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Argon Technologies sponsored Douglas Rugby Club travel to Ormskirk this weekend for their final away match of the season. There is an outside possibility that if Douglas win and Sefton lose that there will be a league title shoot out with a winner takes all scenario but before any of that can be considered Douglas will be looking to extend their 2013 winning streak.

Ormskirk for so long of this season were pushing Douglas all the way and they were firmly in the promotion hunt until about 6 weeks ago when couple of losses caused them to lose ground on the leading pack. However, to their credit they have come back strongly and look to be finishing their season in style as in their last few games they have consumately beaten their opposition so Douglas will have to have their wits about them come Saturday.

There arent too many changes to the Douglas line up once again, Niall Killey is on the beat this weekend but his absence coincides with the return of Craig McGee and Daryn Thompson. This combined with the impressive form of Dom 'Caractacus' Winrow and Mark McGee's availability means that their are plenty of options to cover the absence of the influential Killev. A headache well worth having. The engine room will continue service as normal and look to get round the park and supply the backs with good clean ball once again.

In the back line, Bryn Snellgrove may be absent this week but Nathan Pierce should slot into the scrum half position and will look to zip the ball around as he did last week and outside them Stephen Tansell may line up with James Wood with Simon Heggs filling in on the wing together with Goodall and Carine to make up the back three

All in all again there have not been too many changes to this Douglas team and the fact that there will be 12/13 starting this week who were in last weeks team is only a good thing for the coaches.

Ormskirk are strong opposition and have plenty of strike runners all over the park and a nippy back three so Douglas will have to make sure that they are on top form to take anything from the game. Ormskirk have only lost at home twice this season and im sure they will want to round the season off infront of their own fans in style.

Douglas have proved time and time again this season that they can change the gameplan to suit both the opposition and the conditions. This may well be the case come saturday as they will not be expecting the space they were afforded last week and it will be more a case of  playing with structure and precision if they are to unlock Ormskirk.

Based on the encounter earlier in the season this promises to be a fine advertisement of physical and running rugby played in the right spirits.

Argon Technologies sponsored Douglas rugby club won in style on Saturday with an 86 - 0 rout of shropshite outfit Oswestry in what was an all round complete performance from the manxmen to put a fine gloss on the end of their season and attain an impressive 100 league points in the process.

Douglas started the game in fine style and within the first minute Mike Hebden broke free down the left wing and collected his own deft chip over the top to touch down.

Oswestry were battling hard and they had a line out on their own 10 metre line but Christian Brew got up quicker intercepted the ball and popped down to Carl Markl-Ferns who charged down the touchline to grab himself a try.

Douglas were now on top and their forwards were starting to boss the visiting pack and were working well in the loose and eventually Oswestry conceded a penalty and when it was put in the corner the forwards worked their magic and Niall Killey went over for his first of the afternoon.

The game was becoming stretched and Douglas were finding gaps and eventually a chasm opened big enough for Skipper Goodall to pick from the base of a ruck and dive over for a try of his own.

Callum Carine then decided he was getting cold on his wing and went looking for work and when the ball was shipped down the line he broke a tackle and turned on the after burners and was in for his first.

The first half scoring was finished by winger Nathan Pierce after some fumbles by Oswestry James Wood found Pierce who glided over for the final score of the half and the score at half time was 43 - 0.

The second half started with much the same pace as the first and Douglas were at it again with some slick hands finding Callum Carine in open space and he did the rest as he weaved past the full back and was in for the score.

Enforced changes had the mercurial Bryn Snellgrove taken off and Pierce in at scrum half and despite this Pierce did a good job of barking his forwards into position and when the had a line out they were going one way Brew caught the line and fed Killey and the pack powered over.

Another well taken Goodall try followed minutes later when he ghosted through a gap and under the posts, this seemed to fire Oswestry up a little and they came back into the match but a poor kick landed in Callum Carines hands and in he went for his hat trick try.

Douglas were stretching Oswestry this way and that and Glyn Hooson-Owen and Craig Lea both barged over within minutes of each other when they were both afforded space to get going and from close range they were unstopable.

There was a rare try for Rob Todd and the afternoon was completed with a final try from Niall Killey to round off a truly well constructed performance and Douglas have really found some red hot form of late.

Oswestry to their credit battled hard for 80 minutes and pushed Douglas all the way but it was not to be their day as the manx side had the bit between their teeth and were determined to avenge their early season loss to the same opposition. A job well done and a spectacle for the home faithful who were in fine voice to roar the lads home.

