DOUGLAS Under 13’s v LYMM under 13’s

Douglas under 13’s have a chance this weekend to strike a blow for Manx rugby when they attempt to become only the second Manx side to win the Cheshire Cup at any level when they travel on Sunday to take on Lymm at Winnington Park. The only other side to win a Cheshire cup were Douglas under eights in season 1999/00 which by my maths means it could well be the same basic group of lads who have continued to develop over the years.

It would be unfair to the players to say that Douglas ’s progress has been unexpected as I am sure that they and their coaches and their parents have gone into every game believing they could win. They have though have definitely been the surprise package of the competition beating Wirral, Hoylake and Winnington Park who all have much larger pools of players and catchments areas to chose from. With the competition rules also requiring the Manx side to play all matches away the odds are definitely stacked against them and this makes the achievement in even reaching the final something to be applauded.

Whatever the result on Saturday the youngsters have been a credit to themselves and Manx rugby all the season. Their opponents Lymm are a strong side but Douglas have this season  proved they are a match for anyone and to bring home the cup would be a just reward for their commitment all season not just on the playing and training side but in fund raising to off set the parental contributions and clubs costs with regard to travel.

Finally it is fair to say that when reporting on our own side there is always a tendency to view matters through rose tinted spectacles. If it is good enough for Clive Woodward and the British Lions then it should be good enough for the rest of us. I would therefore like to quote from Hoylake’s web site who Douglas beat in an earlier round. “well played and good luck to Douglas in the semi final. I have to say that it was probably the best display of under 13s rugby I have ever witnessed.”  Any further comment is probably superfluous except go and win the cup!

Gethin Taylor     

DOUGLAS  UNDER 16   15

CONGLETON  7

Douglas Under 16’s had an unusually early start to the season on Sunday 16 September when they travelled to Congleton.

In good conditions Congleton kicked off and Douglas immediately returned the ball to Congleton’s half where it stayed for a vast majority of the time.

Douglas pounded the try line through forwards and backs, but brave defence and some early season rustiness saw only on try, this coming from Luke Faragher the No 8.

The second half took much the same pattern as the first with Douglas continuing to attack and being manfully repelled. Eventually the second try did come from man of the match James Creasey. The Congleton coach asked at the end, how many No 7’s did you have on the pitch? and that summed up James’s contribution perfectly. Mention must also go to Christian Brew who took some superbly controlled ball at the front of the lineout, in this the first match when lifting was used, well done.

Douglas again continued to press and debutante John Cowell scored after fine handling by the backs, 15-0.

In the last two minutes Congleton made their first foray into the Douglas 22, and after several penalties managed to squeeze over for a try, final score Douglas 15 Congleton 7

This Sunday October 10 the Under 16’s travel to play Wirral RUFC.

WIRRAL UNDER 16’S 20    DOUGLAS Under 16’s 7

Sunday October 10 saw Douglas travel for the second time this season for an away fixture. The game at Wirral RUFC was expected to harder than the previous one and so it proved.

Kicking into the wind in the first half Douglas put Wirral under some early pressure with some good ball retention, but could not capitalize on the possession. Wirral with less ball used it better and their speedy wings put Douglas under pressure with some good running. As the half wore on Wirral began to look dangerous and scored two tries in quick succession, neither were converted 10 –0. Douglas came back and after some good forward play Adam Gaggs was twice denied being held above ground whilst over the opponents try line. To make matters worse Wirral went up to the end of the field and scored again, 15-0 at half time.

The second half saw Wirral kick off and Douglas immediately driving the ball back into their half only for it to be turned over fed to the speedy left wing who ran 40 metres to score 20-0.

Douglas were undeterred and kept on attacking, this was rewarded when John Watling was driven over near the corner for his first score for the club, Danny Kniveton added a great conversion 20-7, with 15 minutes left Douglas threw everything at Wirral but their defence was firm, and this remained the final score.

Level 5 referee Phil Stoke who chose Bryn Snellgrove as the Douglas man of the match superbly refereed the game.

All of these games were enjoyed by all of the teams and both Congleton and Wirral have indicated that they would like to visit the Island next year for  return fixtures, Wirral have pencilled in April 3 2005, hopefully these will both take place as home fixtures for junior players are as rare as hens teeth!!

This concludes a busy start to the season for Douglas, which has also seen Under 16 players Bryn Snellgrove, James Lidgett, Adam Gaggs and Peter Bradley go for Cheshire Under 16 trials, Bryn was invited to three county training sessions, but failed to make the cut for the final squad, and Andrew  Jones having a trial for west Cheshire Under 15’s after the Under 16 game at Wirral, by being at the right place at the right time. 

