THE Isle of Man will be hosting the Six Nations Junior and Cadets Table Tennis International over the weekend of March 9-11, with teams from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Guernsey battling out with the Manx at the NSC.

The team event will take place on the Friday evening and all day Saturday, with the individual events on Sunday.

At this time the tournament’s organising committee is seeking volunteer umpires from both the island’s senior and junior ranks. There will be 12 tables to cover for each session the organisers need assistance if they are to make it work. If you are able to offer help for this event then kindly let Mike Bayley know as soon as possible. It is appreciated that you may not be available for the whole weekend but your support will ensure the success of this event.  

Umpires will hopefully receive complimentary drinks and snacks at the NSC. Training will be available beforehand if required. Contact Bayley on 320143 or by emailing mikebayley@manx.net for more information.

The George sisters, Aalin and Kirsten got their 2012 outdoor archery season off to an early but very impressive start over the weekend.

They were both called up to the first Archery GB training camp of the year at Lilleshall National Sports Centre in Shropshire to join the 16 other hopefuls from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

The weekend was well structured, at times it was quite intense to see how each individual coped under various different pressure scenarios, but on the whole very productive.

The purpose of the camp was not only to train and select juniors aged 17 to 21 and cadets up to 17 years for this year’s events, but to develop and mentor candidates for the Junior World Cup 2013 in China.

It was no surprise that reigning British champion and current number one Aalin was immediately selected to represent GB in both Croatia in May for the Europa Cup and Turkey in July to compete for the second year running at the European Junior Championships (subject to her GCSE exam timetable).

However, so close is the call for the last remaining place that Kirsten has been recalled to Lilleshall in three weeks’ time for a three-way shoot-off.

The Isle of Man only has two juniors that shoot the compound class of bow so it is impressive that they are both ranked in the top four in Great Britain.

That they are now also both on Great Britain’s Elite International squad is truly remarkable and a testament to the hard work that both Peter Mumford and Joy Gough have put into coaching, advising and nurturing their obvious talent.

Aalin would also like to thank Isle of Man Sport and Tony Drabble at Custom Built Archery for their invaluable continued support.

WEEK 19 of the Manx Men’s Basketball League - Thursday, February 16:

Despite their difference in league positions, PokerStars and Ron Smith’s Turkeys have had some close run games this season and it was only a matter of time before PokerStars got their breakthrough and took down one of the more established teams.

PokerStars got off to a great start thanks to the hulking presence of Eric Hibbs in the paint and Michael Josem cleaning up the boards, as Turkeys only managed to find baskets through Wig Bregazzi and Allan Walkingshaw during the entire first half as they fought just to stay in contention.

They started their comeback in the third quarter, taking it by a clear five points on the back of some great touches from Andy Corlett, but still trailed by four points going into the final period. Turkeys had to get some points on the board quickly but couldn’t find their range and registered a season-low five points in the quarter to give PokerStars the historic win and a place in the semi-final.

Phillies 59, Tigers 55

With this tie doubling up as a decider for who finishes fourth before the league splits for the final round of the season, this game promised a close finish and didn’t disappoint.

Neither team have any dominating inside presence so this was all about guards and forwards, slashing to the basket and launching jumpshots from deep. Raj Mallorca opened his bag of tricks in the second quarter but was answered by Sandeep Iyer in his first game for Tigers.

Jim Manuel took over the third quarter for Phillies and, with Sean Doyle leaving the game through injury, the Phillies looked set to comfortably see out the win. However, Tigers launched a furious assault on the Phillies basket in the final quarter, led by the diminutive Dave Boyle and the wrecking ball Kurt Dimelow, and managed to pull back to within three points with a minute to go. But it was Mallorca who hit the cool jump shot at the end to seal the win for the Phillies.

Microgaming Cavaliers 55,

Celton Warriors 44

Cup holders Warriors were looking to exact some revenge for their league loss against the Cavs the previous week but, with an injury-ravaged squad missing key players matching up to a full Cavs team, it was never going to be easy.

Cavs threatened to blow the game up when they were 19-4 up after five minutes on the back of returning point guard David Clark and some strong inside play from the frontline.

Warriors don’t give up that easily, though, and managed to claw some of that back by half-time, mostly from the sneaky play of Kai Kirkham who seemed to be ghosting through the leaky Cavs defence at will.

Phill Evans and Paul Kilic hit a series of three-pointers to open the third quarter and re-establish the lead and Cavs coasted to a comfortable win against a severely depleted Warriors team.

NFU Marvels 55, Manx Demolition 15

Points have been hard to come by for Manx Demolition this year and none more so that in this game where Marvels shut them out completely in the first quarter and limited them to just four points by the break.

The scoreline at this point was a little misleading, as MD created some great shooting opportunities, but were unable to convert any. Marvels did their job throughout the game and never really looked to push out any further than they needed to.

Top play of the game was undoubtedly the behind-the-back, wrap around lay-up which MD’s rising star Harry Brindle made late in the game, embarrassing leading shot blocker AJ Suckling in the process.

