AIB League: Division Three Round-Up

AIB LEAGUE: DIVISION THREE: Saturday, November 10

RESULTS –

Ards 13 Instonians 31, Hamilton Park
Naas 21 County Carlow 6, Forenaughts
Nenagh Ormond 3 Banbridge 43, New Ormond Park
Old Wesley 3 Bruff 29, Donnybrook
Queen’s University 15 Corinthians 13, Dub Lane
Rainey Old Boys 24 Connemara 13, Hatrick Park
Sunday’s Well 26 City of Derry 21, Musgrave Park
Waterpark 13 Midleton 13, Ballinakill

In what was the club’s 220th AIB League fixture, Clem Boyd’s Instonians side got the better of Ards in an entertaining Ulster derby at Hamilton Park.

A worrying neck injury for ‘Inst lock Mark Wilson held up the game for 25 minutes but thankfully Wilson, after a visit to hospital, is okay and is expected to return in two to three weeks.

This was ‘Inst’s third straight bonus win in the league and they had to come from behind for it as they trailed 10-7 at half-time. But a superb second half display saw Boyd’s men win out.

John Gardiner and Adam Telford each scored two tries for the visitors, Michael McKeever also crossed and Owen McMurray kicked three conversions.

Ards, who were hoping to mark their 150th league game with a victory, got their first half scores through a David Armstrong try and a Mark Banford penalty and conversion. Banford added another penalty in the second half.

In what promises to be an intriguing battle, ‘Inst and Queen’s will go head to head next weekend. The Belfast students led 9-3 at the break against Corinthians on Saturday with scrum half Ian Porter kicking three penalties to one from the visitors’ Conor Tracy.

Twelve minutes from the finish, Porter’s fifth successful kick of the afternoon put the seal on another success for Queen’s, although Corinthians did hit back with a late try from Darren Classen to earn them a losing bonus point.

At Forenaughts, Naas player-coach Andrew Melville got one over on his former club, County Carlow, as the Kildare men were clear winners of the midlands derby by 21-6.

It was Naas’ second win since their return to the ranks of the AIB League and will be a game much remembered for Naas veteran Marc Waldron’s stunning try midway through the second half when he dashed over from 60 metres out.

An early David Aherne penalty had the hosts in front and some sterling defensive work kept the Carlow backs out before Greg Jacob planted a late penalty through the posts for a 3-3 interval score-line.

Naas regained the lead ten minutes into the second half when Melville burrowed over the line for his third try of the campaign. Aherne converted from the touchline before a quick Carlow response saw Jacob reduce the gap to 10-6.

That was as good as it got for the Carlow men however, with another Aherne penalty edging Naas a converted score clear. Waldron’s try followed as he took a Johnny Delaney pass and beat two men on a memorable run which was cheered to the rafters by the home supporters.

Carlow gained a late numerical advantage as Naas’ Mark Farragher was sin-binned in the 73rd-minute but they could not convert pressure to points and it was Naas who finished the stronger.

Meanwhile, at Hatrick Park, Rainey Old Boys opened their win account for the season with a well-judged 24-13 victory over Connemara. Tries from Damien Campbell and Peter Boyle, both converted by Michael Glancy, edged Willie Anderson’s men in front by the break.

Connemara kept in touch with tries from Ger Burke and Kevin Keogh but another effort from fit-again hooker Campbell and a Rodney Paul try saw Rainey triumph.

City of Derry claimed a losing bonus point at Musgrave Park but Sunday’s Well did enough in the first half of their 26-21 victory to warrant the points.

The Corkmen led 20-14 at the break, having initially seemed well set up to register their second win of the league campaign. Centre Jono Lynch kicked an early penalty before back rower Tumali Tasola burst forward off a five-metre lineout to grab the game’s first try.

Lynch converted, kicked another penalty and then turned a Colin Corkery try into a seven-pointer just before the half-time whistle. But in injury-time, Derry struck for two converted tries with full-back Ryan Brace and scrum half Davy Browne both touching down.

Brown crossed the hosts’ whitewash again in the second half, with his half-back partner Ioane Ioane once again converting, but two Lynch penalties were enough for the ‘Well to see out the win.

Munster rivals Waterpark and Midleton drew 13-13 at Ballinakill on Saturday, with the result leaving both sides in mid-table. Waterpark should have made more of their lightning start – their out-half Ben Young intercepted a pass in midfield and darted over after only two minutes, with full-back Gary Jones converting.

Former Munster player Jason Holland, who directed operations for the visitors at number 10, kicked two penalties for them to make it 7-6. Midleton flanker Duncan Walker then latched onto a grubber kick to touch down and allow Holland to kick the Corkmen 13-7 clear.

Despite losing captain Mark Murphy to injury, Waterpark enjoyed a good spell after the interval and Jones landed his first penalty after 50 minutes to make it 13-10. After seeing a drop goal attempt came pack off a post, Jones managed to level with another penalty, eight minutes from time, and that is how it stayed.

At New Ormond Park, Banbridge got back to winning ways with a tremendous 43-3 dismissal of Nenagh Ormond. Winger Claude Crawford helped himself to a hat-trick of tries for Bann.

Meanwhile, Bruff secured their eighth Division Three win on the trot when they accounted for Wanderers at Donnybrook, with the game finished in a 29-3 win for the visitors.

An Alan Large penalty was all the Dubliners could muster as buoyant Bruff ran in tries from Máirtín O’Rourke (8 minutes), John Shine (29 and 36), Brendan Deady (45) and Cathal O’Regan (64).