Ards 1sts rearranged cup tie saw a last minute switch to Regent House Grammar School, with Hamilton Park's pitches having moved from being frozen to flooded.

The opening exchanges were intense, with both sides keeping the ball in hand and looking for early width in attack. An advantage for Ards in 1st phase saw them work a period of attack close to the line. Although turned over, a kickable penalty was won, but missed.

With the second quarter underway, momentum shifted back to CIYMS, with their own period of pressure in the Ards'22 eventually nullified by a turnover in the same manner. As the half hour mark was approaching, the visitors made territorial gains and would not be denied a second time, with a try out wide for their winger and a 0-5 lead.

An audacious attacking move was taken from their 22 by Ards soon after and the high risk play worked against them. Facing a disjointed defence, the CIYMS backline worked the ball cleverly to take a second try and extend their lead to 0-10. With little time remaining in the half, Ards tried to build back in attack, but to no avail.

Half time - Ards 1sts 0 - 10 CIYMS

The home side knew they had to start the second half well and be the first to score, but coming out of the blocks slowly, tackles were missed and CIYMS were able to add a third try after a few minutes and a 0-15 lead.

Steeling themselves, Ards' defence closed off further pressure, before they went on the attack themselves. Winning turnover ball, a good run to the left by centre Aaron May gave good field position and a dominant carry allowed Matthew Bell to pick from 10 metres and shrug off the cover defence for a try. With Ethan Bell’s conversion added, the score was now Ards 7-15 CIYMS.

The rest of the third quarter saw both sides determined to showcase their running lines and handling skills. Whilst play became centralised for a period, it was more a result of quality phase building being outdone by determined defence. As the final quarter was underway, fortune favoured Ards' efforts. A loose clearance kick was gathered by Rory Christie and moved to May, who's run brought Ards deep into the 22. A few quick phases through the forwards saw the ball passed to fly half Matty Hamilton to cut back through the cover and score. The conversion from Ethan Bell brought the score back to 14-15 and it was all to play for with 15 minutes remaining.

Following the restart, CIYMS brought sustained pressure, earning a kickable penalty near the posts which was goaled for a score of 14-18.

The visitors controlled the closing minutes well with ball in hand, until Ards forced a turnover in their 22. With time up, the only option was to run the ball out and a handling error saw the last play fall to a try to the visitors for a final score of 25-14.

Ards wish CIYMS the best of luck in the semi-final and will now concentrate on maximising their results from the remainder of the league campaign in an effort to secure a top 2 finish in the table.