Douglas unleashed a 62-point winning performance over visiting Altrincham Kersal to move up to fourth in Regional 2 North West.
On the back of a solid scrum, pinpoint line-out and ideal rugby conditions, Douglas cut loose early on with left wing Oli Corkish scoring a 2nd minute try, only to be pegged back by a 4th minute Simon Gallimore AK penalty for 5-3.
Harry Cartwright bamboozled the AK defence with a surging and curving 13th minute run to score, converted by Matty Wood, and scrum-half Craig Martin darted in after 25 minutes, again converted by Wood for 19-3.
Up a Gear
The loss of Nathan Robson for a couple of mandatory weeks following an HIA assessment last week was ably covered by Martin, and although Gallimore converted a penalty on the half hour for AK, the influential Jonty Cope’s score was the bonus-point try in just 36 minutes, again converted by Wood for 26-6.
AK winger Adebo was yellow-carded for a clumsy challenge on an airborne Cartwright, and AK captain Anton Dauncey drove over for a try on the cusp of half time, converted by Gallimore for 26-13 during a period where Douglas weren’t making all the right calls.
But any second-half AK expectations were dashed when Man of the Match Cartwright bagged a second and Kyle Martin raced in for a hat-trick of tries all borne from pace.
Hooker Josh Campbell was again completely in tune with his Douglas line-out catchers where back-rowers Ian Larson and Liam Kirkpatrick excelled, and with John Dutnall and Kirkpatrick thundering forward in the loose, Douglas were occasionally imperious.
Gliding Form
The furniture movers up front had the edge in the tight, and the piano players out wide began to dictate with Josh Duncan in gliding form.
Larson earned a rare Douglas blot with a yellow card, Blake Everson, Will Cain and Rob Todd off the bench added more impetus, and centre Harry Hewson capped a useful afternoon with a 70thminute try.
Wood rattled over four second-half conversions and a penalty for a 17-point contribution with the boot to cap the largest margin of Douglas victory in the national leagues since November 2017.
The final score was Douglas 62 – 13 Altrincham Kersal.
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