Banbridge Rugby Club - Northern Ireland

By half-time the tally was 34-3 and although there was a lull in the scoring in the third quarter the home side eventually racked up ten tries, with a single penalty the only reply Ards could muster.

Adam Ervine was first off the mark for Bann, the scrum half nipping in from close range in the third minute. Jonny Pollock was held up over the line four minutes later, but from the 5-metre scrum that followed No 8 Stephen Irvine was able to take advantage of a retreating Ards pack to secure the second touchdown, with Robin Thompson converting.

Irvine then picked up from a set scrum to make 30 metres before feeding Pollock with the scoring pass for the third try. A brief foray into home territory allowed Ards out-half Paul Cox to kick his side's only points, but as Bann resumed on the offensive Pollock picked up a neat feed from Thompson to cross for his second try, converted by Thompson, with less than 20 minutes on the clock.

And the full-back made it a hat-trick on the half-hour after Ervine had scooped back a loose ball to set him on a 40 metre run to the try-line.

Ards scrum-half Kyle Agnew was denied a try five minutes before the break, the referee adjudging the ball to have been knocked on in the movement. And Bann added to the visitors' misery before the interval, with lock Chris Allen barnstorming through three defenders after a quickly taken penalty inside the Ards "22".

With an improving wind blowing at the visitors' backs in the second half and a run of injuries continually interrupting the flow of play, there was no further scoring until the final twelve minutes of the game, although Ards had the best chance after Bann were penalised trying to run the ball from deep.

Andrew Kirkwood's scintillating 45 metre run set up Dale Carson for Bann's seventh try in the 68th minute. Then James Andrews took advantage of a quick penalty to power his way through a demoralised Ards defence.

Thompson added the extras to both scores before skipping through the defence to touch down at the posts and kick the conversion.

The final score came with the last move of the game, John Porter capping a fine performance in his first start for the Firsts by touching down in the corner after Bann had retained possession through multiple phases.

Bann coach Daniel Soper was naturally pleased with his team's performance. "There was some very good movement out there today," he said after the game. "And the injuries in the squad have allowed some of the other players to come through and develop their game at senior level. We're now better placed in terms of squad depth.

"But Armagh on Saturday will be a big test, especially with the AIL game between the sides coming up in a month."

Bann will still have a number of players unavailable for Saturday's home clash with Armagh. Skipper Simon McKinstry, Colin Bickerstaff and Ryan Patterson are still carrying injuries while Jonny Murphy and Andrew Morrison are on Ulster U-20 duty.

And with the visitors showing impressive form since their return to the senior ranks, Bann will do well to get the win they would want to take into the first All-Ireland game of the season, the following Saturday at home to Navan.

Bann team v Ards:- Jonny Pollock, John Porter, Jonny Little, James Andrews, Andrew Kirkwood, Robin Thompson, Adam Ervine, Michael Cromie, Paul Ross, Brian Hanna, Chris Allen, Alan Conn, Dale Carson, Mark Wilson, Stephen Irvine. Replacements:- David Weir, Nelson Shanks, Andrew Baird, Neville Farr, Geoff Thompson.