O’Riordan miss so costly as Well remain bottom

Sunday’s Well 9 Ards 10

This was a game the Well were hoping would kick start their season after three defeats in their previous games, but too many mistakes proved their undoing.

Sunday’s Well out-half Shane O’Riordan, who had an excellent game both kicking and with ball in hand, will still wonder how he missed the easiest of the four penalty chances to put the Well back into the lead with six minutes remaining.

The Well pack looked in trouble in the scrum in the early stages but were well worth their 6-0 half time lead thanks to penalties from O’Riordan on 14 and 40 minutes.

The out-half extended their advantage three minutes after the restart but then the Ulster side hit back as their pack laid siege to the Well line.

After conceding three penalties close to the line, the Well’s Eamon Murphy was yellow-carded and when they were again pinged a penalty try was awarded, which Paul Cox converted.

Cox put Ards ahead 10 minutes from time with a penalty but the home side were unable to respond.

SUNDAY’S WELL: P Magee; M Quinlivan, R O’Mahony, N Horgan, D O’Connell; S O’Riordan, P Arrigho; J Barry, J Moynihan, F Moynihan; D Smith, E Murphy; S Desmond, D Loftus, J Mulcahy.

Replacements: D O’Gorman, MJ Doyle, P Hughes, A O’Brien, I O’Regan.

ARDS: P Cox; D Armstrong, T Devlin, S Young, S McKee; S Paul, K Agnew; J Miller, M Busby, W Dodd; J Dowey, R McCausland; M Harrison, R Sinnamon, D Broughall.

Replacements: C McClure; A Foster, P Croan, M Weir, A Crawford.

Referee: D Collins (IRFU).