Sat 12 Sep 2026, 14:15
Douglas' 60 year old Mark Shortland scores the winner
There was a dramatic start to the domestic rugby season at Port-e-Chee on Saturday with a tense contest between Douglas Celts and Ramsey in the Hartford Homes Manx Shield. The contest was only clinched by four tries to three – in the hosts' favour - with three minutes remaining.
In tropical temperatures and a healthy breeze to Celts' advantage, Patrick McCord dived over in the 10th minute for the opening Douglas score, converted by Craig Martin.
It was a proper arm wrestle up front though where the home side were suffering in the scrum and struggling to clear their lines. Scott Kneale took advantage at scrum-half to dart through and Dan Kelly converted to level 7-7 after Douglas failed to use the wind at their backs.
Carl Conroy rolled the years back with a charge-down Douglas try, Martin adding the extras, only for Garion Daniel to restore the try status-quo and Kelly convert for 14-14 at half time.
The second half echoed the first, where Ramsey’s wind advantage was sometimes ignored in favour of running from defence, and Wilf Kermode was the beneficiary with a Douglas try that topped a man of the match display. Ramsey came again though with Kneale crossing for his second and Kelly’s 70th-minute conversion put the northerners 19-21 ahead.
Sam Clarke broke strongly but couldn’t find supporting Douglas players and the home side then ignored a kickable penalty to keep possession deep in Ramsey territory. Three more phases close to the visitors' line then paid dividends, as veteran scrum-half Mark Shortland made the most of the smallest gap around the fringes to plunge over between despairing defenders and seal a 24-21 victory.
In tropical temperatures and a healthy breeze to Celts' advantage, Patrick McCord dived over in the 10th minute for the opening Douglas score, converted by Craig Martin.
It was a proper arm wrestle up front though where the home side were suffering in the scrum and struggling to clear their lines. Scott Kneale took advantage at scrum-half to dart through and Dan Kelly converted to level 7-7 after Douglas failed to use the wind at their backs.
Carl Conroy rolled the years back with a charge-down Douglas try, Martin adding the extras, only for Garion Daniel to restore the try status-quo and Kelly convert for 14-14 at half time.
The second half echoed the first, where Ramsey’s wind advantage was sometimes ignored in favour of running from defence, and Wilf Kermode was the beneficiary with a Douglas try that topped a man of the match display. Ramsey came again though with Kneale crossing for his second and Kelly’s 70th-minute conversion put the northerners 19-21 ahead.
Sam Clarke broke strongly but couldn’t find supporting Douglas players and the home side then ignored a kickable penalty to keep possession deep in Ramsey territory. Three more phases close to the visitors' line then paid dividends, as veteran scrum-half Mark Shortland made the most of the smallest gap around the fringes to plunge over between despairing defenders and seal a 24-21 victory.
