With the tail end of Storm Amy still swirling across North Down, it was a blustery backdrop at Hamilton Park as Ards 3rds hosted Cooke 3rds in their latest regional league clash. Despite playing into a fierce first-half gale, Ards produced a clinical, dominant display to storm to a resounding 62–0 victory.

From the outset, Ards adapted cleverly to the conditions, opting to keep ball in hand rather than kick into the wind. Making his senior league debut, Josh Colville controlled proceedings superbly, marshalling forwards and backs alike as Ards began to punch holes through the Cooke defence.

Powerful carries from Aaron Bittles and Ryan Copeland consistently put Ards on the front foot, with Keir Edgar and Jimmy Gray running strong support lines. It wasn’t long before Peter Scott crashed over for the opening try, converted by Paul Cox to make the score Ards 7 - Cooke 0.

Dominance in the set piece quickly followed, with Peter Scott commanding the lineout and disrupting Cooke’s throw-ins. This platform allowed Ards to launch another sweeping attack, as centre Matty Hamilton broke the line before feeding Cox, who released Adam Hughes to sprint down the wing for the first of his two first-half tries. With Cox’s conversion, Ards moved 14–0 ahead.

The home side grew in confidence and intensity as Cooke struggled to contain their pace and precision. Further tries from Bittles and Hughes, plus another Cox conversion, saw Ards take a commanding 31–0 lead at half-time.

The second half saw a blend of youth and experience take the field, with veteran David Thompson joining returning youngsters Josh Browne and Josh Baxter. The changes did little to alter the flow, as Ards picked up right where they left off.

From a well-executed lineout, Thompson powered forward before clean ruck work released the backs for another wide score. With Cooke tiring, Ards’ confidence grew, their free-flowing rugby cutting through at will.

The tries kept coming, capped off in style when Jack Sharpe, in just his second appearance of the season, produced a dazzling solo run — selling the dummy and evading multiple defenders to touch down under the posts.

As the final whistle blew, the scoreboard read Ards 62, Cooke 0 — a comprehensive performance and a sign of a side hitting their stride.

A delighted Ards camp will take great encouragement from the win, with the team’s commitment to regular training clearly paying off.