Ards III 46
Bangor III 7
ARDS thirds got their season off to a flying start, running out convincing winners against local rivals Bangor thirds in the North Down Derby at Hamilton Park.
The home side started the match with real intent, moving the ball from one side of the pitch to the other, before a series of strong carries put Bangor under pressure.
After some excellent phase play, Thomas Dolaghan broke up the wing and the ball was moved wide for Adam Coulter to finish in the corner, giving Ards an early 5–0 lead.
Around 15 minutes in, sustained pressure from Ards, helped by a couple of penalties and a strong lineout drive, eventually told. Ross Torney powered his way over in the far corner to extend the lead to 10–0.
The game became somewhat scrappy for the next 10 minutes, with Bangor beginning to threaten and Ards having to defend valiantly.
Ards absorbed the pressure and worked their way back up the pitch, through a couple of penalties and another good lineout.
From there, debutant Nathan Newbond produced the moment of the half, breaking through the Bangor defence from around 30 yards out and racing under the posts.
Chris McClure added the conversion, putting Ards 17–0 ahead as the whistle was sounded for half-time.
Bangor came out strongly after the break and took advantage of some missed tackles to work their way towards the Ards line. They eventually crossed in the corner, with the conversion attempt reducing the deficit to 17–7.
Newbond was shown a yellow card for a high tackle, while Ryan Gilmore, making his competitive senior rugby debut, was forced off through injury, but the hosts continued to play excellent rugby.
A series of strong carries brought Ards back into Bangor territory, and Mark Banford finished under the posts, with McClure adding the straightforward conversion.
The Ardsmen continued to pile on the pressure, and another penalty gave McClure the chance to add three more points. He made no mistake, extending the advantage to 27–7.
With the game beginning to open up, both sides were feeling the effects of the Friday night battle, with a few cramps and tired legs appearing. Ards, however, were able to draw on fresh legs and continued to attack.
A brilliant passage of play saw Michael Creighton make the initial break, before finding Ross Torney for a clever flick-on to vice-captain Michael Taylor, who finished the move in style to put Ards 32–7 ahead.
Following a Bangor goal-line dropout, Joel Clark produced a clever piece of play, catching the visitors off-guard and going over under the posts. Chris McClure converted, taking the margin to 39–7.
By this stage, the home side was beginning to play with real freedom, throwing the ball around and showing flashes of champagne rugby as they looked to complete an impressive opening-night performance.
A further Ards score completed the rout in the closing stages, with the hosts eventually running out 46–7 winners.
It was an emphatic start to the season for the Ards thirds, who showed plenty of attacking ambition, strong defensive resolve and excellent team spirit throughout the night.
It was great to see three senior Ards Rugby debuts, with the third player being 18 year-old second row Luke Miller.
