Rugby: Douglas face tough Bowdon task at Port-e-Chee

Vagas ladies back in action away at Eccles 

Report by Dave Christian:

Birkenhead Park & Bowdon are the two top sides in Regional 2 North West - Douglas faced Birkenhead last Saturday and this week have Bowdon to contend with, albeit at Port-e-Chee.

The two have met on seventeen prior occasions with Douglas ahead nine wins to eight however this season Bowdon are fair galloping with seven wins from eight, with Douglas just two from eight.

Angus Wheeler and Brett Pyke both picked up knocks last week but Percy Hampton and Kyle Martin are ready made replacements waiting in the wings. 

Si Hodinnott is also expected back this week and Jack Laughnane could well pack down alongside him in his debut game.

Given their respective league positions the game has a Bowdon win written all over it, but Douglas’ home form has been good and they may well yet pull off a surprise.

Vagabonds Ladies away at Eccles

After a two week break, Vagabonds Ladies take to the road again, this time to face Eccles in Womens NC1 North West.  

The two sides have met six times previously with Vagabonds leading the stats battle five wins to one. The latest win was in January this year when the trip to Eccles yielded a 29-0 win so the mood in the Vagas camp will be buoyant. 

This season the two playing records are very similar - both have played three and lost three and the only difference between them is the losing bonus point Eccles picked up against Didsbury.

Vagas are in something of a transitional season with a lot of new players - this weekend sees Bliss Murtagh and Holly Scott both making debuts as the squads tries to build on the earlier results, they’ve worked hard in training focusing on tackle height and line outs and hope that the work will finally give them a positive result.

Scott & Murtagh aside, the squad does have some experience. 

The trio of Jess Swales, Sophie Henry and Sammie Macdonald all have around 50 appearances under the belt, while some of the new crop are less experienced but are quickly making their mark. 

Greeba Taisia and Maylyn Campbell for example have both been mentioned in dispatches in recent games.

On paper this should be a close game and fingers are all crossed for a positive Vagabonds result.

Castletown host Western Vikings in Manx Shield

There is just one tie in the Ravenscroft Manx Shield this week with Castletown hosting Vikings at Poulsom Park. The two sides met in week one with Vikings winning a high scoring thriller 41-32.

Vikings are building towards their opening game in the Cheshire Plate and will be looking for a good performance as game time is at a premium for the players. They didn’t quite gel in the most recent tie against Ramsey when the Ramsey back line was just too hot however they may fare a little better against Town.

Finally, there’s also a friendly at Port-e-Chee where Southern Nomads visit to play Douglas Casuals. 

Douglas are keen to establish a casual rugby side which can play the odd game here and there and help out with the clubhouse till. The quality of the Douglas former players is such that they may give Nomads a run for their money, which is precisely what they want ahead of their Cheshire game in a couple of weeks.

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