Ards 2nds travelled to Magherafelt on Saturday and came up against a strong Rainey 2nd XV, the heavy scoreline doesn't really reflect a match that was tight enough, give or take Rainey's ability to capitalise on Ards' mistakes.

Hooker and captain Gareth Paden led his team well, but couldn't rally them enough to get the scores their efforts deserved. The loss of influential scrum half Matt McHenry to injury before halftime didn't help the Ards cause.

Flanker Jack Coulter put in a barnstorming performance, tackling everything that moved, he was backed by fellow back row player Adam McKee who for the second week in a row showed his ability to play at an even higher level.

A senior debut was given to promising U18 centre Ryan Thompson who showed he was more than capable of playing Senior rugby.

2nd XV coach Alan Benson reiterated to all the players - 'The emphasis on attending training on Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm can not be stressed enough; by attending, individuals will become a team and therefore team play will develop'.