Vagabonds Rugby Club’s men’s side make their first appearance of 2024 in a home tie against Ellesmere Port at Ballafletcher in Counties Four ADM Lancs/Cheshire this Saturday.

Vagas are handily poised in third place and, with leaders Colne and Nelson on a free week, the Manx team could take top spot, although that’s more likely to go to second place Ashton-Under-Lyne depending on results of course.

The RFU systems show Vagas meeting Ellesmere Port eight times and ahead 5-3 on wins. This includes their last two meetings in 2023 when Ellesmere won both.

Since then though, Vagas have kicked on while Ellesmere have stagnated a little and only have two wins from five matches.

Vagas have ground their way into contention during the autumn and really threw the cat among the pigeons with a big win away at Ashton.

The forwards are generating clean ball, with Gavin Turnbull’s inclusion at number eight proving a good move. Mark Oldfield disrupts wherever he plays and Dan Bonwick’s name on a team sheet is usually worth at least 10 points.

On current form Vagas should take maximum points here, but Ellesmere are two games down and two wins would see them nipping at Vagas’ heels in fourth place so don’t discount them.

Two games in Manx Shield

The Ravenscroft Manx Shield restarts with two games this weekend.

Ramsey travel to Peel to take on Western Vikings in the first of a number of Cheshire Plate final rehearsals, while IoM Barbarians head down to Ballakilley Park to take on Southern Nomads.

The formbook suggests that the Vikings v Ramsey game should be a Ramsey win, but Vikings are growing in stature after their Cheshire adventures and Ed Knight is on red-hot form with the ball in hand. I did also notice one Jack Goodwin’s name on a Christmas scoresheet and his return from a mountain bike injury could gave Vikings a new lease of life.

There are no reported injuries from the Ramsey camp as Dan Richmond remains a long-term absentee but everyone else will be fit a raring for action.

The final fixture could prove something of a challenge. The Barbarians are likely to be thin on the ground and should be outgunned by Nomads on paper at least.

But Christmas holiday overspill from university students may help swell the numbers and make a viable game.

Fixtures

Saturday, January 6:

Regional Two North West

Douglas v Vale of Lune

@ Port-e-Chee ko tbc

Counties Four ADM Lancs/Cheshire

Vagabonds v Ellesmere Port

@ Ballafletcher ko tbc

Ravenscroft Manx Shield

all ko @ 2.15pm

Western Vikings v Ramsey

@ QEII

PDMS Southern Nomads v IoM Barbarians @ Ballakilley