STEWARTRY SIRENS 36pts AYR WOMEN 17pts.
The WOMENS BT PLATE FINAL was played on one of the back pitches at Murrayfield on Scottish Cup final day with six finals being played throughout the day four in the stadium and two on the back pitches.
Stewartry Sirens pipped Ayr Women last season to win the Division Two League and completed the double when the Sirens won the BT Plate tournament over them.
Ayr kicked off on the perfect surface of astro turf a strange experience for some of the players. The surface led to a fast flowing game with Ayr showing a sharpness about their passing early on as once again Sirens started slowly. Ayr piled on the pressure from the start and it was six minutes before Stewartry had the ball and crossed the halfway line but soon stopped to a scrummage award. Ayr won the scrum and broke through and only a last ditch tackle by Hannah Sloan saved the try but Ayr regained possession and scored at the posts in the seventh minute. Three minutes later Sirens had made ground into the Ayr 22 led by Sammy Durnan ,backing up was Ali Henderson who crashed over for an equalising try. Two minutes later an injury to the Ayr number six saw her eventually taken away by ambulance to hospital. Another last ditch tackle by Sloan stopped Ayr and Sirens went back on the attack Ali Henderson again crashing through for a second try in twenty minutes.
Ayr battled back and in thirty three minutes were stopped just short in the corner. They won the lineout and drove over for a second try. With three minutes of the first half left the Sirens at last got the ball to their match winner in most games this season Hannah Sloan the forwards had made slow progress up the field but a quickly taken penalty made the space required for Sloan to break away to score at the posts. Kirsty McCleary added the conversion for Sirens to lead at half time 17-10.
Stewartry kicked off the second half Ayr took good possession and drove deep into the Sirens half then further into the Sirens 22 where the Sirens kept a tight defence holding Ayr at bay for the first ten minutes of the half until Hannah Sloan showed why she was capped three times for Scotland this season when she took off from her own 22 to out run the Ayr defence and going all the way for a fourth Stewartry try. Sirens started to believe now they could win this and piled on the pressure playing the game in the Ayr half. Just after the hour constant Siren pressure
saw Jo Steele join the back line and go in under a pile of tacklers to score a fifth try. 29-10. Ayr went back on the offensive and in sixty five minutes were over the Stewartry line but the referee adjudged the ball to be held up. Stewartry then lost a scrum against the head as both teams changed their line ups to give all the girls some game time. Fifteen minutes to go Ayr took advantage and scored a third try with the conversion added. With five minutes to go Stewartry were hemmed in their own half until Shannon Nicolson took possession and charged through half a dozen tackles taking the ball deep into the Ayr half and from the lay off Hannah Sloan took off in her usual style leaving everyone in her wake to score her hat trick. Kirsty McCleary added the points and the game was won 36-17. In the final minute Ali Henderson who was awarded the player of the match award was stopped at the corner inches short of her hat trick of tries.
A second trophy in two years for the Sirens in what was an all round team performance with Stewartry’s top try scorer of the season
Hannah Sloan just finishing off the team effort. Stewartry Sirens would like to thank all those supporters who travelled up to Murrayfield and their sponsors for their continued support.
