AIB League: Division Three Round-Up

Owing to bad weather conditions, only five Division Three matches took place on Saturday with Clonakilty’s one-point win over new boys Nenagh Ormond keeping them in first place.

AIB LEAGUE: DIVISION THREE: Saturday, December 3

– RESULTS –

Ards 9 Wanderers 16, Chambers Park
Bruff 13 Instonians 15, Kilballyowen Park
City of Derry 32 Connemara 15, Judges Road
Nenagh Ormond 12 Clonakilty 13, New Ormond Park
Old Wesley 34 Portadown 25, Donnybrook
Skerries v Queen’s University, Holmpatrick (Postponed due to unplayable pitch)
Suttonians v Corinthians, JJ McDowell Park (Postponed due to unplayable pitch)

Clonakilty maintained their three-point advantage over Instonians at the top of the table as tries from Derek Dillon and Declan Coppinger, allied to a penalty from Alfie Harte, saw them pop Nenagh to the spoils.

All of Nenagh’s points – four penalties – came from the boot of Denis Slattery. Despite their second defeat of the league run, the Tipperary side are still in sixth position.

Instonians maintained second spot thanks to a tight 15-13 win down in Bruff. An early try from centre Mark Browne was added to by a Niall Malone penalty for an 8-6 half-time lead. Bruff’s scores came from two Brian Carroll penalties.

Malone’s conversion of lock Mark Wilson’s try, early in the second half, was to prove crucial as although the Limerick hosts got in for a late score through flanker Iona Sipa, Carroll was unsuccessful with the conversion attempt.

Wanderers’ fourth win of the season saw them up to third, just a single point ahead of Bruff. The Dubliners’ beat Ards 19-9 up north at Hamilton Park.

Ards were sticky opponents, but they could only post three penalties from the boot of full-back Ajay Derwin throughout. David Quigley did most of the damage for Wanderers, matching Derwin’s hat-trick and converting number 8 Craig Simione’s try, which came from a lineout take and rumble forward, just before the break.

Meanwhile, at Judges Road, City of Derry chalked up their first win of the season – beating Connemara 32-15 – to move clear of the fifth-from-bottom Galway men on points difference. Derry fly-half Richard McCarter was the key man, scoring two tries, three conversions and two penalties for a 22-point personal haul. Ian Orr and Ryan Campbell bagged the other Derry tries.

Connemara’s points came from three unconverted tries by Tom O’Brien, Vincent Heffernan and Cormac McDonald.

Old Wesley, who sit fourth-from-bottom, condemned bottom side Portadown to their fifth straight league defeat as they won 34-25 at Donnybrook. Wesley number 10 David Smith even denied Ports a losing bonus point as he landed his fifth penalty from the last kick of the game.