Callum Kerr @ The Greenyards
The Ayrshire Bulls ran out 24-38 victors at the Greenyards this afternoon in a match that was equally frantic as it was captivating. The Bulls looked out of sight numerous times, but a never-say-die Southern Knight side kept wrangling their way back into touching distance.
They delt the final blow to make the score line a tad more respectable, securing an all-important bonus in the process.
Blair Macpherson led the Bulls onto the Greenyards pitch to mark his 50th appearance for the side – becoming the first Bull (and possibly Super Series player, to reach the milestone).
The Bulls drew first blood in the first exchange of the game. In their first venture wide centre duo Bobby Beattie and Andy Stirrat linked up tremendously to break the gain line and put Chris Hyde over. The full-back added the extras.
Unperturbed, the Knights responded in similar fashion. Going through their hands, Aiden Cross used a slither of space to launch through the air and dot in the corner. Callum Grieve made it all square.
Another retaliation put the Bulls back ahead. After a couple of early ambiguous scrum calls the visitors began to get the upper hand and two in a row put them on the Knights line. The defence spread wide to defend the attack, allowing scrum half Fergus Johnston to jump clear from the base of the ruck. Hyde made it a seven-point gap from the tee.
The Bulls third came late in the half. A dink to the corner didn’t quite find the intended target of Thomas Glendinning, but the winger managed to palm it back in-bounds for Andy Stirrat to gather and score.
They weren’t done yet and another on the stroke of half-time wrapped up the bonus point. From their own half an array of offloads put Macpherson through the line. The skipper stampeded forward before feeding Johnstone to do the rest. The conversion, from Hyde, was good.
Half-time: Southern Knights 7-26 Ayrshire Bulls.
Southern Knights got the first after the break. In similar style to his name, Corbin Thunder finished off a lovely team move to score under the posts. The conversion made it a 12-point game.
The new-found wind in their sails was squashed moments later. From broken play Amino Bogidrau played a lovely inside pass to Rory Jackson in full stride. The towering lock cantered in from 30 yards, dumfounding the Knights defence. Hyde’s conversion made it 14-33.
Paddy Anderson is a man the Knights can often rely on for a score and the winger provided a try late in the match to narrow the deficit.
Alex McGuire replied for the Bulls, with a score at the death looking like the final act, but referee David Sutherland called for one last play from the restart.
With the Bulls out of sight the result was out of the question for the Knights, but another score would secure a vital try bonus point. They pushed the visitors to their limits and got their reward, with a consolation score bringing proceedings to an end.
Full-time: Southern Knights 24-38 Ayrshire Bulls.
Despite coming off at half-time, Fergus Johnston’s first 40 which saw him score two and command the attack, was enough to secure FOSROC Player of the Match honours.