Armagh 3XV retained their lead in Provincial League 3 with a convincing home win against Randalstown 2XV at the Palace Grounds on Saturday. The away leg in September resulted in a narrow win for Armagh but it was a less convincing Randalstown side that turned out this week. It only took the Armagh side 7 minutes to get onto the score sheet when captain Neill Lutton secured the ball from the scrum and fed Andrew Brady on the wing for a try in the corner for a 5-0 lead.

Five minutes later and it was second row Niall McKee who doubled the lead from a maul close to the line.

Kurtis Sherry, whose last match for the thirds had been against Randalstown in September was next to score with a driving run from ten metres to score close to the posts, this time was convered by Andrew Knipe, for 17-0.

Randslstown started to come back into the game with some good ball retention and penetrating runs by the forwards which resulted in their only try of the match on 20 minutes. The conversion reducing the deficit to 10 points. ,

Despite conceding too many penalties, that were not capitalised upon by Randalstown, it was Armagh that applied the pressure and on 31 minutes Michael Ross, who was having a great game on the wing who went over for his first and the bonus point try on his way to a hat-trick. Not long after full-back Andrew Winder came into the back line and beat the Randalstown defence feeding Ross for his second, this time converted by Glen Faloon, for a 29-7 half-time lead.

Although Randalstown came out with renewed enthusiasm in the second half they could not penetrate the Armagh defence which was controlled by captain Neill Lutton at No8 with Joe Clarke and Connor Simms on the back row and it was Luke Crozier who ran in the 6th try from 22metres. With the conversion from Faloon it was 36-7 Armagh. Next it was Faloon’s turn when Andrew Brad,y in a break from his own 22, passed to Faloon for a try converted by himself for 43-7. Armagh’s 8th try came from Ross, who was unchallenged from the halfway line, and the conversion, again by Faloon, stretched the lead to 43 points. A ninth converted try from a superb kick ahead by scrum-half Trevor Girvan saw the match finish with Armagh leading by 50 points and with an eleven point lead at the top of Provincial League 3.

A great performance from Armagh however nothing is certain and tricky matches against Ballymena at home next week and away to Harlequins 3’s the following week will test he Armagh lads resolv