Ardrossan Accies were once again invited to take part in the Glasgow Warriors pre-match Mini Rugby tournament at Scotstoun.

On this occasion it was the turn of the young Primary 4 team, only a handful of weeks into the rugby season and still finding their feet in contact rugby.

First up for Ardrossan in the group stage was Helensburgh RFC. From the first whistle the young Accies burst into life, with some dazzling evasive running from Rory Gallagher leading to two early tries. Supported by a new-found grit and determination in defence, Ardrossan comfortably kept the Helensburgh team at bay for much of the match, scoring two further tries to secure a 4-1 victory.

The 2nd match in the group against Strathaven RFC was notable for the stand-out performances of the newest members of the Ardrossan team. The eventual 3-0 victory for the Accies was built on the incredible defensive effort of Grace Hogarth, putting in tackle after tackle and denying the opposition team any scoring opportunities throughout the game. Equally impressive was Grace Dekker, showing great speed and composure to score a fantastic breakaway try in her first game for Ardrossan.

The toughest game of the group was to come in the final round of matches, with Ardrossan facing a fast and physical Bishopton Rugby Club team. Despite a great effort in both attack and defence, the speed of the Bishopton attack on the restarts caused the Accies players issues throughout. A fantastic game of quality rugby eventually ended in a 4-2 defeat for Ardrossan.

Despite the result in the final group game, the Accies’ performance in the first two matches was sufficient to secure their place in the finals matches which were scheduled to take place at half-time during the Warrior’s game, much to the delight of players, coaches and parents.

As half time approached in the Pro 14 fixture, even the torrential rain over the West End of Glasgow couldn’t dampen the spirits of the young Ardrossan team waiting to enter the fray. When the Glasgow and Treviso players departed for the break, the Accies ran onto the Scotstoun pitch to face Annan RFC in front of a capacity Scotstoun crowd. The Annan team proved to be a well organised, physical proposition, and Ardrossan spent much of game working tirelessly in defence. This eventually took its toll on the young players, and Annan scored 3 quick tries in the final minutes of the game resulting in a 3-0 defeat for the Accies.

This final result took nothing away from what was a fantastic performance overall by this P4 team in their first Warrior’s tournament, with players, coaches and parents all leaving extremely proud of the team’s efforts over the four games. Congratulations to everyone involved, and good luck with the rest of the season.

* Around 40% of the Ardrossan Accies squad includes players from Largs, Fairlie and West Kilbride.