Douglas hosted Burnage in Regional Two North West and in fourth and sixth places respectively, the promotion play-offs involving the top four were in focus.
The Cheshire side were on the back of two wins from three and including a comprehensive win at Winnington Park before Christmas, while Douglas had fallen off the top spot with three narrow defeats in December.
Ethan Kermode, Nathan Robson and Craig Martin were missing through injury, so Harry Cartwright moved up to the second-row and Harri Wallace made his first start at scrum-half.
Winter Sunshine
And Douglas in the winter sunshine were out of the blocks in no time at all. A powerful third-minute Douglas scrum rocked Burnage back and an offside penalty was awarded some 42 metres out.
A confident Matty Wood stepped up and drilled the kick through the posts with distance to spare. If Douglas were in the driving seat, they then put pedal to the metal.
Five minutes on, and the restored Harry Hewson tore open the Burnage midfield defence. His straightened running line muscled between two initial defenders, and then burst past Burnage full-back James Clarke and scrum-half Llewellyn-Smith for the line.
Wood converted for 10-0, and there was an animated huddle behind the Burnage posts as the kick was taken.
Cartwright then gave the sizeable Port-e-Chee crowd more reason to celebrate. Douglas set up camp in the Burnage 22m with skipper Blake Snell and flanker John Dutnall thundering on, and as the momentum built via Owen Carvin and Simon Hoddinott, Cartwright was unleashed to the try line in the shadow of the posts.
Wood converted, and in a 16-minute blitz Douglas had taken a 17-0 lead.
Claw Back
Not that Burnage weren’t competitive, and they had won at Port-e-Chee last season. Louis Hicks clawed a score back in the 25th minute after all two-metres of lock Callum Atkinson secured lineout ball, and fly-half Grant Connon kicked the conversion for 17-7.
Far from perfect for the home fans as the penalty count against increased, but Douglas came again. Wood found space wide on the right after Liam Kirkpatrick picked up at number 8, and the combination of Wood’s craft and winger Zak Wickman’s nouse saw the New Zealander sprint over unopposed. Wood added the extra’s for 24-7, and Douglas were in the hunt for a bonus-point try as the half-time whistle neared.
Burnage certainly weren’t done though. Hooker Will Blackmore burrowed over after the Cheshire forwards pieced together a penalty kick to the corner, lineout and maul sequence, and Connon tapped over the conversion for 24-14 at the break.
Wood’s long cross-kick to winger Oli Corkish was taken at full pace and only just foiled by opposite number Will Graham who clung on in the opening second-half minutes. Injury to Douglas prop Carvin prompted the introduction of Conor Garland, and the Douglas bench was emptied with Ian Larson and Jack Wallis on.
Set The Seal
Then Douglas truly set the seal. Under pressure deep in home territory, hooker Josh Campbell blasted out of defence and set up a platform in the Burnage half.
Several phases later the Douglas pack, with the impressive Harri Wallis at the scrum-half helm, earned a penalty in very kickable distance given Wood’s previous.
Snell chose the kick to the corner and training ground precision followed. A lineout throw to the middle, the peel around the front as Burnage set for a catch and drive, and prop Hoddinott drove over for the bonus-point try.
Almost inevitably Wood’s towering conversion from the touchline split the uprights for 31-14. Tobias Williams scored for Burnage as the clock began to work against them, Connon adding the conversion for 31-21, but Douglas and man of the match Snell had the final say.
Snell ripped possession clear, Burnage transgressed, and Wood fired off another penalty missile from distance for a 14-point contribution.
On a day where title candidates Sandbach dropped a clanger by losing at 10th placed Birkenhead Park, this result may have put a dent in Burnage aspirations and heightened those of Douglas.
The final score was Douglas 34 – 21 Burnage.