Thanks must go to Mike Foy Under 15 coach for Congleton, and on both trips, to Deborah Snellgrove for her travel arrangements and organisation. To Niall Killey and Arron Maddox two of Douglas ’s up and coming players who accompanied the teams on both trips, 0600 at the Sea Terminal is very early after a game for the seniors the day before, Thanks lads!!!! 

Paul Snellgrove

Douglas Under 15   -           61

Congleton                   5

  Douglas U15’s had a successful trip away to Congleton at the weekend, securing a 61 – 5 victory in their first match of the new season.  Tries came from Alex Richardson (3), Andrew Jones (3), Ryan Maddox and Clark Hind, with James Horton adding a couple of his own and kicking all but one of the conversions.

  With some new faces in the squad, the team played well together despite a lack of full preparation.  Strong initial pressure in midfield allowed Douglas to exploit the speed of Richardson and Jones out wide.  This set the tone of the match with the Douglas pack absorbing repeated pressure, yet still managing to move the ball wide to the fast backs.

  Starting the second half 24 – 0 down, Congleton fought back with renewed enthusiasm and managed a single try.  Douglas did not let this put them off their game plan and further effort from the pack gradually wore down a weakening Congleton team.

  The score-line does not fully reflect what was, at times, a bruising encounter and a number of Douglas players worked extremely hard.  Although there is some more work to do with the squad, the team showed tremendous potential and this bodes well for the rest of the season.  Special mention must go to Ryan Maddox, who brought a whole new meaning to the expression ‘missed tackle’!

Mike Foy

Sandbach Under 15  50pts   Douglas Under 15 0pts

Douglas Under 15 travelled to Sandbach on Sunday to play the Runners up in the Cheshire Cup for the last two seasons, and found out why their opponents have been so successful.

The morning started badly when, with 10 minutes to go before the scheduled kick off, Douglas were informed that due to an administrative error, the Ref had not turned up and that the game would be delayed for 45 minutes, not an ideal situation.

The game eventually kicked off at 11.45, and Douglas started quite well wining the first three scrums against the head, but were always put under pressure by a large Sandbach pack, and a Ref who had forgotten that only a limited push is allowed at this level.

Sandbach were playing their 11_th game of the season, only having been beaten by the dominant team in the county Altrinchham /Kersal, amassing  410 points and only conceding 77, 31 of which were against AK! , this was Douglas ’s first competitive game as a team, and it showed. The Cheshire team were quick to win ball at the tackle and their team skills came to the fore with backs and forwards linking well, and playing a good standard of Rugby .

Douglas were making life difficult for their opponents, and in the individual battles around the pitch the Douglas players were holding their own, but the match play skills that come with regular competition at this level, were coming to the fore and Sandbach scored 5 tries and four conversions to make the half time score 33-0.

The second half started quite well for Douglas but the second wicked bounce of the day, after a kick, saw the ball fall straight in to the arms of the Sandbach right wing who ran in to score, this made the score 38-0.

For the next 15 minutes, Douglas fought hard and denied Sandbach any further scores, but then a good move through the centre saw a score near the posts which was converted 45-0.

Sandbach then added another try to make the score 50-0, with about 5 minutes remaining, Douglas showed their mettle by attacking the Sandbach, gaining several penalties which saw one of the Sandbach players being sin binned for killing the ball, but the home defence held firm until the final whistle.

This performance, despite the heavy defeat will give the players something to work on in training, before the next trip away to a 15 a side tournament at Caldy on 21 March.

As well as the match the squad also took the opportunity to watch some top class rugby. On Saturday they saw a National 3 North match, which saw Waterloo defeat Darlington Mowden Park 35-12. Thanks must go to Conrad, Waterloo ’s web site designer and IOM resident who met us on the boat and arranged free entry to Blundellsands for boys to the game, and also a tour of the club after the match with England Lock, Ben Kay’s father in law.

On Sunday the squad went to watch Sale Sharks v Biarritz , in the Heineken Cup, another great experience with the likes of Jason Robinson and Serge Bettsen on show.

Thanks must go to the IOM RFU for their assistance with travel costs, parents Andy Bell and Cameron Smith who travelled with the squad, and to Deborah Snellgrove for organising all the travel, accommodation and match tickets.

Finally to the boys themselves who were, at all times a credit to the youth of the Island with exemplary behaviour, which even brought a comment from the manager of the Hotel who said she would have the team to stay any time, after this trip. At a time when youth is often more criticised than praised, I feel this is worth a mention.