FLY-half Sean Christie was the hero for Irvine as his two late drop-goals clinched their first silverware for seven years at Marress.

Centre Blair Jardine laid the foundations for Christie’s late show with a man-of-the-match performance which saw him contribute the remainder of Irvine’s points as they won their first trophy since topping National Division 1 in 2007.

The home side did not have it all their own way however, with visiting scrum-half Connor Turnbull scoring a spectacular length-of-the-field try and fly-half Scott Brown keeping his side in the hunt with three penalties. But Irvine were the better side over the piece and worthy winners in the end.

Irvine will now turn their attention to the RBS National Shield semi-finals, in which they will play the winners of the RBS Edinburgh Regional Shield, as well as trying to make it a league and cup double by winning RBS West 1.

Kilmarnock had the better of the early exchanges but it was Irvine who were first on the board after 11 minutes when Jardine kicked his first penalty.

Despite near things at both ends, with Irvine enjoying a good spell of pressure on the Kilmarnock try line which came to nothing, and later nearly playing themselves into trouble with a quickly-taken lineout in their own 22, the game remained understandably tight and scrappy for one of such importance before it was blown wide open on the half hour.

There seemed little danger with Irvine in possession in the Kilmarnock 22, but when the ball ran loose from a ruck on the left Turnbull was first to get there and the Irvine defence had no answer to his pace and deft footwork as he raced the length of the field to touch down. Brown was unable to add the conversion.

Kilmarnock’s lead lasted a matter of minutes. The home side forced a knock-on at the kick-off reception, and from the resulting scrum a clever kick play by Christie forced the visitors to concede a five-metre scrum on the right. After more patient work by the hosts on the try line it fell to Jardine to claim the touchdown on the left.

He was unable to add the conversion however, and a penalty at the kick-off reception gave Brown the chance to square the match at 8-8, which he duly took. There was no further scoring in the first half.

After an error-strewn start to the second half by both sides, Irvine thought they were back in front on 45 minutes when Craig Lang followed up a Christie kick to the corner but the score was disallowed and the deadlock remained.

Christie’s tactical kicking ensured that the visitors remained largely penned in their own half, and the hosts regained the lead on 53 minutes through another Jardine penalty when Kilmarnock were free-kicked at a scrum and infringed as they tried to regroup to halt a dangerous run by Ruchin Filander.

Again it was not long before Kilmarnock were level however, when the hosts were penalised for obstruction as they sought to clear their lines and Brown slotted the penalty to make it 11-11. Irvine regained the lead almost as quickly though when they recovered the ball from the kick-off and forced a penalty of their own which Jardine goaled to put the hosts 14-11 ahead with twenty minutes to go.

Kilmarnock continued to struggle to get out of their own half as time wore on, and on 70 minutes Christie landed the first of his drop-goals to leave them needing a converted try to clinch the trophy.

Irvine’s chances received a further boost at the kick-off reception when Kilmarnock winger Sam Diamond took captain Iain Speirs out in the air, earning himself a yellow card. Irvine struggled to capitalise at first, perhaps mindful of the opportunity they had to close out the game, but managed to get it together and forced a penalty just inside their own half with two minutes to go, which Jardine somewhat ambitiously opted to kick for goal.

The kick fell short but the visitors infringed as they tried to build out of defence. The penalty was kicked to the corner this time and after several dangerous drives to the line it fell to Christie to make sure the trophy stayed in Irvine with his second drop-goal in injury time.

IRVINE: A Speirs; N McMillan, K Lang, B Jardine, C Lang; S Christie, R McVey; J Davey, M Kirk, D Kirkwood, A Thomson, I Speirs, A Lang, A Maxwell, R Filander. Reps: G McGibbon, B Auld. C Hobson, R Jaap.

KILMARNOCK: A McWhirter; S Diamond, K Pearson, G Hunter, C Milligan; S Brown, C Turnbull; D McGuire, C McMillan, W Farquhar, T McHarg, G Dick, J Brown, A Paxton, M Pearce Reps: D McLeod, R Anderson, T Donaldson, R Murray.

REFEREE: Tom French MAN OF THE MATCH – Blair Jardine (Irvine)