Ramsey Rugby Club edged past Vagabonds 29-27 in an epic encounter at Mooragh Park to book their place in the 2025 Manx Cup final, although there is a twist to the tale.

The northerners opted to withdraw from the competition prior to kick-off, citing concerns that the difference in playing standards between them and final opponents Douglas is too much and it potentially compromises player safety.

Where that leaves the end-of-season showcase final will be a matter for the organisers who are meeting on Friday evening to decide what happens next. Vagabonds are to request that the northerners’ results from this season’s competition are expunged, which would make Wednesday’s game null and void.

It would also make Saturday’s match between Ballafletcher outfit and Southern Nomads a shoot-out to decide who would face Douglas in the final.

Vagas made the more positive start to Wednesday’s game and were 5-0 up after five minutes when Tom Gascoyne went over. They doubled their lead midway through the half when Jon Ferguson finished off a Harry Goodwin break.

Yellow cards for Dan Bonwick and Aaron Sloan let Ramsey back in though and tries from Josh Leece and Josh Corteen levelled the scores at 10-10.

Vagas’ pressure just before the break saw skipper Bonwick touch down and convert for a 17-10 half-time lead.

Brandon Atchison found a gap early in the second half and a Leece conversion tied the game at 17-17.

Luke Ward then dotted down to put Ramsey ahead and a second Atchison try, converted by Leece gave them a 29-17 lead with just over 10 minutes to play.

In a rousing finale, Bonwick bagged his second to reduce the deficit and three from the end Josh Modin crossed for Vagas to make it a two-point game, but left insufficient time to pick up a winning score.

But the final twist came via a press release from Ramsey indicating they won’t be contesting the final.

‘Ramsey RUFC wishes to formally announce that, irrespective of the result of this evening’s game against Vagabonds Rugby Club, it has reached a decision to withdraw from participating in the Manx Cup and Manx Plate finals day on Saturday, May 3.

‘This difficult decision has been made with the full unity and support of the club, driven by the significant concerns regarding player safety.

‘Our concerns come from a sizeable disparity in playing levels and experience within the competition structure. This situation, we believe, poses unacceptable risks and would typically not occur in standard English league and cup competitions.

‘While we understand the challenges posed by a smaller pool of teams in the island, the current format allows players consistently competing at a significantly higher level to face players with considerably less experience and exposure to that level of competitive rugby.

‘Assurances were given at the start of the competition in respect of the use of development and fringe players being fielded to provide a more balanced and safe player environment. These seem to have regrettably fallen by the wayside.

‘This decision was not reached lightly and comes after careful consideration of the welfare of our players. We believe that withdrawing is a necessary step to underscore the seriousness of our concern and to protect our players from potential injury.

‘We hope this action will serve as a catalyst for constructive dialogue aimed at addressing these fundamental issues of trust and safety within the domestic game.

‘We remain committed to Manx rugby and aspire to see improvements that would allow us to confidently and safely compete in the Manx Cup again in future years.’