Ayr RFC

Rugby team
teamname = Ayr


imagesize = 75px
union = Scottish Rugby Union
fullname = Ayr Rugby Football Club
founded = 1897
ground = Millbrae
coach = flagicon|Scotland
location = Ayr, Scotland
country

url = www.ayrrugbyclub.co.uk
league = Premiership Division One
season =
position =
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Ayr Rugby Football Club are a rugby union side, currently playing in the Premiership Division One.

The team are based in Ayr in Scotland and they play their rugby at Millbrae, Alloway.

Milbrae

A short distance from the birthplace of Scotland's national bard and a stone's throw from the Auld Brig O' Doon, immortalised in "Tam O' Shanter", is Millbrae, the picturesque rugby ground of Ayr.

Millbrae became Ayr's home in 1964, the club having moved from the original ground at Newton Park to Dam Park, then to the Old Racecourse and King George V playing field before finally taking up residence in Alloway. Newton Park is now the venue of international bowls competitions, Dam Park is an athletics stadium and King George V is given over to soccer, although its claim to fame came from the time of a full Scottish trial was staged there in 1958, every other ground in Scotland being frostbound.

Caps / Representative honours

Throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s Ayr produced players of quality. One who played and went on to be capped out of London Scottish was Alistair Boyle. Although supplying players to the Glasgow side (and Glasgow clubs) Ayr had to wait until 1977 for the first home-grown player to gain international honours. Winger David Ashton won his B cap against France and in the following year John Brown was in the B side at full back in the same fixture.

In 1980 Stephen Munro won the first of his ten full caps, against Ireland, the last coming in the Welsh match of the 1984 Grand Slam season. Probably Ayr's finest hour in representative terms came in December 1984 when 5 players – skipper Alan Brown, half backs George Nicolson and Grant Steel, and wing forwards David Brown and Colin McCallum – lined up for Glasgow against the touring Australians. The 3 Brown brothers certainly made impact on rugby in Ayr.

Other Ayr players who gained international caps at other clubs were Gordon Strachan, Quintin Dunlop, Derek Stark and Derek Lee.

Gordon Strachan left Ayr Academy and played for Ayr before going to Jordanhill College where he gained 5 caps while playing for the successful Jordanhill team. He returned to Ayr in the late seventies to play and captain the club. Gordon coached Ayr after he hung up his boots, leading them from the 3rd to the 1st Division and inspiring the club to some of its finest victories.

Quintin Dunlop captained Ayr in the late seventies after his one cap with West of Scotland.

Derek Stark, Ayr's "Rolls Royce" flying winger, gained B caps at Ayr, but the 9 full caps came after he left the club as Ayr had been relegated to the 2nd Division. This man of many clubs won caps with Boroughmuir, Glasgow Hawks and Melrose.

Derek Lee played for Ayr from the ages of 8 to 18, gaining Scotland representation at all junior age groups. Unfortunately, university in Edinburgh meant he chose a local club (Watsonians) and he gained his 12 caps during the last ten years playing for London Scottish and Edinburgh.