Ramsey RUFC

Mason hat trick gives Ramsey the Manx Plate
Ramsey beat Vagabonds 35-24 in the Hartford Homes Manx Plate Final to take some silverware back to the Mooragh after a tough season. The highlight of the game being a hat trick from wing Jonny Mason.

Mason broke multiple tackles in the fifth minute to put Ramsey ahead with Dan Kelly’s conversion making it 7-0. A fumbled Ramsey line out in the twelfth minute allowed Vagas back in though. Skipper Dan Bonwick snapped up the loose ball and showed his own driving power as he surged over the line to make it 7-5. The resurgence however was short lived. Ramsey recovered the ball from the restart and Josh Corteen’s break created space out wide for wing Brayden Roche to score. Dan Kelly added another conversion to make it 14-5.

As then twenty fifth minute ticked by Vagas struck back. Ramsey had conceded a string of penalties in their own twenty two and when the catch and drive line out failed, Vagas used the back line. Paul Howard did the heavy lifting to get close to the line and from the ensuing ruck scrum half Brendan Kelly sneaked in from close range to make it 14-10.

A Dan Kelly penalty just before the half hour stretched the Ramsey lead to 17-10 but as half time approached Vagas struck back to tie the game. They set up a driving maul close to the Ramsey line and prop Matt Rockwell was the beneficiary. His try was converted by Theo Head to level the match at 17-17 when the teams turned around.

The first fifteen minutes of the second half were scoreless. After seventeen minutes that changed. Ramsey were pouring forward in attack until Vagas’ Jack Cutts picked off a loose pass and ran eighty metres downfield to score. He converted his own try and Vagas took the lead for the first time in the game.

The lead lasted until the sixty fourth minute when Ramsey struck twice in quick succession. Replacement wing Adam Clark broke through on the right-hand touchline and set up possession deep in Vagas territory. The ball was recycled quickly and Jonny Mason was on hand to grab his second of the afternoon. From the restart Ramsey full back Dan Kelly found a little bit of running room and he made big yardage. The ball was then spread left where Brandon Atchison had a dart before sending Kieran Kneale in to score and put Ramsey back in front at 27-24.

Dan Kelly added his second penalty of the game as the clock entered the final ten minutes which meany Vagas needed to score a converted try to win. Two minutes later though it was all over. Jonny Mason swooped on a dropped ball inside the Vagas twenty two and dived in for his hat trick and made the game safe for Ramsey.