CUMNOCK Rugby Club are ready to go ahead of what their president says is "the biggest game in their history".

The East Ayrshire outfit will travel up to Edinburgh on Saturday where they will play in the final of the National Shield.

The final will take place at 'Silver Saturday', the biggest date in the SRU's amateur rugby calendar where the finals of all national competitions take place.

This is to be held on Saturday, April 27, with games played at either Murrayfield - the home of the Scottish national team - or Edinburgh Rugby's Hive Stadium next door.

In their final, Cumnock will take on Moray RFC at the Hive, with the game kicking off at 1.45pm.

Cumnock's only previous Silver Saturday appearance came back in 2015 in the National Bowl - a competition a step below the Shield.

The day ended in disappointment back then, with defeat at the hands of Alloa, but nine years on, Cumnock president Scott Given is hoping for a different outcome.

He commented: “This is the biggest game in Cumnock Rugby Club’s history. I’m really confident with the squad we've got.

“The cup run has been good. The boys have really all come together well, and they’ve dug deep.

“Cumnock, as a club, now have got close to a starting 15 out injured, so to get this far in a cup in unbelievable."

And the club's road to the final hasn't been an easy one, with Waysiders/Drumpellier, Oban Lorne and Broughton beaten away from home by just four, three and one point margins respectively.

They also defeated Annan and Cambuslang at home on their way to the Hive Stadium showpiece match.

The club's head of rugby, Stephen Raby, says his side are ready to give their all in one final push for title glory.

He said: “Everyone at the club is super excited to watch our squad go out on Saturday and represent Cumnock Rugby Club.

“It’s been a tough season, with long term injuries to several of our key players, but the entire squad has been brilliant in the Shield run.

"Saturday is a chance for us to showcase all our hard work and do what we do in front of a big Cumnock support.”

Captain Jayson McMillan added: "It’s a dream come true to reach the final. Winning would be special for everyone involved with the club.

“This group works incredibly hard for each other and that’s what we intend to show on Saturday, working hard for our mates and playing our game.”

And president Scott agreed that the match will also mean an incredible amount to fans as well as the players - who have all helped the club to grow significantly both on and off the park in recent years.

With a thriving youth section providing a pathway into the first team, Scott sees no reason why this growth can't continue in future.

"The club’s coming on massively," he said." We’ve just started a ladies' team, and we’ve got three different girls' teams. It’s really grown arms and legs.

“We’ve got quite a strict pathway, and Stephen is working with us to get the kids playing in the same way as the seniors..

“We’ve got players playing regional, national and international level, all having come through at Cumnock

“Twenty of our 22-man matchday squad this Saturday have all come through the youth system.

“We are not bringing players in from outwith, we are promoting bringing players from within."

Saturday's final was nearly an all-Ayrshire affair, with Ardrossan Accies making it as far as the other semi-final, only for the Memorial Field men to lose out to Moray in the closing moments.

Accies play their league rugby in the division above Cumnock, and have won all their league games so far on the way to securing the West Division One title.

That demonstrates the scale of the task facing Cumnock as they head to the capital on Saturday - but they won't be short of vocal support when they take to the field.

“We’ve got close to 300 people going with us from the local area on Saturday," Scott added.

“In comparison to football, it doesn’t sound like much, but to have 300 supporters supporting a rugby team, with Cumnock predominantly a football town, speaks volumes for the club.”