Rugby results from Saturday
A roundup of Saturday's rugby results:
Last minute try defeats Douglas
Douglas lost out 19-15 away at Altrincham Kersal in North One West. The Manx side led 15-12 going into the final minute of play only for their hosts to run in a late seven pointer to take the spoils. Glyn Hooson-Owen and Spencer Cope both crossed for Douglas tries with Will Cain adding a conversion and a penalty. Wins for Warrington and Stockport mean that Douglas drop to the lower end of a very crowded mid-table with one game remaining.
Vagabonds beaten by Aspull
Despite a much improved Vagabonds performance the side lost 45-19 at home against high flying Aspull. Vagas did however pick up some morale boosting news after fellow strugglers Oldershaw picked up their second five point penalty of the season and dropped below Vagas in the standings.
Ramsey edged out at Birchfield
Ramsey were beaten 15-6 at promotion chasing Birchfield as the Northerners faint promotion hopes faded completely. The Ramsey defence put in a huge shift to keep Birchfield out for much of the game but with Birchfield doing the same at the other end Ramsey were restricted to just two Scott Kneale penalties.
Douglas Celts claim Shimmin Wilson Trophy
Douglas Celts superior fitness gave them the ultimate edge in a tense Trophy final. Tries from Gerard Landels and Dale Williams plus a Mark Young conversion saw Nomads take an early lead. Nathan Knights struck back for Douglas and when Phil Plaatjies converted it left Douglas trailing 12-7 at half time. Knights struck again early in the second half to level the score before a Carl Conroy brace clinched it for Douglas. Late tries from Daryn Thompson and Andrew Colley were merely icing on the Douglas cake.
Western Vikings retain Shimmin Wilson Manx Bowl
Vikings beat Emerging Nomads 50-17 to retain their Manx Bowl title. Alex Gibson put Vikings ahead early on before Henry Blackwell levelled it for Nomads. Liam Sweeney reclaimed the lead for Vikings before Blackwell went in for his second and with Ryan Burke and George Collister adding conversions Vikings’s lead was a slender two points after thirty seven minutes. Two quick tries from Connor Casey and Peter Crowe however left Vikings 26-12 ahead at the break. In the second half the traffic was mostly one way though. Gibson added his second, Ed Knight ran in his virgin try and Sam Peel also picked one up. Burke’s boot chipped away with more conversions and a penalty too before Sam Spooner bagged a late consolation for Nomads.
Ramsey pick up first win in Mooragh thriller
Ramsey’s first win of the season finally arrived when they beat Castletown 37-34 at the Mooragh Park. Mikey Craine was the Ramsey hero running in a hat trick and there were also tries for Matt Livesey, Olly Cowin and Ben Harding. Jack Caine kicked two conversions and a penalty. Jim Emmett ran in a hat trick for Castletown with other tries coming from Connor Coulthard, Kunal Patel and Harry Dawson who also kicked two conversions.