RON EVANS

IT was blood-curdling and skilful, nerve-shredding and intense, classy and controversial.

Everything you would put in your spec for a great cup tie was served up by Ayr and Currie at Millbrae in their Scottish Hydro-Electric sixth-round tie.

Not that anyone should have been surprised since league clashes between these two in recent times should really have carried a health warning for those of a nervous disposition.

Currie started the sharper, with Andy Muir skipping through the Ayr defence after eight minutes to put Andrew Binikos over for Johnny Smith to convert, but Ayr hit back with a Kenny Diffenthal penalty.

Currie had the better of the early exchanges, Andy Adam and John Cox breenging ominously. But after 25 minutes, the Ayr pack started to rumble, drove all of 25 metres and when Colin White was held short, a deft switch of attack by AJ McFarlane put Ryan Holland over in the corner.

Ayr had their tails up then their bottoms felt as Damien Kelly and Gordon Reid surges took them into the danger zone, before the ever-alert Richard Sneddon set James Taggart off on a lung-burster to score under the posts, with Smith's kick giving Currie the lead.

From the restart, Currie offended, Diffenthal obliged and did so again four minutes into injury time to take Ayr in 16-14 up at the break.

It was going to take a special moment to break the game and it came with a thundering Glen Tippett burst down the right, a lightning scoot into midfield by Andy Wilson and again the ball reached Holland, who grabbed his second try.

Currie had their own game breaker ready though as Ayr promptly dozed and Sneddon made them pay with a defence- shredding break, which had Ross Weston galloping away from 40 metres out for the try, with Smith's conversion tying the scores.

In the last 15 minutes Ayr turned the screw but Diffenthal saw three beautifully-struck penalties pulled agonisingly wide by the wind and a fourth come back off the post.

With extra time only seconds away, the Ayr No.10 nailed a vital kick and clinched a tie which would have graced the final at Murrayfield on May 3.

Currie skipper Andy Adam said: "It was a great game for the fans. We threw everything at Ayr and they held out, so good luck to them against Heriot's."

Ayr captain AJ McFarlane was in no doubt about how hard it had been.

He said: "We knew it would be a physical game, with them making us fight all the way, and it is going to be another tough one here against Heriot's."

The quarter-final between Ayr and Heriot's has been rescheduled to take place at Millbrae this Thursday .