Douglas Rugby Club’s fourth win on the road in Regional Two North West came again from real determination against a Crewe and Nantwich side with their backs to the relegation door.

The hosts beat Winnington Park last time out at Newcastle Road to give themselves breathing space to Eccles in the relegation spot beneath, but only by a margin of three league points.

Douglas made a couple of changes for Saturday’s match, with Craig Martin in for Cal Dentith on the wing and Conor Garland deserving a starting berth at second row.

But the Manx side went behind early on against a slight breeze and in glorious sunshine when Tom Winskell scooted over down the blind side and Logan Lynch converted for a 7-0 lead after only two minutes.

The pace of the game ramped up as Kyle Martin won a fourth-minute chip and chase to beat the cover to the touchdown.

Nathan Robson’s conversion levelled at 7-7, but Douglas lost Jonty Cope with a hamstring injury after eight minutes, forcing a shuffle as Conor Stephens stepped in to the wing position and Martin replacing Cope.

Moments later, Douglas were in front when a lineout from close range was executed to perfection with a training ground move.

Garland blasted through on the end of some deft 12th-minute handling and, although the conversion was missed, Douglas seemed to have an edge up front.

The helter-skelter nature of the match continued as Crewe stormed back to 12-12, courtesy of Jimmy Creighton cutting through in the 16th minute, until Douglas pressure at the breakdown served up two penalties which Robson converted for 12-18.

Crewe levelled again when a dropped ball deep in Douglas territory earned an attacking Crewe scrum and flanker John Manaton touched down for 17-18 at half-time.

The deceptive breeze helped Douglas number 10 Josh Duncan pin back Crewe and the Douglas line-out with Gihard Visagie at the helm maintained the pressure.

The Manx scrummage was in control, earning several penalties and being held up over the line, and on the hour mark it rumbled forward once more.

Skipper Blake Snell scored beneath a pile of bodies that took some unravelling, Robson adding the extras for a 17-25 lead, before John Dutnall joined the fray off the bench to replace Garland.

That lead looked a little tenuous when Lynch kicked a 65th-minute penalty for 20-25, and even more so when Snell was yellow-carded in the 70th minute, taking one for the team in the face of repeated penalties.

The remaining 14 simply upped the defensive pace though, with the back-row of Mark Oldfield, Blake Everson and Harry Cartwright leading the resistance.

Game management from Robson and Duncan turned the screw and, when Douglas reclaimed possession, counted down the clock to earn a resilient four league points which also eclipses last season’s league points total with two home matches to play.

Douglas squad: Ralph Clarke, Gihard Visagie, Phil Cringle, Blake Snell (captain), Conor Garland, Mark Oldfield, Harry Cartwright, Blake Everson, Nathan Robson, Josh Duncan, Harry Hewson, James Ross, Kyle Martin, Craig Martin, Jonty Cope, John Dutnall, Wilf Hewson, Conor Stephens.

TONY WILSON-SPRATT