SUNDAY saw the 2018-19 rugby season kick off for the Ardrossan Accies Minis and Micros.

The P1-5 section got stuck into to some training games to enhance their skills and develop their tacking prowess.

Meannwhile, the P6 and P7 kids welcomed two visiting teams: Allan Glen's RFC and Paisley RFC for an early season fixture.

Paradoxically, the late summer weather was some of the worst the youngsters had played in all year with driving rain and howling winds whipping around the memorial field. Nonetheless, the kids had a great time with several completely new players having their first taste of competitive rugby.

P6 firstly took on an Allan Glen's mixed P6/7. The Accies found the step up in physicality a little tough initially, with a few of the opposition's bigger, speedier players breaking through their defence. However, star of the day Adam McDonell had plenty to say about that – bravely putting himself forward for every tackle time and time again.

Ultimately, they lost their first game by a couple of tries but could be content with their efforts. Their second match saw them merge with some of the Accies P7 squad for a rematch against Allan Glen's. This time, with the two teams more matched the Accies had an opportunity to test the visiting defence. Calum Davis was happy to do this on multiple occasions, scoring tries and showing up very well as star of the day.

P7 played their first match against Paisley and defied the weather by moving the ball into the spaces around the defence.

The communication, distribution and running was on the money, with tackling requiring a little bit of work over the forthcoming weeks. The Accies lost the game by a single try, but there were no complaints from the coaches and parents as their opposition fought bravely for every score.

The second match saw the Accies form another P6/7 composite and take on Paisley again. This time the Accies were quick to get the upper hand, following some quick-fire interception tries from their seasoned players.

However, the star performances over the two games came from three debutants. It’s difficult to imagine how these players can be so new to the sport as their displays were stellar. The tough-tackling Leyton-James Hales, the fleet-footed Devlin Frew and the lighting-quick Bradley Jagger were joint stars of the day thanks to their 100% commitment and instant try scoring abilities. The second game ended in a victory and happy players and parents all round.