Manx Cup favourites Douglas Rugby Club confirmed their intentions with a 13-try win over Southern Nomads at Ballakilley Park on a blustery Wednesday evening.  

Kyle Martin dived over in the second minute at the Field of Dreams and Nomads were mostly on the back foot thereon as tries rained in.  

Ethan McNaught and Harry Corrin were defiant in Nomads’ defence for the full 80 minutes and skipper George Callister toiled away ceaselessly, but the gulf in competitive fixtures showed.  

Where Douglas handling freed up space for Sam McCord’s timely incursions from fullback, Nomads were more reliant on veteran campaigner Mark Young’s boot and making the most of spilled opportunities when Douglas over complicated.  

The score was 0-45 at half-time with four tries from Liam Kirkpatrick. The diagonal wind was no great help as hat-tricks from Martin and McCord, and tries apiece from Conor McCaughan, Jack Loughnane and Cal Dentith sank the southerners.  

Carl Markl-Ferns, Oli Corkish and Harry Hewson were a constant handful for the Nomads defence, while Luke Hyland kicked nine conversions and Luca Simmons made a welcome return from injury.

The happiest player on the second-half park was 17-year-old Lewin Scarffe making his senior Douglas debut off the bench, and when uncontested scrums helped ease the pressure in the latter stages as Nomads ran short, referee Gareth Hinge administered considerately. 

 TONY WILSON-SPRATT