A confident Queens’s side on the back of recent big wins in the league enjoyed the open spaces on the first pitch at Hamilton Park.
Ards showed a number of changes with Ricky Aston at flyhalf,Johhy Carmichael at outside centre and Chris Webster at fullback and Michael Young starting at number 8 in the forwards.Ards won the toss and decided to play with the wind hoping to build a lead. But it was the visitors who took the lead with two trys coming down the left flank, missed tackles had cost Ards. 0-12
The Ards forwards began to build the phases and keep play deep in the opposition half earning a penalty for Aston to convert. From the restart a good carries from Garth Mcburney Pete Coan took play back into the Queens 22 as the home side build the momentum Queens again killed the ball at a ruck but the kick was missed.Great work by Adam McKee and Conran Stewart set up a driving maul but David Chivers was judged to have been held up over the line. The ball was moved wide from the 5mt scrum but a turnover in midfield lead to the Queens centre out pacing the cover defence to take play back into Ards 22.From a resulting scrum Queens’s fullback took quick ball to score under the posts in the last play of the half. 3-19.
The return of Willie Dodds to the Ards front steady the scrum and all 8 forwards combine to push Queens back at a 5 meter scrum and Matt McHenry touched down the conversion was good to bring Ards back to within 9 points.10 mins into the half a Queens break by their scrum half lead to a great solo try the conversion was added 26-10. Another fantastic drive by the Ards scrum on 5 meters was finished by Stephen McKee and converted by Aston 26-17.There was still no respite for Queens as Ards kept play tight in the forwards but couldn’t get the final pass away. Queens were running the ball at every opportunity in the wide channels and added a other try from a good line break from their flyhalf.Chirs McClure playing at inside centre was Ards stand out player made a pretending break from half way the ball was passed to McKee and though the hands to Adam Coulter who failed to collect with line at his mercy. Top try scorer Stephen McKee was forced to leave the field with 10 mins remaining and Captain Adam McKee was carrying a hand injury as Queens ran in 2 late trys for a deserved win.
Team. Dodds, Stewart, Busby, McBurney, A.McKee, Croan, Chivers, Young, McHenry, Aston, Carmicheal, Chris McClure, Coulter, S. McKee, Webster