To Quote Lord Foulkes Of Cumnock: I Think They Do It Deliberately

LAST WEEK I flew a bit of a kite – suggesting it might be a good idea if, here in God's County, we resurrected the old Ayrshire Cup. I also suggested if that competition's cousins in other parts of Scotland could be brought out of cold storage, it would help the club game here. After all, the National and Regional Leagues are due, other than getting postponed games out of the way, done and dusted by late February.

As one of the movers and shakers in the local clubs, whose opinion I canvassed on this issue, remarked: “Playing meaningful games in March and April, having people around the club house, spending money in the bar – what's not to like.”

Now, I realised, getting such a popular idea up and running would need the support of the High Heid Yins of the game locally. So, as a courtesy, I dropped an email to the two Ayrshiremen who sit on The SRU's Club Rugby Board. With them on-board, the notion has a chance of coming to fruition, not simply being field as yet another of Aristotle's mad ideas.

As yet, one of our tribunes to HQ has not even bothered responding to my approach, while the other merely wanted to know who at his club I had spoken to. My standard response: “A journalist never reveals his contacts or sources – without their permission,” did not go down well with this Buftie.

I start to wonder, do they get: “Our way or the highway” indoctrination lessons along with the official SRU apparel?

The response I got from one of the true elder statesmen of Ayrshire Rugby goes a long way towards explaining what has gone wrong with the Scottish Rugby Union since the onset of Open Rugby.

This guy, with the benefit of over 60 years' experience in the club game, said: “The SRU went down the pan after the clubs were convinced to get rid of the blazers. WE LOST the Glasgow District Committee and the work they were doing with Senior and Junior Glasgow .”

That guy knows what he is talking about. Decentralisation, allowing the clubs in the different regions to organise their clubs in the way that best suits the different needs of each area. That might be the way to revitalise the club game.

The Border clubs already are allowed a degree of self-government, why not the rest of us?

THE MURRAYFIELD CAMPUS – plus some lesser Scottish grounds were busy at the weekend, as the various Age Group Cups, Shields, Bowls and Plates were played for and won.

Congratulations to the winners, commiserations to the runners-up, but, defeat can often be the catalyst for harder work and success next season.

You might be forgiven for thinking that that was it for Schools and Youth Rugby, for season 2023-24. Thankfully, that is not the case, as the future of the game now gets regionalised, at least until the end of the season, with various local leagues and cups keeping the next generation involved and interested from now until the end of April.

I was speaking to a couple of people heavily-involved in the Ayr Youth rugby set-up yesterday. They were delighted at the success of their Under-18 team, in beating Hawick Youth to win the Under-18 Shield, but, disappointed that a raft of injuries at the wrong time handicapped them in the Cup, and meant they dropped into the second tier. And well done to Hawick for reaching both the Under-18 and Under-16 Shield finals.

Ayr's years of being among the front runners in youth rugby has had a knock-on effect up the road at Marr. Here they are rather proud of the close relationship between the school – Marr College and the club. This brought them success in the inspiresport West A Schools Conference. Here the Troon school topped the ten-schools table, ahead of eight private schools, High School of Glasgow, St Aloysius' College, Hutcheson's Grammar School, St Columba's Kilmacolm, Kelvinside Academy, Glasgow Academy, Lomond and Helensburgh and Queen Victoria School.

The only other state school in the conference, Strathendrick/Balfron High School finished eighth.

There were only seven teams in the West B Conference, but here again, in a competition where the entry was dominated by private schools, the three state schools finished first, second and third – in descending order: Cumnock, Marr and Lenzie.

Surely more state schools can be encouraged to get involved at this level.

IF I CAN harp-on on an old favourite: as I mentioned above, last week I suggested there was room in the season to bring back old favourites such as the County Cups, or even the much-missed Glasgow District Knock-Out Cup.

Well, when you look at the calendar for youth and schools rugby,with those Regional competitions which start in the New Year and continue until April, you have to ask: Why cannot we do this too for adult rugby?

I look at The Junta, and the way they operate and I am more than ever convinced – they couldnae run a minauge.

FINALLY – the prize for dedication to rugby at the weekend surely goes to the irrepressible Louise Mclachlan of Ayr RFC.

The picture below was taken at the conclusion of Ayr Ladies West Division 1 clinching win over Oban Lorne, at Millbrae on Sunday.

The picture is, I admit, a touch out of focus, but, that's Louise, lying on the ground behind the winners' placard, having played her part in the victory.

Less than two hours later, showered and changed, she was at The Hive to see Ayr Under-18s, including her second son Aaron, win the Scottish Under-18 Shield. She, and Ayr President Drew Young, arrived at The Hive, ten minutes before the kick-off after a furious drive from Alloway.