Douglas 24-14 Southport
Old Mutual Douglas stretched their Division One lead in a thunderously close and costly encounter against Southport at Port-e-Chee. The Douglas scrum had the edge in the tight but Southport number eight Josh Critchley was adept at the pick-up on his heels. Luke Hyland made a good fist of the unfamiliar scrum-half position for Douglas, although Southport back-row pressure had Carl Murray put Douglas ahead at 10 minutes after tidying up scrappy line-out ball ten metres from the visitors goal line. Murray made a silk purse from a sows ear and swept three defenders over the whitewash near the posts to score a try forged by strength and determination, with Hyland adding the extras.
Southport set their stall out with full-back Tom Peacock countering Murray’s raking kicks, rewarded when centre Tom Hill carried on the riposte and supporting Peacock crossed for a try instigated by his own ambition. Jake Mann nailed the wide angle conversion and 7-7 at 20 minutes.
Winger Nathan Knights stepped and shimmied to dig Douglas out of a problematic corner, Conor Stephens burnished a formidable defensive reputation as he snuffed out two Southport attacks, and Niall Killey celebrated a welcome return to league action with trademark hits. A Chris Bollen rampage, with Akkie Van Den Berg and Dom Winrow in support, helped prize open a second Douglas opportunity at 32 minutes for Murray to sprint over and Hyland convert for 14-7 at the break.
Second half deadlock was broken at 55 minutes by Carl Markyl-Ferns. Southport’s Tom Smith was turned over and Craig Magee and Lance Wyllie launched the dynamic Douglas hooker into overdrive and 21-7 following Hyland’s addition.
Adam Boyd chipped ahead to lose an opportunity on the right wing when Douglas threatened with ball in hand, and it fell back to a one-score margin when Peacock ran the supporting line to run in and Mann convert for 21-14. Douglas full-back Sam Randle probed at full tilt, and Simon Hoddinnot launched several dynamic bursts to Southport alarm, but rapid scrambling cover was up to the task. The loss of Murray from possible concussion after pursuit of a high ball and subsequent collision may be felt for two weeks if confirmed, but two yellow cards for Southport indiscretions and a strong Douglas bench, with Robert Todd relaying Markyl-Ferns and Glyn Hooson-Owen for Bollen, swung the pendulum Douglas’s way. On 70 minutes Hyland calmly slotted a three-pointer to take the losing bonus point away from the visitors, but although the try bonus eluded the hosts, other Divisional results leave Douglas eight points clear.
