomerie and Lisa Main, made valuable contributions to get Ayr out of their own half with ten minutes to go.
Broughton's handling errors were proving their downfall as they fumbled a clearance kick from McTaggart but their strong scrum was again too much for Ayr. However, Ayr's marauding forwards again turned over and a penalty on their own twenty-two saw them charging for the try-line. But disappointment was to follow as Broughton's scrum-half flew on to the pass and raced away to score a converted try under the posts. 17-7.
Time was running out but Ayr weren't about to wilt in the Motherwell sunshine. With Broughton again on the attack, Paterson turned on her heel and charged off to put in what was surely a try-saving tackle.
Another fumble from Broughton didn't matter as the referee blew for full-time and gave the Edinburgh side a well-deserved victory. However, Ayr Ladies held their heads high knowing that they gave it their all and did themselves and their club proud. They have made an indelible mark on Scottish women's rugby in their very first season and will be the ones to watch next year.
Final score: Broughton Ladies 17 Ayr Ladies 7.
- Elena Hogarth.
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