From Ayr website


LOGAN'S RUN COMES TO AN END
Posted: 22/Jul/08
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About eighteen months ago, I wrote a piece about Ayr center Nick Lavelle
prior to his leaving Scotland to return to Australia. I went to some length
to praise the Aussie for his contribution to the club both on and off the
park.

"If you are writing that about a player who has only been here for a few
seasons, then I expect a double page spread when I give up" suggested Ewen
Logan but was unfortunately overheard by one of his team mates who suggested
that a double page spread might indeed be required to accommodate a photo of
the props copious rear end.

Well, it won't be a double page spread but it will be a piece about the
retirement of the popular Ayr prop who, at the tender age of thirty five
years and eleven months, has decided to call it a day.

One of the great servants to Millbrae Logan has, with a two season blip when
he went to GHK to help them to success in the 1996-97 Shield final beating
Hawick 46-18, been an Ayr man ever since he learned to catch a rugby ball
some three years, sorry, some thirty years ago.

"Just married, not fit, my dog and the family business but not necessarily
in that order" were the reasons the veteran prop gave for not coming back
for another seasons toil at the coalface "and to be honest I am quite
enjoying not going through pre-season torture for the first time since I was
seventeen."

The amiable Logan will be a big miss to Ayr in the coming season and his
contribution over the past years was summed up by a player he held up in the
front row for many years, former Ayr captain Jim Lymburn.

"A terrific club stalwart and one of the best props I ever played with" was
his summing up "and he never knew what it was to be beaten and never backed
down. He won a huge amount of respect and he was one of those guys whose
name you always wanted to see on the teamsheet because you knew that you
would be able to rely on him when the going got tough."

Director of rugby Jock Craig, himself a prop of considerable distinction in
his day, said "Ewen has been a really great servant to the club and is one
of the few players to have left for a spell and come back to play better
than when he left. He has put in a power of work and was a cornerstone of
the pack and one of the first names down on the team sheet"

With the priceless ability to play of both sides of the scrum, Logan was
much respected by opponents and during matches was an source of counselling
to confused referees who will miss the advice, always with a smile and even
on occasion with the comforting arm around the shoulder, proffered by the
ever-helpful destroyer.

So in a career spanning twenty years in senior rugby and during a time when
the game has changed almost out of all recognition, what have been the
highlights?

"Our cup run a few seasons ago when we lost to Heriots at Goldenacre but
outnumbered their support by about thirty to one was really special for the
players as was beating Kilmarnock at Bellsland in front of a crowd of about
three thousand to win the league. Probably the biggest disappointment was
the fact that we were runners up in Premier 1 the season before last with a
side that was probably the best equipped ever to win the title. That was the
team to do it and it was very frustrating"

In his time, Logan has propped against the best but his choice of hardest
was interesting, one obvious, one not so. "Tom Smith (former Scotland and
British Lions) was a really honest prop and great to scrum against because
it was about technique and not strength but Gavin Walsh who played for
Ireland at A level before GHA was a guy who sussed out any weakness within
seconds and would give you a real hard time."

In rugby, some props have made their name at the highest level, some props
have made themselves a reputation for being hard, Ewen Logan made mates
because you you would search long and fruitlessly to find someone who had a
bad word to say about him.

We wish hin well and it interesting that word has it that Ayr are bringing
in a young prop, Scottish qualified, from Australia and next week we will
have more news of that acquisition as well as a look forward to the
pre-season fixtures now only a couple of weeks away.

This article was originally posted on 22-Jul-2008, 11:33 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 22-Jul-2008, 11:33.