Callum Kerr

‘Fergie’ is a well-known face at Millbrae. A former Ayr 1XV captain and Millbrae player, he more recently sat on the club’s general committee as Minis Convener.

Talking of the appointment, Bulls’ Chairman Billy McHarg said: “Having received 18 quality applications and having conducted interviews with SRU’s Grant McKelvey (Head of Performance Programs) in attendance, Graeme Ferguson stood out as the best candidate for the role.

“Graeme brings a wealth of experience to the position with an impressive commercial track record and 20 years of account management experience”.

The bulk of Graeme’s professional experience was earned at commercial printers’ Kestrel Press. Starting as a Client and Development Manager, he moved into the role of Sales and Operations Director in April 2012 – a position he held for a decade. He joins the Bulls from Marketing agency CoshNiven, where he’s spent the last ten months as Account Director.

A long-serving member of the Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce, Graeme already has well established relationships with many of the club’s sponsors which will allow him to hit the ground running.

Graeme starts his new position on Monday 6 of March. The club wish him every success in this role.

If you have any sponsorship queries please contact the club at: [email protected]

The Bears were dealt an early blow when Adam Scott found himself in the sin bin after five minutes. The centre was chasing a high ball but misjudged his challenge and took out Liam McNamara in the air.

With a man advantage the Bulls were making in-roads and it didn’t take long to open the scoring. A Bull farmer by day, a Bulls player by night, Andy Nimmo showed grunt to muscle his way over for his first score of the season. Richie Simpson’s conversion made it 7-0.

What the game gave in intensity, the first half lacked in action. A back-and-forth inside the two 22s unfolded until the break with neither side convincing. The best chance came for the Bears, when a loose ball wasn’t dealt with allowing Scott McGinley to race away. He looked home and dry before Liam McNamara managed to hunt him down and wrestle the ball into touch.

Half-Time: Ayrshire Bulls 7-0 Boroughmuir Bears

The second half started in a similar sluggish manner, with a soft pitch providing uneven grounding for the backs.

The Bulls’ advantage throughout the match came through the set-piece, in particular a superiority at scrum-time. The next score came through utilising just that. With a five-metre scrum the pack marched towards the line, giving Blair Macpherson the easiest of touches for a score. Richie Simpson’s conversion marked his last involvement before making way for Will Hunt. The youngster has featured in eight games to date for the Bulls and is yet to miss from the kicking tee.

The final act came from Hunt, who took every second available to wind up a penalty effort, making sure it slotted through the uprights on the stroke of full-time.

Full-Time: Ayrshire Bulls 17-0 Boroughmuir Bears

In what was a bruising encounter, Archie Smeaton picked up FOSROC Player of the Match honours after a monumental eighty-minute shift in the engine room.

The Bulls enjoyed the bulk of possession over the opening exchanges, but a resilient Bears defence kept them at bay. Both Alex McGuire and Cam Jones managed to cross the try line, but a double movement followed by a held-up ball denied the visitors.

Eventually a score would come from a Bears mistake. The home side had done the hard part to haul the Bulls into touch yards short, but a faulty line out gifted Alex McGuire a second trip over the line and this one would stand. Will hunt made it a 0-7 lead.

The second score was a more aesthetic effort. After 30 minutes of play in the tight the Bulls decided to spread their wings. Blair Macpherson eyed up contact before opting to send Jamie Shedden on a run. The centre did well to suck in the remaining defenders and offload to the charging Eli Caven, who couldn’t be caught.

The score ignited some frantic exchanges, with the Bulls racing back over a few minutes later followed by Boroughmuir’s first of the day. Ayr’s score came through Will Hunt who flirted with the notion of a pass before doing the work himself. He cut through the line then rode contact to get over.

Half-time: Boroughmuir Bears 7-19 Ayrshire Bulls

The second half started at a similar flying pace. Boroughmuir Bears struck first but Bulls Skipper Blair Macpherson forced his way over moments later to counteract the home score.

The Bulls final score was a second for Eli Caven. The winger picked up possession in the middle of the field before a step off his right foot and change of pace propelled him through a handful of empty hands and towards the line. With Caven approaching the final defender he managed to flash his electric footwork and put the Boroughmuir man off-balance, gliding by for a scintillating score.

With both sides set to face each other in seven days’ time the intensity only grew. What would have been a dead rubber fixture at the end of the season now had a lot on the line with crucial momentum up for grabs. The emotion spilled over a few times in the dying embers, and a lack of discipline cost Pat MacArthur’s men. In amongst the mayhem Jordan Lenac picked up a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on.

With their tails up, and a man advantage, Boroughmuir grabbed a final score to narrow the margin.

Full-time: Boroughmuir Bears 21-33 Ayrshire Bulls

In what was a characteristically scrappy match, the Bulls point of difference was their wide men, and Eli Caven’s touch of class earned him FOSROC Player of the Match honours.

No rest for the wicked, and at the same time next week the Bulls will welcome Boroughmuir to Millbrae with a spot in the FOSROC Super6 final up for grabs. The match gets underway at 17.00.

