Ards 2nd squad took to the field against Academy in a game that would finish as unpredictably as the weather!

From the kick off Ards set about their work to, some great defensive work from Torin Ball, Colin McClure and Nathan Bell saw Ards get a turnover. Ards then worked their way down the pitch with strong carries from Matthew Patton, Andrew Foster and Matthew Johnston and it wasn’t long before Adam Coulter crossed the line for the first score of the game which was converted by the returning Josh Colville. Ards 7 - 0 Academy.

Receiving the kick off, a good touch finder from Colville took Ards down into the opposition half. Ards forced a penalty and kicked the ball deep into the Academy 22. A great lineout take from Matthew Johnston fed Ethan Barratt who shifted the ball to the carrying duo of Mike Lyttle and Dave Chivers to take Ards within 5 metres. Further phases around the edge saw skipper Andrew Foster cross the whitewash to take Ards 12-0 up with the conversion missed.

From the restart, a lapse in concentration saw an opportunity for Academy who seized it with both hands and scored in the corner with the conversion drifting wide of the uprights pulling the score back to 12-5.

At this point, referee Alan McCourt came into some difficulty with his achilles , as a result the game was stopped while he got medical attention. With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, the ref returned to the pitch and saw Ards get the game back underway with a lineout just inside the Academy half. Ards secured the ball and the backline set about their work, Paul Cox made a superb break through the defensive line eventually being brought down inside the 22. The ball was moved wide, Joe Fullwood saw a gap open and with a smart offload put Mark McLean through to threaten the try line once more. Further phases saw Nathan Bell cross the line, the conversion was just wide. Ards 17 - 5 Academy.

With the kickoff received, Ards took off down the pitch once more with hard carries from the pack, a steal from Academy saw them return some pressure. This was short lived as a superb counter ruck saw Patton collect the ball from the base and carry it past halfway before eventually being brought down by the opposition. This gave Ards the chance to shift the ball wide once more with great work from Cox and McLean in the centre, the ball made its way to the edge where Adam Faloon beat 2 defenders to bag his second score in 2 weeks. The conversion added by Colville saw the first half come to a close making the half-time score Ards 24 - 5 Academy.

Unfortunately this was where the game ended as after some debate, the referee deemed himself unfit to continue on putting player safety at the forefront of his reasoning. Ards thank Academy for a well contested half of rugby, and all at Ards RFC wish referee Alan McCourt a speedy recovery. The fixture will now have to be rearranged as the required amount of time for the result to stand hadn’t elapsed.