Ards 47
City of Derry 5
ARDS secured a promotion playoff after cementing second place with a strong home win over City of Derry in their final league match.
The visitors were in good form, unbeaten since before Christmas, as they reversed their early season losses. For Ards, Matthew Walker replaced the injured Matthew Bell and Danny McCullough gained a rotational start, with Danny Patton moving to the bench.
A fast start from Ards earned a line-out penalty, and two quick carries saw Matthew Kane crash through for the opening try. The conversion was taken by Joel DePledge for a 7-0 lead.
Multiple phases, with quick ball from the restart, saw another line-out penalty, and although the chance passed, possession was soon regained and a midfield break from Kane was fed on to Tom Arthur Donnan, who broke through several tackle attempts to score. With DePledge adding the extras, Ards were 14-0 with 10 minutes played.
CoD took possession directly from the restart and used it well. Working the ball from touchline to touchline, they finished a move well with a try of their own, reducing the deficit at 14-5.
Ards did not take their foot off the gas though, hitting the line hard and earning a penalty. A tap move saw the ball go wide to Aaron May, whose pace saw him glide through the opposition centres and release the ball for a Ryan Upritchard try. The conversion kick was just wide, but the score was now 19-5.
Some shared possession saw the visitors threaten, however, Ards’ wide defence was uncompromising, with Upritchard and Ethan Bell putting in solid work, well supported by full-back Jack Smith.
With the ball, a combination of robust breakdowns and crisp handling saw the hosts advance and captain Robbie Johnston step through the line to release Angus Christie to score under the posts. DePledge converted for a 26-5 margin.
Following some exchanges in play, a deep kick was gathered on the try line by Smith. Running the ball out, he connected with Bell, who burst through the midfield and chipped through.
Gathering his kick in the CoD 22, the ball was recycled to the hard-working Walker, resulting in a superb team try. DePledge’s conversion was good and the lead moved to 33-5, where it would stay until half-time.
The third quarter was a frustrating one for Ards. The energy brought by the substitutes, Trevor Devlin, Rory Christie and Patton, was clear, earning a number of chances. However, the bounce of the ball and good defence from the visitors denied them a score.
With the final quarter underway, another penalty from their dominant scrum gave Ards a tap move from five metres, well taken by Kane. DePledge’s conversion brought the score to 40-5.
The home side continued to threaten and came close to scoring through Luke Megarity, amongst others.
With minutes remaining, a deep kick from CoD was run back by Smith and Johnston, before a line-break led to a chip through and a try by Johnston. Depledge’s converted once more, leaving the final score at a dominant 47-5.
Ards now look forward to a play-off match against CIYMS RFC on April 11, where a win would earn them promotion to Championship League 1 for next season.
