PORTADOWN FIRSTS 12

THERE was little change last weekend in the All-Ireland League Division Three relegation zone as Portadown remain above the bottom two.

Defeat at Suttonians has left Portadown hovering just beyond Naas and County Carlow.
Connemara, who had caused an upset against Portadown the previous week, managed to salvage a losing bonus point at home to Banbridge, leaving the Connacht team equal on 10 points with Portadown - a situation which now puts increased pressure on the town club's bid to survive in All-Ireland rugby.

Despite a strong showing in the opening half against a heavier home pack, Portadown again struggled to put points on the board early on.

There were scoring opportunities on offer throughout the opening half-hour but Portadown let those chances slip away, failing to keep control of the situation close to the opposition try-line.

While Portadown failed to build on their encouraging start, the home backline was alert to take advantage of lapses in concentration in the town side's cover.

Twice Suttonians were able to turn the advantage to full benefit, moving the ball wide and finding space for scrum-half Adam Griggs and winger Darragh Mulligan to strike with tries apiece, forcing Portadown to face a 10-point deficit at the halfway stage.

The two first-half tries - much against the run of play - left Portadown with a tough task after the interval. The extra weight advantage of the Suttonians pack began to cause further problems for the visitors, who conceded two additional close-in scores from Adam Carney and Garret Connolly.

With 20 minutes gone in the second period, Portadown were already drifting out of the contest, now attempting to bridge a four-try gap.

With the game opening up in the closing stages, Portadown scrum-half Craig Woods did well to snap up possession from a loose pass in midfield and race clear for the team's long-awaited try.

Moments later, Portadown found themselves guilty of slack play in midfield, allowing replacement centre Paul Proctor pick up crucial try number five for a winning bonus for the Dublin side. Griggs landed his sole conversion kick of the afternoon.

Portadown finished with the parting blow as second row Chris Banks - Portadown's most consistent performer over the past few seasons - produced a fine individual break for a well-deserved try, adding the extra points to his own tally.