(Photo – George McMillan)

It was Typhoon-like conditions in Burns country all week building to the match. But the pitch held up and the rain subsided just in time for kick-off.

Stirling won a handful of early penalty, but the bulls were able to convert on their first offering. An uncharacteristic pass from Jordan Lenac put Andy Stirrat under-pressure but the centre managed to carry through contact and put the Wolves in reverse. From there, a crafty chip from Ollie Smith dinks the ball into the try zone for Aaron Tait to score. Ross Thompson adds the extras.

It wasn’t long before the Bulls – and Tait – doubled up. A handful of carries from the pack managed to swallow a few Stirling players, before Ross Thompson took full advantage with a cross-field kick for Aaron Tait to collect and bag his second.

Half-time: Ayrshire Bulls 12-0 Stirling County

The break didn’t cool off the Bulls and they came out firing after the break. A carving run from Ross Thompson all but put him over. Blair Macpherson left no doubt in the following carry. Thomson converted to make it a 19-0 lead after 50 minutes.

The bonus came with five to play. From the base of a scrum Sione Vialanu charged towards the line. Brought down short, Blair Macpherson replicated his first score to get over. Richie Simpson made it 26-0.

Full-time: Ayrshire Bulls 26-0 Stirling Wolves

Aaron Tait’s electric pace and brace put him in the conversation for FOSROC Player of the Match, but co-commentator Robbie Fergusson selected Alex Samuel for a brawling performance in the engine room. Conditions hampered much of the loose play at Samuel’s steady target in the line-out proved a potent weapon for the Bulls.

(Photo – George McMillan)

Pat is no stranger to the Millbrae faithful. An Ayrshire boy who came through the Ayr set up whilst schooling at Prestwick Academy. Pat was part of the club 2009 squad who successfully won the Scottish Premiership trophy for the first time.

As a Hooker  hewent on to enjoy over a decade of professional rugby with Glasgow Warriors and in addition earning international honours with Scotland during that period.

He was part of the matchday squad that won the GUINNESS PRO12 Championship in 2015.

In his later playing years he joined the coaching team at Ayr, racking up a few more Premiership and Scottish cup honours to his name. Since retiring from playing he has been a key member of the Bulls coaching staff.

Last season he took the Head Coaching reigns for the first time and guided the Bulls to inaugural FOSROC Super6 success. He took over the position of Bulls head coach at the start of this current Super 6 campaign, when Peter Horne departed to Glasgow Warriors.

Ayrshire Bulls currently sit second and in a few weeks’ time hopefully he will  lead them to the defence of the  FOSROC Super6 title.

The Head Coach selection process took place over a fourth month period and despite his work commitments as a Civil Engineer, MacArthur remained the best candidate for the job with his proven track record. He will perform the role to the same specifications as the five other coaches, with a unique schedule to support him. This model has been developed over the past three years taking into consideration how he has managed the role in the past.

MacArthur’s first job in his permanent position will be this Friday night when the Ayrshire Bulls host Stirling Wolves at Millbrae. The match gets underway at 19.45.

The Bulls have been in tremendous form the past few weeks and started the match in fine fettle. Glendinning’s early score was closely followed by another from Eli Caven. The winger worked his way into the middle of the park and a well-timed pass from Andy Stirrat put him through. Two successful conversions from Ross Thomson made it 0-14 after less than ten minutes.

Heriots did manage to slow down the Ayr attack, but Pat Macarthur’s men worked their way back over twenty minutes later. Eli Caven received the ball out wide and managed to wriggle through two attackers to bag his second and the team’s third.

Half-time: Heriots 0-19 Ayrshire Bulls

The second half started much more competitive than the first, with a turn in weather plaguing the match with rain.

On the hour mark Heriots bagged their first score. A charge down from Iain Wilson sprung the ball into the palms of Gelderbloom who was able to race clear. Ayr retaliated immediately, with Caven securing his hattrick just three minutes later.

Caven’s fourth and the matches final score came in the 77^th minute. Ollie Smith kick-started the counterattack, weaving through the line before feeding Caven on his left. There was still work to do and a change of pace from the speedster propelled him through the final tackler and in for the score.

Unsurprisingly, Eli Caven was named FOSROC Player of the match for his deadly finishing.

(Photo – George McMillan)

The Ayrshire Bulls broke through on six minutes after referee Ruairidh Campbell blew for a penalty try. Will Hunt putting the resulting kick through the posts to make it 7-0.

The penalty was due to the Knights bringing down a maul illegally, with the guilty party Jamie Campbell picking up a yellow in the process.

On to the 14^th minute and the Bulls extended their lead, captain Blair McPherson powering off from a short distance. The kick, again from Will Hunt, made it 14-0 to the home side.

There was little to no scoring for most of the second half until the 38^th minute when Liam McNamara increased the Bulls lead after a strong period of possession. The ball was shipped wide to the full-back who hesitated a pass to Aaron Tait before worming over himself.

Seven minutes in to the second half and it was yet another try for the Bulls – Cameron Jones going over to add yet more misery to Southern Knights’ afternoon. The conversion was good, increasing the lead to 26.

