Curle’s crazy moment casts a cloud over Ayr’s charge to play-off final
Ross Curle went from the sublime to the ridiculous in the space of three minutes on Saturday when he strolled in for Ayr’s sixth try before being shown the red card for a crazy no-arms tackle on Jack Steele.
That rush of blood will now probably cost him the dream ending to his Ayr career – he, along with one or two other veterans, will not be at Millbrae next season – of back-toback BT Premiership play-off and Scottish Cup final appearances. And, without him, Ayr will be weakened in the two games against Melrose.
They were certainly, once again, too strong for Hawks as they inflicted a fourth win of the season on their visitors. The victory was not as convincing as last week’s Scottish Cup one, thanks mainly to the greater resistance offered by the re-cast Hawks XV, who had all their young guns back from their professional club commitments. These boys are good, but Hawks didn’t have Ayr’s solidity, particularly when it came to defensive efforts.
They also lacked, for all the skills of George Horne and Hagen Schulte, the gamemanagement authority which David Armstrong and Frazier Climo demonstrated for the home side. Hawks are secondbest to Ayr in the west but they will be back next season, determined to close the gap.
Melrose will start as favourites in the two finals but Ayr will make them battle all the way and we are set for two great ties on 15 and 22 April.
Ayr scored first and thereafter kept just out of reach. Tries from Archie Russell, Grant Anderson and Danny Mccluskey, the middle one converted by Climo, against a George Horne penalty, made it 17-3 at half-time and Robin Mcalpine’s converted try stretched the Ayr lead in the second half. Matt Fagerson cut the leeway, with Horne converting, before a second Grant Anderson try, converted by Climo, and Curle’s try and conversion put the game to bed. Then, with Curle redcarded and Grant Anderson in the sinbin, a penalty try and Fagerson’s second touchdown saw Hawks pull back two late scores.