An under-nines team from Douglas Rugby Club triumphed at the Manchester Rugby Club Festival last weekend.

Playing in their first off-island tournament of the season, against some of the top rugby clubs in the north west of England, the Douglas Dragons impressed the large crowd of spectators that gathered at Groves Park.

First up was a close game against the Knutsford Knights, with both teams scoring several tries with some impressive defending on display.

After a short break, Douglas played their second match against the Bowdon Bills - again a closely-fought contest with some outstanding individual performances.

Up next was Old Bedians A. Douglas really moved into top gear in this game, looking dangerous in attack with over five tries scored, and only one conceded.

To finish what was a great day for the young rugby stars, the Douglas Dragons saved their best performance until last against a competitive Oldham Warriors side.

Combining well with some fantastic link play and some hard tackling, Douglas were too strong for Oldham and left the crowd applauding some magnificent individual and team tries.

A special mention goes to Wian Smit and Thomlyn Varley, who both played excellently in defence and attack respectively throughout the tournament.

Douglas would like to thank all those at Manchester Rugby Club for hosting the festival and also to Santander International for its continued support.