Danny gets 4 but we're beaten by the Butties

Douglas dominate at Mooragh Park
Douglas South ran in nine tries at the Mooragh Park to beat Ramsey 55-34 in a high scoring Manx Trophy game, despite the efforts of Ramsey’s Danny Howard who ran in a personal haul of four tries.

Douglas were out of the blocks quickest, but remained scoreless after an opening five-minute assault on the Ramsey line, and indeed it was Ramsey who broke the deadlock with their first real attack. Number eight Rory Nicholson trucked it up in midfield, Connor Cracknell then moved it left and the Ramsey flying machine Danny Howard applied the finish. On quarter of an hour though Douglas hit back. Daryn Thompson turned over a Ramsey attack on halfway. The ball was then shipped left and Carl Murray strolled over unopposed in the corner. Adam Gregg added the extras for a 7-5 lead.

With the Douglas tails up, Ramsey picked the wrong time to defend sloppily. The restart wasn’t chased hard enough and Douglas punished them for it when flanker Wilf Kermode finished off a three on one overlap. Three minutes later, Douglas hooker Joe Corkish made the most of a missed tackle at the side of a ruck. He got in behind the Ramsey defensive line and his offload found Nathan Hinks who applied the finish. Adam Gregg converted and the lead grew to 19-5.

Ramsey then struck back when Howard danced down the seaside touchline for his second and as the clock ticked towards half time he bagged his hat trick after Connor Cracknell made the hard yards on the right flank. Dan Richmond converted and Ramsey were within two points at 19-17. The comeback was however short-lived. The Douglas pack probed the Ramsey try line in the shadow of the posts and after drawing in the defence, scrum half Craig Martin found Liam Kirkpatrick at first receiver and the Douglas number eight went over to leave his side 24-17 ahead at the break.

Ten minutes into the second half Douglas wing James Boyd galloped in down the right and Adam Gregg’s conversion extended the lead. Danny Howard then replied for Ramsey with Dan Richmond converting to reduce it again. The tit for tat didn’t continue though and Douglas bagged tries on sixty and seventy minutes to build an unassailable lead. Carl Murray picked up his second of the game from close range and scrum half Craig Martin raced clear for the first of his two scores. Gregg added a conversion and Douglas were 43-24 clear.
There was a flurry of tries in the final ten minutes. Peter Frankwick’s step into the line freed up space for Dan Bonwick to pull one back for Ramsey. Harry Corrin cancelled it out quickly for Douglas at the other end. Craig Martin then nipped in for his second before Ramsey had the final word when Peter Frankwick finished off a Tom Moffatt break.