Rugby: Manx Shield continues this weekend

Douglas face Altrincham in Regional 2 North West 

Report by Dave Christian: 

Douglas aiming to climb again 

Douglas take on Altrincham Kersal, at Port-e-Chee on Saturday, January 27, knowing that a win could bump them up to a possible fifth place in Regional 2 North West. 

The squad will be missing the influential Brad Bowmar and the unpredictable Percy Hampton though, although Brett Pyke and Angus Wheeler should slot in seamlessly. 

AK are ahead of Douglas in the head-to-head stats with a 6-2 advantage and won the reverse fixture 25-20 in October. 

The closeness of that scoreline however suggests that with home advantage, Douglas may just come out on top. 

Ramsey face Nomads in Manx Shield

These two will be very familiar with each other having only played two weeks ago, however since then Nomads have a win under their belt and may be a little more confident than on their last trip to the Mooragh. 

The Southerners beat Western Vikings last week, at Ballakilley, and although the game was nip and tuck for an hour, Nomads eased away in the final 20. 

In the back line Rob Craine made an impressive second half cameo, making one try and scoring another and a brace from Sam Kennaugh also helped. 

Mark Young was consummate in the ten jersey whether with ball in hand or off the tee and this back line combination can cause damage. 

Ramsey by contrast had a trip from hell last weekend when their friendly against Northwich was stymied by the weather and then a series of flight cancellations left them at one point looking likely to return on Wednesday! 

Loganair however came to the rescue and the squad eventually made it back on Monday night and they'll definitely be looking forward to a home game. 

On paper, it should be a Ramsey home win Saturday, but with some regular game time under the belt, Nomads won't be as far away as they were last time round.

Also in the Shield, Western Vikings take on IOM Barbarians at Poulsom Park, again on Saturday, Janurary 27. 

The Barbarians should have a team this week following Vagabond's league match against Chorley being postponed and they should give Vikings a good workout. 

The Peel men (with some reinforcements) were competitive against Nomads last week and should be up for this one. 

Wooden Spoon host Gordon D'Arcy 

The Wooden Spoon is a rugby orientated charity and the Isle of Man branch has a tradition of raising funds and have raised over £180,000 since they started work.

Their latest fundraising event is an evening with Irish rugby legend Gordon D'Arcy. 

Gordon won 82 Ireland caps in a sixteen-year career which saw him pick up three Heineken Cups and four league titles with Leinster. 

He also went on two British and Irish Lions Tours. 

The dinner is on Friday, 19 April at the Palace Hotel and all funds raised will go to Isle of Man Junior Rugby and Manx Specialist Provision Centre for children with significant disabilities. 

There are no administration costs involved and all funds raised will remain on the Island. 

There are a variety of packages available - to find out more email Jo McCabe at joanne.mccabe@sch.im

Fixtures: Saturday, 27 January 2024

Regional 2 North West 

Douglas v Altrincham Kersal @ Port-e-Chee KO 2.30pm

Ravenscroft Manx Shield (Both 2.15pm KO) 

Ramsey v PDMS Southern Nomads @ Mooragh Park 

Western Vikings v IOM Barbarians @ Poulsom Park