Opening AIL league defeat for Ards

All Ireland League III

Ards 20 : 26 Barnhall

Roy Lawton reports

Ards got their AIB League campaign up and running on Saturday, when they welcomed southern opposition Barnhall to Hamilton Park.
Michael Lawton stepped up to convert a penalty after 20 minutes to put the home side ahead. Five minutes later Barnhall returned the favour as they converted one of their own.
Ards responded almost immediately with another well struck Lawton penalty, as the game moved into the second quarter of the first half, but by now Ards were starting to concede too many turnover balls, as the home forwards failed to make their physical presence felt at the breakdown. 
Another Lawton penalty helped to steady the ship before Barnhall powered their way well up the pitch forcing the home side to concede another penalty in front of their posts, which was duly converted. With the impending half-time whistle approaching, Ards, gained another penalty which was converted by Lawton once again, to leave the score 12-6 at the break.
On 52 minutes, it was becoming more evident that Ards had more than lost their way in this game as the visitors landed another penalty, before scoring their first converted try four minutes later.
Another converted Barnhall try and at last the Ards forwards turned up and began to play some rugby. At the restart, Jaydon Hill gathered the ball and surged up the pitch supported by Kenny Heslip, Conor Piper and John Dowey, forcing the visitors to concede another penalty converted by Lawton into the wind. Not to be outdone, Barnhall used the wind to good advantage and scored an excellent drop goal just inside the Ards half a few minutes later.
With the Ards forwards now starting to make their mark on the game, a good passage of play lead by Kenny McCombe and Andy Hassard, saw them work their way back up the pitch and over to the far right hand touchline, where, after a bit of a scramble, Ajay Derwin, nipped in between his battling forwards and touched down for an unconverted try.
Ards gained a valuable losing bonus point, but it could and should have been at least four.