Argon Technologies Douglas Rugby Club host Shropshire outfit Oswestry at Port-e-Chee this weekend in what is the manx sides final home game in South Lancs Cheshire Division 2 this year.
 
Douglas have a little bit of revenge to exact on their opponents this weekend as Oswestry are one of only two teams to have beaten Waterworth's warriors all season.
 
Revenge cannot be the key motivator for this Douglas side, as it stands they are one of very few teams in the country to have won all their games since christmas, which is impressive in itself and I'm sure the players will want this run to continue. Stood in their paths is a team who last year along with Douglas narrowly missed out on promotion but for reasons unknown have slipped towards mid table this time round.
 
Skipper Scott Goodall has opted to go with the same team where possible that wallopped Wallasey last week as with a performance like that dropping anyone would be difficult. Craig McGee is unavailable so in comes Stephen Tansell into the back row with Brew and Killey. The engine room remains the same having performed ably last week in both tight and losse phases.
 
In the back line, Mike Hebden returns and will replace Ryan Maddox in the centres, with Snellgrove and Ganly pulling the strings from the half back positions. Outside them Douglas will be looking to get speedster Callum Carine on the ball and with Simon Heggs starting to look like his hamstrings can handle a game his weaving runs can cause havoc from the opposite wing.
 
It is pleasing for Douglas that the team has been able to remain relatively untouched with only unavailability causing changes. Oswestry are a strong side and physical at the break down so Douglas will have to keep them quiet as they did with Wallasey and hopefully the rest will take care of itself. The pack will look to secure clean go forward ball again as they did so well last week and release the back line into plenty of space and hopefully we will witness an open game of rugby.
 
Kick off is earlier this week at 1.30 and there is a family day down at the club from 12.30 onwards and all are welcome to attend.

Argon Technologies Douglas Rugby Club triumphed 62 – 6 in the Wallasey sunshine on Saturday in what was a spectacle of structured running rugby from the manx men.

From the kick off Douglas were in no mood to mess around and were determined not to turn up at Wallasey to make up numbers, they were determined to play every minute as if it was the first game of the season and the forward pack were in no mood to mess around. It was on 5 minutes when the Douglas line out marched from the 22 and allowed number 8 Niall Killey the honour of the touchdown in Daryn Thompson's absence.

Wallasey then responded with a penalty and it showed that they were not going to take this lying down so once again the Douglas forwards came to the fore, a turnover scrum deep in Wallasey territory squirmed free and allowed Killey another try, pretty much off the kick off again Douglas earned a line out and drove Killey over for his hat trick score and the rest of the half was played out in midfield and the half time score was 19 - 3.

Words of wisdom at half time from the coach was that Douglas had remarkably conceded a solitary penalty and all that they had to do was apply a little more structure to their play and the gaps would appear. Sure enough gaps began to appear and in the second half Douglas really opened up and started to harass the opposition into more errors and Niall Killey decided 3 was enough for him and turned provider when he caught the kick off and burst through the line offloading to skipper Goodall to score.

Douglas were starting to click and gaps were appearing more readily, the ball was slung wide and Simon 'Glasshouse' Heggs was on the wing and he broke his marker and stepped inside and was in but for an excellent cover tackle from the Wallasey centre. The ball was recycled however and Scott Goodall finished in the corner.

Douglas then took the next kick off and this time recycled phases well and drove into the Wallasey half, the opposition were defendiing manfully but eventually it cracked as the ball was recycled under the posts and quick hands allowed Stephen Tansell a walk in try.

A carbon copy of Goodall's first try followed the subsequent kick off with Niall Killey again breaking the line and offloading to Goodall for the score, jugs all round from those two after securing their hat tricks. Douglas were now firmly in command and playing with smiles on their faces but Wallasey hadnt given up yet and slotted a penalty to try and gain some momentum. It was short lived as this time Bryn Snellgrove broke the line and offloaded to Carl Markl-Ferns  for the try.

The game was now being spent around the Wallasey 22 metre line and the forwards played some tight phases and then the big dog Glyn Hooson-Owen was able to muscle his way over. The final try of the day was after Goodall broke the line and fed Stephen Tansell who ran in from the 22 for his second and put a gloss on the Douglas performance.

This performance was great to see from Douglas as they showed precision and power in a dominant display of rugby, Wallasey battled well but Douglas really took advantage of the warm weather and firm pitch conditions and produced arguably their best performance of the season and guaranteed their promotion to division 1 next season. Party time for all at Port-e-Chee. Well done lads!