IRFU initiative – Your Club, Your Country!
All players, parents and members by now should have received the IRFU sponsored ballot Your Club, Your Country!
Everyone is encouraged to sell as many of these ballots as the y can, all monies raised goes to your own club!!
There are some great prizes to be won including a choice of 3 cars; flights, accommodation and tickets for Six Nation’s game in Rome, Scotland and Wales; Corporate packages for France and England games and corporate packages for Ulster games.
For those who want to support the club and may not be able to select their best Ulster team from the professional era; I’m sure any club member will help you!!
Additional ballots are available in the clubhouse.
Please return all ballots and monies to your team manager/coach/captain or leave with Terry in the clubhouse no later than Sun 6th January 2013.
Ards Rugby Club Xmas Party – Sat 15th December
Players, Coaches, Managers, Committee Members and Wags are all invited to the Ards Rugby Club Xmas party in the clubhouse from 730pm!!!
The Ards Rugby Xmas Party is this Saturday from 730pm; the cost is £15 a head for 3 courses and live entertainment afterwards.
Come early and watch the Ulster v Northampton Heineken Cup match to get you into the festive mood!
To book your seat contact your team captain or:
Rocky McClure
Nutty
Terry
Pudsey
CLICK HERE for the Halloween shots
Donaghadee vs Ards Minis Friendly
Improvement continues for both Ards and Donaghadee P6 mini rugby teams!!!
ARDS MINI RUGBY – YEAR 6 MATCH REPORT
There was a good turnout for our last match of 2012 away to Donaghadee, a team, as previously mentioned, that have greatly improved. That being the case the lads were given a good pep talk about what was needed and where we needed to improve.
Clearly this worked and in the first match we stormed off into a quick 3 try lead. The lads were playing very well and were attacking aggressively. The game continued in this vein and we ran in 5 more tries. Whilst we dominated the game unfortunately some of our old habits crept back and we let Donaghadee run in 3 easy tries. The game ended 8 – 3 to Ards. Tries scored by Jack (1), Connor (1), Luke (1), Eddie (2), Cameron (1), Kristen (1) and Jack (1).
The next 2 games were also won by Ards but either we had lost a bit of our gusto or Donaghadee came back with a surge. I strongly suspect it was the former because again we were letting in easy tries through poor or no tackling. The matches ended;
Ards 5 – D’Dee 3. Tries scored by Chris (1), Adam (1), Connor (1) and Cameron (2).
Ards 2 – D’Dee 1. Tries scored by Louise (1) and Kristen (1).
All in all, this half of the season has been very good but as always there is room for improvement. I would argue that the lads are beginning to think as a team but on too many occasions there are individual attempts when one more pass would have seen a score. On top of this we are relying on too few to tackle!!
But enough about Rugby, we all enjoyed our morning at the cinema watching Rise of the Guardians and the big man with the red suit will soon be here!! From all your Coaches, everyone have a Merry Christmas and we will see you on Sunday 6th January 2013.
ARMAGH 44 vs 14 ARDS 3rd XV LEAGUE
Ards 3rds lose to league leaders
Armagh 3rd XV 44 – Ards 3rd XV 14
Ards travelled to Armagh for a top of the league clash last Saturday for a match that was played in cold but fine conditions. For the first 10 minutes the Ards men matched the home side, carrying ball well and defending soundly. Unfortunately some missed tackles in middle of the park allowed Armagh to gain field position and when they won a 5 meter scrum against the head an opening try was almost inevitable. The more experienced and well drilled home side worked hard to build on this advantage and camped in Ards half for long periods forcing the men in black to defend in stoical fashion on numerous occasions. When Ards did gain possession they struggled to build phases and lack of support or infringements at the ruck lead to the ball being lost. Unfortunately another two tries were added before half time leaving the score 21 – 0 to the home side.
