Quins 2s 55-7 Ards 2s
Due to injuries, call-ups and man flu Ards only had four players from the two previous wins over Quins this season in a makeshift squad. With 3 senior teams and the u19s all on duty player resources were exhausted.
Some of Ards finest answered their clubs call to fulfil the fixture. Gareth Paden and Stevie Nutt smothered 18 year old Adam Cowie in the frontrow; Adam who had just finished reffing a youth match at Malone could not have felt any safer at hooker with all that muscle. Ards leg-end Gary Presho started at number 8 with 18 year old Andy Bates and the Black Knight’s water boy Paul White in the back row. Ards 2nds coach Tim McCandless put the boots back on at fly half to the mercy of his team mates. Matty McMullan and Andy Wright came onto the wings for their first start at this level.
Ards competed well and made the home team work hard for the win; the match was played in good spirits by both teams and was enhanced by an excellent referee in Shane Toolan. The home team got off to the best possible start when their winger blasted in for a try after just two minutes. Quins extended their lead with another break down the wing. Missed tackles were costing Ards as the opposition exposed weaknesses out wide.
Ards fought back and were very competitive at the breakdown where the home team gave away a number of penalties one in kickable range that came back of the posts. Ards kept the pressure on the Quins defence with strong drives from Batesy and Nutty but a turn over lead to a Quins breakaway try.
Ards won the ball from the restart and worked the phases into the Quins 22 quick ball from scrumhalf Charlie Stewart at the ruck was finished by Adam McKee for a converted try.
Ards kept the game tight in the forwards and were working the fringes well with Croan and Presho combining well to force Quins to concede two yellow cards at the breakdown. Ards failed to take advantage as the pace of the game began to tell.
Ards rallied at the start of the second half and kept play deep in the Quins half Pete Croan began to make the hard yards and get Ards on the front foot. Croan took a crash ball of Stewart but was just held up short of the line, unfortunately Pete damaged his knee and had to come off, this was a bitter blow as Pete has just come back from injury and was having a great season on the seconds.
A mix up at an Ards penalty 5mtrs from the Quins line, led to a breakaway try for the home team. The pace of the game at this level in the last quarter along with lack of match fitness caught up with some of the Ards players as Quins ran out convincing winners.
There was a mass exit from the Ards changing room as some of the younger players raced off to start work and the older contingent legged it to the bar. It is rumoured that some will be at training this week.
With no match planned for the next two weeks the 2nds will hope to have all their regular players available to get back on track and finish the season on a high.
TEAM. Ricky ASTON, Andy WRIGHT, Neal ARMSTRONG, Trevor DEVLIN, Matt MCMULLAN, Tim MCCANDLESS, Charlie STEWART, Gary PRESHO, Andy BATES, Paul WHITE, Adam MCKEE, Pete CROAN,Gareth PADEN, Adam COWIE, Stevie NUTT