Bullish Murchie Names His Entire Ayrshire Bulls Squad

PETER MURCHIE of Ayrshire Bulls has been a busy boy this week, finalising his squad roster, ready for the FOSROC Super-6 season kicking-off on 9 November.

Peter Murchie - a busy boy

In the past 24 hours, he has announced a total of 16 signings, to bring his squad up to capacity. In addition to the four signings announced yesterday – Grant Anderson, Chester Duff, Sam Kitchen and Danny McCluskey, over the course of today, he has announced a further 12 signings, a combination of familiar Millbrae faces, and a smattering of newcomers.

The most familiar of the old boys is probably Craig Gossman, who, after over 100 games for the club, moved to Boroughmuir midway through last season. Newly-married, he has now come back to Millbrae to join the Bulls.

His Ayrshire Bulls contract is the lesser of two Craig Gossman

has signed during 2019

Also returning after a season away is Scotland Under-20 full-back or wing, Matt Davidson, who was with London Scottish last season. Matt came through the youth ranks at Ayr. Another two Ayr young guns – James Pinkerton and Cammy Reece have also earned promotion to the Bulls roster. Twenty-two year old Pinkerton has earned his stripes with a run of excellent performances in the Ayr Club XV this season, while 20-year-old back rower Reece was a regular in the squad last season.

Bulls have also recruited from nearby clubs: second row Fraser Hastie and back row man Gavin Wilson have arrived from Glasgow Hawks, while prop Michael Scott has moved down the A77 from GHA. Another Weegie coming to the Costa Clyde is Stage III Academy player, lock forward Rory Jackson, the latest big boy off the Kelvinside Academy lock forward production line.

Twenty-year-old Channel Islander Ewan Davies comes to the Bulls from Jersey Reds. His place of birth means prop forward Ewan can, if he wishes, opt to play for Scotland.

One of the more-interesting Bulls' signings is surely 24-year-old prop forward Nicholas Griffiths, who joins the club from Club Alcobandas in Spain.

Winger Tom Lewis moves north from Durham University, with whom he won England Universities Sevens honours. He is known to Ayr, having captained his university against Ayr at last season's Melrose Sevens.

Tom Jordan calling the shots for Waikato

The final new boy is New Zealander Tom Jordan, a first five-eighth (stand-off) from the famous Hamilton Old Boys club in Waikato. The 21-year-old is a team mate of Hamilton Burr's in the Waikato Development squad.

That's the squad, showing an 19/16 split between forwards and backs, which Coach Murchie is confident can hit the ground running for the big kick-off on the weekend of 8 - 10 November, when, of course, the Bulls are involved in the big glamour game – the televised clash with Heriot's on Sunday, 10 November.

Not to be outdone, Southern Knights have also completed their squad, with the signing today of Wales Sevens flier Joe Jenkins. Brisbane-born and bred, and a graduate of the University of Queensland, Jenkins qualified for Wales through his grand-father, making his way "home" via a spell in the USA.

Joe Jenkins in action for Wales Sevens

pic courtesy of WRU

Knights' Coach Rob Chrystie says of his new signing: "I'm excited to see what Joe will bring to our squad. I certainly feel the type of fast-paced rugby he has been used to will allow him to fit-in well with our squad and the type of rugby we want to play."

EXCLUSIVE

STILL on the subject of Super-6, one of my Welsh friends kindly sent me an advance copy of the cross-border fixtures which are to be played next year, at the end of the current season.

This makes interesting reading, not least from the opening round of matches. Can somebody please tell me what genius inside BT Murrayfield decided it would be a good idea to have all three Edinburgh-based franchises at home on the opening day of these fixtures? That idea completely defies logic – some guys out there in clubland don't think there is a market for even one Super-6 franchise in Edinburgh – far less having all three at home on the same day.

But, on sober reflection, perhaps this scheduling is in-part caused by the fact, two of the three Edinburgh franchises have to share their home ground with cricket clubs, so getting the three home games out of the way early eases cross-sport co-operation.

Any way, the damage is done for now (but perhaps we will see a change), however, as things stand the fixture schedule is:

Week One (25 April, 2020)

Aberavon v Stirling County

Boroughmuir Bears v Merthyr

Ebbw Vale v Southern Knights

Heriot's v Llandovery

Pontypridd v Ayrshire Bulls

Watsonians v Cardiff

Week Two (2 May, 2020)

Ayrshire Bulls v Llandovery

Cardiff v Boroughmuir Bears

Heriot's v Aberavon

Merthyr v Southern Knights

Pontypridd v Stirling County

Watsonians v Ebbw Vale

Week Three (9 May, 2020)

Aberavon v Boroughmuir Bears

Ebbw Vale v Ayrshire Bulls

Heriot's v Cardiff

Llandovery v Southern Knights

Stirling County v Merthyr

Watsonians v Pontypridd

Week Four (16 May, 2020)

Boroughmuir v Pontypridd

Cardiff v Ayrshire Bulls

Ebbw Vale v Heriot's

Merthyr v Watsonians

Southern Knights v Aberavon

Stirling County v Llandovery

Week Five (23 May, 2020)

Aberavon v Watsonians

Ayrshire Bulls v Merthyr

Llandovery v Boroughmuir Bears

Pontypridd v Heriot's

Southern Knights v Cardiff

Stirling County v Ebbw Vale

Week Six (30 May, 2020)

Ayrshire Bulls v Aberavon

Boroughmuir Bears v Ebbw Vale

Cardiff v Stirling County

Llandovery v Watsonians

Merthyr v Heriot's

Southern Knights v Pontypridd

The new competition is in many ways a step into the unknown, but such veterans of the old British & Irish Cup days as Bulls' Chief Operating Officer Glen Tippett are all too aware, facing the Welsh clubs will be a huge, upward learning curve for the Scottish teams.

Speaking to me, even before he had seen the fixtures, Tipps said:

“The Welsh clubs will give our guys a really tough examination, of that I have no doubt, but, I am confident, our guys will learn quickly and adapt, and such games are what will drive our game forward. I am looking forward to the challenge.”

For me, the most-interesting game will be the Week Three clash of Heriot's and Cardiff, at Goldenacre. This meeting of two of the world's great clubs, used to be a Friday night staple of the Scotland v Wales international week-ends. If some of the giants of both clubs take the opportunity for a reunion – the likes of Ken Scotland, Andy Irvine and the Milne brothers on one side and Gareth Edwards, Barry John and Gerald Davies on the other avail themselves of the opportunity to get together and reminisce, it will be a great evening, for autograph hunters and selfie-seekers.

Surely too, the players of Aberavon, Cardiff and Pontypridd will enjoy playing on that hallowed Field of Dreams that is The Greenyards – even if it now is an artificial surface. There is certainly much to look forward to in the new competition.