Cringle steps up for new season

Manxman in opener against Richmond

Manx professional rugby player Phil Cringle is being put through his paces in pre-season, with less than six weeks before the start of the 2018/19 campaign.

The 24-year-old tight head prop from Ballabeg plays for London Scottish, in the Greene King Championship - the second tier of English rugby.

Cringle signed a contract extension with the club in April, meaning he will remain there for the upcoming season, his third with the outfit.

The team's first outing of the upcoming season is scheduled for Saturday 1 September at 3pm, away against Richmond.

That game could potentially be a winnable one for London Scottish - they finished 11th out of 12 teams last year, but Richmond were just two spots above them in ninth.

Incidentally, the two clubs actually play from the same stadium - at the Athletic Ground in south-west London, which has a capacity of 4,500.