Arnold Clark West Regional League 2
Irvine RFC 24 – 38 Wigtownshire RFC
Weather: Dry but a strong wind howling up the park favouring Irvine in the first half
Pitch: Perfect condition — no excuses

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There’s something about Irvine away that never seems straightforward. Last season it was horizontal rain and a 10–10 draw; this time the sun was out, but a gale blowing straight up the park made for another lively afternoon of West League rugby.

With Niall Loughrey missing, there was a shuffle up front — Jack McConnell came into the second row, and Angus McClymont moved back to his usual hunting ground in the back row. Out wide, Robin McAuley stepped in for Bruce Burnett, who had swapped crash balls for family cuddles this weekend.

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First Half

The game started with a bang — literally — as two Irvine players collided after just two minutes, forcing their hooker to head for stitches. Wigtownshire wish him a speedy recovery.

Using the wind to full advantage, Irvine kicked deep, kept things tight, and crashed over in the corner to go 5–0 up.

Shire quickly settled and began to find their rhythm. Neil Forsyth danced past his opposite man before setting up Robin McAuley, who sprinted 30 metres to score his first senior try — and celebrated accordingly. Blair Forsyth slotted the tricky conversion.
5–7.

Referee patience with Irvine’s offside line wore thin, and Shire capitalised. Andrew McMillan was forced off with a head knock, replaced by Trent King, but Shire kept their momentum.

A lovely inside line from James McGarvie opened space for Neil again, who sold the dummy of the day and cruised under the posts. Blair, unfortunately, then missed from in front — one he’ll never hear the end of.
5–12.

Despite Irvine’s strong scrum, they were too keen and pinged for early pushing. From the resulting free kick deep in their own 22, Adam Ingram took a cheeky quick tap, sent the defence the wrong way, and linked up with Scott and Blair Forsyth — Blair running the length to score and convert.
5–19.

From a clean lineout, McClymont supplied quick ball through the backs, and Coach Jason McKie broke through before Captain Scott Forsyth dotted down for the bonus point try before halftime.
5–24.

Irvine, to their credit, hit back with a try right on the whistle.
10–24 at the break.

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Second Half

Coach McKie warned his side not to get sloppy — but Irvine clearly hadn’t read the script. With the wind now against them, they came flying out of the blocks and scored straight away.
17–24.

Sam Mitchell and Gary Dunlop came on to add bulk, and Gary immediately got stuck in — twice holding up Irvine drives over the line. But the home pack kept pounding away, forcing Shire to defend for long spells.

A clever grubber kick from Neil Forsyth caused chaos in the Irvine 5m line, and when the full back fumbled, McKie was quickest to react, diving on the ball for Shire’s fifth.
17–31.

Then things got… interesting.

With the game seemingly in control, Gary Dunlop was shown yellow after a team warning. A minute later, Neil Forsyth joined him for slowing the ball — Shire down to 13.

For the first time in the game, Irvine turned to their backs, moving the ball wide. Their winger broke free down the blind side, but just before scoring, Coach McKie came flying in for a last-ditch (and slightly head-first) tackle. The referee didn’t appreciate the commitment — penalty try, yellow card, and off went Jason to get a plaster (and later, seven stitches) for his troubles.
24–31, Shire now down to 12 men.

It looked like another draw might be on the cards, but Shire weren’t having it. From a penalty deep in Irvine’s 22, Andrew and Sam McAuley bashed it up before Scott Forsyth dived over for his second of the day to seal it.
Final score: 24–38.

Top of the league and still marching on.

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Leswalt Village Store Man of the Match

Andrew McAuley — made the hard yards all day and never took a backward step.

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Coach’s Comments

> “Good first-half performance,” said Jason McKie, “but 35 minutes of the second half was too many penalties and poor game management. Credit to the 12 lads who finished the match, got the final try, and saw it out.”

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Next Up:

Oban away next week in the Shield. A step up against higher-league opposition — and no doubt another cracking trip for the travelling support.

Team
B Forsyth, A. McMillan, J McKie, S. Forsyth (c), R McAuley, N. Forsyth, A. Ingram, A. Dunbar, I. Allan, A McAuley, J McConnell, B. Sharples, S. McAuley, A McClymont, J. McGarvie

Replacements:
T King, J Rennie, S Mitchell, M Pirrie, G Dunlop