Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil joins Scotland Rugby Star to show support for Whiteleys Retreat!
Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil took time out of his busy schedule to visit Millbrae and show support for Ayrshire Bulls charity partner, Whiteleys Retreat. Whiteleys offers respite breaks to families with children suffering from life altering illnesses.
Biffy Clyro's Simon Neil & Scotland Rugby's Gordon Reid
On hand to meet Simon was Ayrshire Bulls and Scotland Rugby Internationalist, Gordon Reid. Gordon has recently been made an Ambassador to the charity which involves #spreadingtheword about Whiteleys Retreat on his travels. Gordon presented Simon with a Whiteleys Retreat charity strip.
New Years Day Cocktail Party at Millbrae (1pm to 7pm)
It's always a great crowd at Millbrae's famous New Year's Day Cocktail Party and don't be fooled, there aren't any cocktails! Traditionally, weary sleep deprived revellers would arrive after first footing through the night and order a lager & lime or lager shandy to soften the blow! This became known as a Millbrae Cocktail or more accurately a ruined pint!
Times have moved on and now the New Years day "Cocktail Party" is a family friendly afternoon where friends new and old can celebrate the dawning of a new year.
Doors open at 1pm with a real coal fire welcoming all! The kids zone kicks off shortly after with Big Screen Movies and Wi-fi. From 2pm. relax with the chilled acoustic music of Carl Espirit Bridgeman. At 4.30pm there will be Traditional Scottish Soup, Delicious fresh lamb and pizza/chicken nuggets for the kids! This is a free event for members and non-members, all first-footers welcome!
Big Gordy Reid raises £10k in 10 minutes for Whiteleys Retreat!
Scotland Star auctions personal memorabilia for Whiteleys Retreat!
Ayrshire Bulls at Whiteleys Retreat
Scotland & Ayrshire Bulls Rugby Star, Big Gordy Reid, visited Whiteleys Retreat last week dressed as Santa. The local Carrick Round Table kindly picked up Santa in their amazing musical sleigh along with his favourite Elf and landed at Whiteleys Retreat in Ayrshire to meet the children and families who were enjoying respite with the charity.
Whiteleys Retreat is an Ayrshire charity providing vital therapeutic respite breaks to children, young people and their families with cancer or a life altering illness. Perfectly situated within 30 acres of beautiful Ayrshire countryside on the outskirts of Ayr.
Gordon first visited Whiteleys as part of the Ayrshire Bulls/Whiteleys Retreat charity partneship and wanted to bring a bit of Christmas cheer. So moved was Gordon after his visit he decided to auction some of his personal memorabilia from the 2019 Japan Rugby World Cup. Never one to shy from action Big Gordy struck the next day storming the stage unannounced at the end of the auction at the Ayr Rugby Clubs Presidents Lunch. Describing his recent visit to Whiteleys he asked the 150 strong audience to dig deep and offered to auction 2 rugby strips signed by the full Scotland World Cup Rugby Squad. Rugby Club Legend Norrie Lymburn took to the stage and directed the proceedings raising £10K in just 10 minutes, all of which will go to Whiteleys Retreat. You can watch Gordys emotional speech and auction here.
(Image credit: George McMillan)
#backingthebulls
Bulls edge Bears in high-scoring thriller
Earlier today at Millbrae the Ayrshire Bulls bounced back from opening round defeat to muscle past Broughmuir Bears 32-27. The Bulls were cruising with the game reaching its' conclusion, but a belligerent Bears team grabbed two at the death to flatter the opposition.
Despite not putting the visitors to bed late in the contest, Peter Murchie is happy with the final outcome: "When you have worked hard for a 70 minutes period to concede to late tries is disappointing, but the main focus of the performance is that we are pleased because we can't beat guys with a stick all the time". The head coach was also delighted with how the new faces to Millbrae took their opportunities: "They (the newcomers) looked dangerous and we managed to get in behind a few times. The guys who came in did a good job and the experience the pro-players in the backline brought helped us".