On to the hour mark and the onslaught from the Ayrshire Bulls continued as they yet again scored a try after some neat play across the line – Will Hunt easily navigating his way past his opposite man to add to the scoring. He didn’t manage to add the extras.

It took 77 minutes but the Southern Knights finally got themselves on the scoreboard. A crafty dink behind the Bulls line popped up for the sprinting Aidan Cross to bag a consolation score

Full-Time: Ayrshire Bulls 31-5 Southern Knights.

After the game, Bulls’ Head Coach Pat McArthur said: “It was a bit of stuffy game, we came here to do a job to get the bonus point and the boys stuck to the task. We never looked panicked, I think we had a good few defensive sets on our line and we managed to push them back so it’s job done”.

He continued, “We stick to our system and teams know our system now but we stick to it and we practice it. As long as we keep working and stick to what we are meant to be doing then we will come away with the points”.

Scrum-half Cam Jones picked up FOSROC Player of the Match honours after a lively eighty minutes.

Unsurprisingly Pat MacArthur was all smiles come full-time. Chatting to press he said: “To come to Stirling and get 64 points – we haven’t beaten them in the last four league games – is great. I thought we fronted up well and looked good”.

Pat was particularly happy that his men kept the foot on the gas and didn’t lose intensity. Even with the game’s result secured his men continued to build, personified by a Blair Macpherson try deep in injury time. He said: “That says a lot. With a minute to go we could have just seen it out and kicked the ball away but we wanted to scrum for a penalty, we wanted a couple of big physical contacts and it turned out Blair got a try”.

Although the bonus point was secured before half-time, at 10-24 the game was still there for both sides. A rampant second half proved to be the difference, with the Bulls putting their competitors to the sword: “We had an honest discussion at half time. Yeah we had the bonus but we felt we weren’t playing the way we wanted to. We came out after and really stepped up the intensity and I’m proud of that”.

It was a game in which a number of players put their hand up for FOSROC Player of the Match honours, but it was captain Blair Macpherson who leaves with the medal around his neck. The back-row was at his swashbuckling best for the full eighty, with him providing the first and last scores of the encounter.

The result means it’s a clean sweep for Millbrae Men at Bridgehaugh today with the Club 1XV winning 10-18 over Stirling County and Ayr/Millbrae beating their County equivalents 17-7.

The Bulls will look to build on their rich run of form next Saturday when they welcome Southern Knights to Millbrae. The match kicks off at 17.00 and you can follow the action every step of the way on Twitter @AyrshireBulls.

Bulls were due to play Southern Knights in Melrose on Saturday, the round five FOSROC Super6 fixture will now be played on Saturday 10 September at The Greenyards.

Following this afternoon’s withdrawal of Glasgow’s original pre-season opponents Worcester Warriors, due to ongoing financial issues at the English Premiership club, it allows a further opportunity for Bulls players to be immersed into the professional rugby environment to play a game against a Glasgow side preparing for their own URC campaign.

Scottish Rugby’s Technical Director Steven Gemmell said: “Scottish Rugby and Super6 are glad to be able to support Glasgow Warriors in fulfilling the fixture in Inverness tomorrow evening.

“After a good performance last weekend it’s great that Ayrshire Bulls will have the opportunity to test themselves against the next playing level in Scotland. Thanks must also go to Southern Knights in being able to support this fixture by moving their home fixture to next weekend.”

(Photo – George McMillan. Jamie Shedden’s Brace was the Difference Maker)

The Bulls went into the fixture full of confidence after last week’s triumph, but it was Watsonians that struck first. Just ten minutes into the fixture second row Jamie Berrisford latched onto a held-up tackle and managed to slip through the line miraculously with ball in hand. The crafty move awarded the visitors their first score which was duly converted.

The Bulls answered back in thunderous fashion. They looked under the cosh when a magical counter-attack from Liam McNamara saw him slice through the line and prance out of his half. The full-back drew the final defender before finding Jamie Shedden with pin-point accuracy. The centre finished the job with ease.

With the clock marching towards the interval Shedden bagged his brace. A fortuitous grubber rattled off a couple of legs before shooting behind the Watsonians line for him to scoop up and dive clear.

Half-time: Ayrshire Bulls 14-7 Watsonians

The gruelling nature of play continued into the second half with there being paper-thin differences between the sides. After a confident period of play from Watsonians they were rewarded a free shot at goal. James Malcolm managed to win a turnover in the shade of his owns post but some jubilation spilled over into a shove and referee David Sutherland switched the call to a Watsonians penalty. Jason Baggott didn’t need to be asked twice to convert it into three points.

The defining period of the match came soon after. A rolling maul try, initially awarded to James Malcolm but later assigned to Bobby Beattie gifted the Bulls a commanding 21-10 lead. A Will Hunt penalty with ten left to play made it 24-10 and put Pat Macarthur’s men in touching distance of victory.

As the final seconds dwindled away Watsonians kept plugging along and managed to secure a final try to seal a losing bonus and keep them top of the table.

Full-Time: Ayrshire bulls 24-17 Watsonians.

Although the match was won in the trenches, Jamie Shedden’s two tries ended up being the point of difference for the Bulls, which earned him FOSROC Player of the Match honours.