FOR years, Alloa have had to play second fiddle to Stirling County and, to a lesser extent, Falkirk when it comes to keeping the talent they have developed but now they can at last boast some national silverware after carrying off the BT Bowl in style at the weekend.

They may have been slotted into the unglamorous 11am slot, but they produced rugby worth of a more prominent position as they blew Cumnock off the park in a 71-19, 11 try win, that could have been even more emphatic had they not stepped off the gas as the second half wore on and even allowed the Ayrshire side to collect a couple of late consolation scores.

"We had a game plan and we stuck to it. Every man stood up and got us there in the end," said Henry Edwards, the former Edinburgh coach who is currently in charge at Alloa "We wanted to make it hard for Cumnock to defend our attack play and ensure we were continually securing possession. I'm pleased with the end result.

"We have achieved all the goals we set out at the beginning of the season, a higher league position and the BT Bowl. Next year we will like to move up a level and improve on this year's performances. The final has been great for us as it has helped generate a lot of interest and excitement around the club."

Alloa were past the 50 points before half time with eight tries in the bank before Cumnock had even had a serious visit to their half. With Matthew Pope, the flanker, completing his hat-trick after the break they were comfortably out of sight mid way through the second half, with Lee Cairney, the wing, not only collecting one of the 11 tries but adding eight conversions for a personal 21-point haul.