It was a dream start for the Bulls, with Warriors duo McDowall and Hughes linking up to draw first blood. McDowall put a dink through the line into the dead ball area for Hughes to dive clear. Frazier Climo, kited out in his beloved Taranaki colours, slotted the conversion.
The Bears retaliated in kind, with a quick try and penalty snatching control of the game after 13 minutes. Sam Kitchen got the next score, latching onto the back of a devastating rolling maul which marched up the field from the 22. The score was followed by another, with winger Tom Lewis diving clear moments later. Lewis was a busy man in the first half, popping up in the backline to provide go-forward for the Bulls.
Half-time: Ayrshire Bulls 19-10 Boroughmuir Bears. The bears opened up the second half with a penalty to scrape back the deficit. After an hour played Ollie Smith hit a beautiful inside line to weave past the defence. He fed the supporting McDowall, who in-turn fed Hughes to bag his second.
The result looked confirmed when Climo stretched the lead on 68 minutes, with a routine penalty in front of the posts to make it 27-13 with seven minutes left to play Graham Geldenhuys put the icing on the cake, with a score out wide to make it 32-13.
With the result put to bed the Bulls took their foot off the gas, allowing Bears to run in two late tries and steal a losing-bonus point.
FULL-TIME: Ayrshire Bulls 32-27 Boroughmuir Bears.
For an all-round abrasive performance and a nifty 40 yard break, Lars Morrice was named FOSROC Man of the Match.
Ayrshire Bulls & Whiteleys Retreat Charity Partnership
Ayrshire Bulls announce partnership with Whiteleys Retreat!
Ayrshire Bulls at Whiteleys Retreat
Ayr Rugby and the Bulls are delighted to announce a unique partnership with local charity Whiteleys Retreat, which is the first of its’ kind in Scotland.
Whiteleys Retreat is an Ayrshire charity providing vital therapeutic respite breaks to children, young people and their families with cancer or a life altering illness. Perfectly situated within 30 acres of beautiful Ayrshire countryside on the outskirts of Ayr.
The partnership will be formally launched this Saturday when the Ayrshire Bulls take to the field in their all-new charity away strips, showcasing the Whiteleys logo and colours. The charity package includes signed match strips, a table at a pre-match lunch, meet & greet and fundraising opportunities at home matches and events. So far nearly £1500 has been raised for Whiteleys Retreat through the partnership.
The limited-edition jersey will be available for purchase from both the Ayrshire Bulls and Whiteleys Retreat online shops, with the profits being shared equally between Whiteleys Retreat and the Ayr Community Rugby Trust.
Maxine Allan, CEO and Trustee of Whiteleys, expressed delight in the partnership with: “We are incredibly blown away with the level of support from Ayr Rugby Club and its affiliated members and supporters.
“To have a bespoke Whiteleys designed away strip for the Ayrshire Bulls is not only amazing but a great honour – the strips will help us raise funds for the charity but also increase the awareness of Whiteleys throughout Scotland - helping us reach those children who truly need this respite.
“The Ayrshire Bulls team visited Whiteleys last week, and it was a privilege to show them around the respite facilities. A lovely group of talented sportsmen, who genuinely care for the community and the families who need help. On top of that, the new strips look awesome – I've got one and love it! Make sure you order yours as they’re limited edition”.
Her enthusiasm was mirrored by Ayr Rugby Chief Operating Officer, Glen Tippett, who stated: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the Ayrshire Bulls to support a local charity and give back to the community. The work Whiteleys Retreat is doing is truly inspiring, so for us to be able to help raise awareness is an honour.
“We look forward to strengthening our relationship with the charity over the next few years”.
(Image credit: Euan McCall, Ayrshire Post)
#backingthebulls
Buy your Ayrshire Bulls tickets online!
Ayrshire Bulls match tickets available online!
The FOSROC Super6 season kicks off at 2pm on Sunday the 10th November at Fortress Millbrae with the Ayrshire Bulls playing rivals Heriots Rugby. You can now buy your match tickets for any Ayrshire Bulls home game on our new online shop, you can even go a step further and buy tickets for the pre-match lunch and make a day of it! #backingthebulls