A Braw Day for the Braw Lads

SOME years have elapsed since I last graced Murrayfield with my presence on Cup Finals Day, but this year, with the prospect of Ayr achieving the first three-in-a-row run in Scottish Cup history, I fired-up Steffi, my faithful MB and, bribing "Management" with the opportunity to spend the afternoon in Jenners, Harvey Knicks and sundry other expensive Edinburgh emporia, followed by a meal in one of the many excellent Edinburgh eateries, we headed East.

Kudos to the SRU and in particular Graham Law and his team for the press arrangements. Further kudos to Dunfermline and Musselburgh for a cracking warm-up match prior to the final and well-done too to Ayr and Gala for their performances.

It maybe wasn't the best final, mainly because Ayr never managed to get into the game, Gala were always in-charge and thoroughly deserved their victory. It is good to see this "sleeping giant" awake from its slumber to offer a genuine challenge to Melrose's dominance in the South.

IF (and that is one HUGE if) the Teris can sort-out their local political differences and get the Green Machine going again, a glorious era might yet dawn in Scottish rugby.

Ayr will be back, but Kenny Murray their coach and the "think tank" of Messrs Billy McHarg, Jock Craig and Norrie Lymburn are all-too-aware that much work needs to be done over the close season if they are to remain in contention for the big prizes.

Ayr are now virtually ploughing a lone furrow in the West. This should be good in terms of player recruitment, but, just as Melrose needed a local challenge from Gala and (hopefully) Hawick - Ayr need Hawks and West to recover from the current malaise.

The crowd at Murrayfield was perhaps disappointing, but with a wee bit of work that can surely be sorted-out. We in the media didn't cover ourselves in glory.

Where were the Herald Group's three leading rugby writers? Alasair Reid was in Italy with Warriors - fair enough; Neil Drysdale, who wrote what little pre-match stuff the Herald published, seldom graces a live match with his presence in any case, but where was Kevin Ferrie?

Fine job though fellow freelance Colin Renton did on the actual Finals Day, it surely speaks volumes on the paper's interest in rugby when the Glasgow contender to be Scotland's serious newspaper of record cannot staff the biggest day in Scottish club rugby. Perhaps the SRU should be having a word with the men at the top at the top of Renfield Street.

But, where was the preview pieces on BBC Television or STV? Where was the wee filmed snippet on either channel on the day? Where was even a mention? I suspect someone was there from BBC Radio Scotland, but I didn't see anyone and, let's be honest, Big Beattie is hard to miss.

The two pro sides might be the main attractions as far as Murrayfield is concerned, but, as Saturday again showed, the body of the Kirk, the club game, is healthy and cannot be ignored.