ARDROSSAN Accies Minis section hosted the inaugural Clyde Coast Cup at Inverclyde Indoor sports Centre on Sunday.

The players formed two age grade squads: P4/5 and P6/7 and they were split into two teams within each age grade as they took on teams from Bishopton, Carrick/Irvine, Garnock and Greenock Rugby Clubs. With games being played out of the rain on a perfect, 4G synthetic pitch there was running rugby galore for the hoards of spectating parents.

The Accies P4/5 teams played some wonderful attacking rugby.

Their ability to attack and score tries was never in doubt, but the organisational prowess of some of their opposition was the difference between winning the cup and finishing third.

In P4 Harry Dixon, Max Walton and Rory Gallacher stood out thanks to their ability to beat the defenders and dive over the try line. Young Gallacher’s fearsome tackling was another highlight. The P5 standout players were the ever-present Calum Monaghan and his try-scoring side-kick Ciaran Welsh, with big Joshua Bleakley impressing on return from injury.

The overall winner for P4/5 was the impressive Garnock RFC, whilst the Player of the Tournament award went to Feddie McFeate of Greenock.

The P6/7 teams also enjoyed a fine day’s efforts. The Accies “Black” team found things a little tougher then the “Blue” team but impressed with their never-say-die attitude and direct running. Dean Andrews typified this with boulder like charges at the opposition and crunching tackles. Calum Sweenie was also outstanding with a fast, muscular performance that netted him several tries.

The “Accies Blue” team used the same enthusiasm with a slightly more tactical approach and were lucky enough to win each of their five games, winning the silverware on the day. Some robust defence courtesy of Evie Taylor and Lee Adams help set the tone for the tournament, but it was the 34 tries notched up in five games that set them apart. Calum Davis and Tom Monaghan were two of the most prolific scorers, with Seamus Gallanach and Lachlan Davis also in fine form.

Overall player of the tournament for P6/7 was shared by Joseph Buttle of Garnock and Joshua Cannon of Greenock.

The final award of the day came from a spin-off competition to select the best place kicker amongst the children. Accies P6 star Ronnie Robertson proved just that with his mighty boot.