SUNDAY saw Ardrossan Accies Minis and Micros host their friends and neighbours Irvine RFC and Greenock RFC for an outdoor fixture in glorious sunshine at Memorial Field.

More than 130 children attended with coaches and strong support from parents.

The Accies Micros fielded teams at P1, P2 and P3 age groups.

There was marked improvement in positional play, speed and communication and their enthusiasm was as robust as ever.

All three teams overcame Irvine in hotly-contested matches.

Greenock proved too strong for the Accies boys and girls, however albeit with P3 narrowly losing after holding their opposition to a 2-2 draw until late on.

Stars of the Day for P1-2 were Ethan Sweeny, Ross Ferguson and Alex Hughes – who delighted the crowd and his coaches with his first Accies' try.

P3 had some strong performances from Harvie Miller, Cameron Gibson and Logan Murray who shared the Star of Day Accolade.

The P4 pupils thoroughly enjoyed themselves on the dry turf.

Greenock brought a strong, physical element to the game and were powerful enough to beat the Accies. However, the unbridled speed of Stuart Johnstone and all-action performance of Calum Monaghan kept the Accies in the game. The same two players were just as tenacious in the Irvine match and helped lead their team to victory.

P5 enjoyed two fine victories, played in great spirit with their opposition.

Lenin McInnes typified this, never failing to offer a helping hand up for a felled opponent. The team’s running play, breakdown turnovers and defence was a joy to watch. James Quinn’s fleet-footed running and Findlay Crawford’s rock solid tackling earned them Stars of the Day.

P6/7 merged and played both visiting teams. Once again Greenock proved themselves a strong, combative unit and held the Accies to a 2-2 before coming out on top in the second half and winning the game despite the home team’s superb commitment and physicality. Their game against Irvine saw far more running and ball distribution, again with the perfect conditions playing their part in this. Dylan Finnegan was a sight to behold with his powerful running and nose for the try line. Callum Bell has also found a rich vein of form lately and exemplified this with his evasive running and hungry tackling. Both lads were deserving recipients of the Star of the Day award.

However, perhaps the best display came from the Accies mums, for giving up so much time and effort on Mother’s Day. Their effort in hosting and feeding 130 children and 30 coaches was outstanding.