ARDS 4th XV 27 vs 33 CARRICK LEAGUE
4th XV match report – Sat 1st December
Black Knights lose to Carrick in last minutes of game!!
The Black Knights entertained a strong Carrick 4ths at a wintery Hamilton Park on Saturday. From the start it was obvious that this was going to a tough test for the 4ths. Gone were the familiar faces of carrick teams of old. Out had gone the spoiling, aggressive players of past encounters and in had had come a young and disciplined team keen to run the ball from every opportunity. Thankfully though Ards had planned for this by selecting mobile thoroughbreds like Stuarty Stephenson , Pudsey Paden and Richard “Vegas “Hamilton!!
Ards opened strongly with the forwards dominating the set piece. From a line out the ball was swept wide and winger andy todd (who had a great game in attack and defence) burst through from halfway and powered for the carrick try line . Only resolute carrick tackling held him out but from the resultant scrum ards wing forward jamie stinson crashed over for a well worked try . niall mullholland converted to put Ards 7 nil up.
Ards quickly extended their lead to 10 when mullholland kicked a monster penalty from the halfway line (it could have been from the ards tryline he had so many yards to spare !!).
Carrick refused to lie down however and came back strongly at ards. Attacking at every opportunity they quickly reduced the ards lead to 3 points when they exploited some slack ards defending to score under the posts.
Ards then scored a try in the move of the match . Gareth Paden gathered the ball on halfway and sold the first carrick defender the slowest dummy ever seen at Hamilton park. (manager Neil Workman asked the defender after if he’d like to buy his house cos if he bought that dummy he would buy anything !!).In a scene resembling the release of circus elephant into the wild , Pudsy took off like a sloth on speed. Within a few minutes he had built up a tremendous pace and approached the carrick 22. Attracting defenders like flies around phil gills underpants he put winger nial Mulholland in the clear. Mullholland was tackled just short of the line but from the resultant ruck flanker Nigel Lynch gathered the ball to dive over. Mullholland converted to leave the ards team heading into halftime with a 17 -5 lead.
Unfortunately the ards team, still in awe of the majestic Pudsy, let their concentration lapse at the kick off. Carrick gathered the ball and in the last move of the half scored under the posts. Halftime score 17- 12
The second half started like the first with Ards dominating up front however ,lacking the influential Andy Matchett at scrum half (who had to leave at halftime for a hairdressing appointment) they were unable to convert this dominance into points. They finaly added to their tally when nial mullholland capitalised on a spilled ball to hack through and score under the posts. The try was duly converted 24 – 12 ards. Ards spent the next 10 minutes battering the carrick line but the visitors held firm with some fantastic tackling
Having repulsed everything Ards had thrown at them they in turn capitalized on ards indecision to score an easy try. The conversion made it 24 19 as the game moved into the last 5 minutes.
A NIALL MULHOLLAND penalty gave ards the cushion they thought they needed to clinch the victory however a collective malaise hit the team .carrick refused to be beaten and ran the ball at will from everywhere on the pitch. With 1 minute to go they scored under the posts to bring them within a point of the Ards tally.
Ards kicked off knowing that this was the last move of the game. The carrick outhalf gathered the ball and hoisted a “hail mary” into the ards half. The ball was not claimed and it bounced into the hands of the carrick wing who strolled in under the posts without a hand being laid on him. The refs whistle blew to signal the end of the game and the breaking of ards hearts .27 – 33 to carrick
This was a super game of rugby but ards totally gifted the result to a carrick side who refused to give up. Notwithstanding the fact that ards were missing players of the calibre of RAB IRWIN, Gary Dempsey, Geoff Garrett, Cyril Stocker and Stephen Bell, this was a game that ards could and should have won comfortably.
The black knights now have a quick chance to make amends with the visit of omagh 4th s this Saturday in the 1st round of the Mcambley Cup.
One pleasing aspect of Saturday was the return from serious injury of DAVID ARMSTRONG. Good to have you back david!.
