Ards 1st XV 10 Enniskillen 1st XV 8

So near and yet so far for Skins as their late run to gain promotion to Qualifying One came up just short as they lost out to Ards on Saturday. 
Indeed, Chris McVitty had a chance to win the game with a very difficult, late, long range penalty that fell short in the strong breeze. 
The final whistle sounded soon after and with it Skins’ hopes of automatic promotion at this stage.
Indeed, that last kick was a bit like the Skins’ late surge, falling just short with six games in 19 days including a cup final undoubtedly taking its toll. 
All is not lost yet though for Skins and they will be cheering on Bangor in their bid to make it to All-Ireland Three which would leave a gap in the top flight that Skins would like to fill and certainly they deserve something from their efforts this season. 
Skins looked sluggish from the start as the Ards out-half broke the line with ease to bring play up to their 22, forcing some desperate defence to stop an early score. A ruck infringement by Skins then handed Ards a penalty opportunity; fortunately for the visitors this drifted wide of the posts and Ennskillen cleared their lines from the dropout. 
Soon afterwards a rare penalty against Skins at the scrum gifted Ards another opportunity to take the lead, again the kick fell short.
Skins settled into their phases better now off the restart, Ashley Finlay made some good ground counter attacking from fullback and carries from Jamie Johnston and Gareth Beatty gained yards. Enniskillen then looked back to form with a phenomenal maul that made it’s way from 25 metres out all the way to the try line where Ryan Cathcart crossed the line for the first try, putting Skins 5-0 up. 
It was a tight contest for some time now with neither team really making much headway until some good hands from the Enniskillen backs on the counter attack found Zach Charlton who made good ground down the wing. The Skins scrum looked back to form now with a huge shunt from the visitors through the Warrington, Cathcart and Beatty front row earning the penalty, McVitty kicking to touch to set up a line out inside the 22. Enniskillen really needed something from this period of pressure to take control of the game but the Ards defence was determined, holding up Johnston twice over the line and managing to stop two driving mauls just short of the line, surviving to go into the end of the first half trailing a mere five points.
The second half started disastrously as Ards kicked the restart and gained a penalty from the resultant ruck, setting up a line out and maul which had them inches from the Enniskillen line, a rare lapse in defence then allowing an Ards forward to touch the ball down right on the Skins try line. Immediately after the restart a probing kick from the Ards out-half had Skins deep in their own half once again. Shifting the ball through the hands from the back of a scrum the Ards winger found space down the touch line and finished in the corner to put the home side 10-5 up.
It took a huge effort from Enniskillen to keep their tiring heads up after this disastrous 10 minutes, worsened by the sin binning of Ricky Lee for a breakdown infringement, and Ards almost crossed the line again but for some good tracking back by James Ferguson forcing a knock on and allowing Skins to clear their lines. 
The fresh legs of Steven Fox and Stevie Welsh on in the front row now gained another penalty from the scrum just inside the opposition half and this allowed Chris McVitty to narrow the gap to 10-8 with a kick for three points.
Another scrum penalty shortly after for Enniskillen had them deep in the Ards half and desperately seeking points. Working from a line out the Skins forwards carried relentlessly, working their way in front of the posts where Chris McVitty lined up for a drop goal attempt that unfortunately drifted wide. A deliberate knock on from Ards gave McVitty a dramatic penalty attempt in the last play of the game from 40 metres out just in front of the posts, which regrettably fell short and the contest ended in a 10-8 defeat for a clearly devastated Skins side.
It was a disappointing end for the 1st XV who have had such a remarkable season, and may have been a victim of their own success which led to such a hectic schedule of fixtures.