Fellas 49, Sinners 29

THIS clash in the Women’s basketball League saw both teams struggle to establish a clear rhythm, Leanne Corlett coming closest with back-to-back three-pointers, although Danielle Murphy answered right back with a long-range score of her own to close the first quarter.

Sinners pegged a point back in the second thanks to a late three from Sarah Corkish as Fellas took a slender four-point lead into the half-time break. The interval didn’t seem to help Sinners, though, and they came out heavy-legged and looking tired while the Fellas, led by Jessie Carridge, took a commanding lead with some rapid-fire fast breaks.

Fellas didn’t let up for the final quarter, with Murphy showing the shooting touch to give her a game-high 14 points and they romped out to a comfortable win.

]]> 1.4274066 Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.iomtoday.co.im/double_win_for_copparelli_1_4271361

The penultimate Isle of Man Swimming League match of the season took place recently and saw Isle of Man Sport Aid recipient Charlotte Atkinson continue in her relentless record-breaking form, setting new figures on three different strokes and distances.

The first event of the evening was the 400m freestyle and saw her knock a massive six seconds off her Manx senior and junior records with a time of four minutes 18.24 seconds. This takes her up to fifth in the British rankings for 15-year-olds and within two seconds of the top spot, held by Kristina Neves from Guernsey and set in the same pool at the Commonwealth Youth Games in September.

She followed this with one minute 03.98s for 100m backstroke, which reduces the junior record she held jointly with Olivia Rawlinson by just over two seconds, and the senior record held by Rawlinson by almost one second.

Next up was the 50m butterfly that saw her record 29.37s to shave a fifth of a second of her own senior and junior figures. The other event she competed in was the 200m individual medley, which she won in two minutes 21.42s, just half a second outside her best time, set in last month’s league match.

Stephanie Brew and Laura Kinley battled it out for second place, with Steph touching in two minutes 27.72, just over a second ahead of Laura.

In the senior boys’ events Mark Copparelli was a double winner, in the 200m individual medley and the 400m freestyle. Andy Isaac dead heated with Tom Bielich in the 100m backstroke, but had to settle for second place behind his brother Tom in the 50m butterfly.

Emma Hodgson, nine, competing in her first season of league matches, continued her fine form with a 20-second win in the 100m individual medley. Her time of one minute 28.93s puts her in the top ten in Britain for her age.

In the 10-year-old boys Harrison Katz and Peter Allen continued their rivalry, with Harrison just taking the touch over 25m butterfly in 17.24s, and Peter getting revenge in the 50m backstroke in 40.07s.

Ciara Cassidy was a double winner in the 13-year-olds with wins in the 50m freestyle in 30.76s and the 100m butterfly in one minute 13.91s, well ahead of her rivals.

Ben Kebbell sneaked under the minute for the first time in winning the 13-year-olds 100m freestyle in 59.96s, with Alex Bregazzi also improving his previous best to finish second in one minute 01.66s. Ben also took the victory in the 50k breaststroke in 36.05s.

In the corresponding girls’ events Amy Kinley swam considerably faster than her previous best time to win the 100m freestyle in one minute 06.57s, and Samantha Titterton had her first swim under 40 seconds to take the 50m breaststroke in 39.50s.

Douglas were runaway winners in the final mixed freestyle relay, with Ramseian second and Southern third. The finals points score saw Douglas at the top of the leaderboard with 71.5, Southern second with 51 and Ramseian third with 47.5.

Results: Open, Girls, 400m freestyle 1, C. Atkinson (Douglas) 4 min 18.24; 2. L. Kinley (D) 4:42.74; 3, S. Brew (Ramseian) 4:47.09. 100m backstroke 1, Atkinson 1:03.98; 2, A. Kelly (Southern) 1:11.22; 3, L. Kinley 1:12.99. 50m butterfly 1, Atkinson 29.37; 2, A. Kelly 31.71; 3, Brew 31.87. Boys, 400m freestyle 1, M. Copparelli (D) 4:22.90; 2, B. Kebbell (S) 4:33.52; 3, Z. Keig (D) 4:34.17. 100m backstroke 1=, T. Bielich (R) and A. Isaac (D) 1:04.32; 3, Copparelli 1:06.33. 50m butterfly 1, T. Isaac (D) 28.32; 2, A. Isaac 28.73; 3, C. Christian (R) 28.91. 15 and Over, Girls, 200m individual medley 1, Atkinson 2:21.42; 2, Brew 2:27.72; 3, L. Kinley 2:28.92. Boys, 200m individual medley 1, Copparelli 2:21.90; 2, G. Davies (S) 2:24.53; 3, P. Harrison (R) 2:30.92; 14 Years, Girls, 200m individual medley 1, K. Callow (R) 2:37.35; 2, R. Hurst (S) 2:49.97; 3, R. Cowin (R) 2:52.34. Boys, 200m individual medley 1, L. Annett (S) 2:45.79; 2, S. Smith (D) 2:47.06. 13 years, Girls, 50m breaststroke 1, S. Titterton (D) 39.50; 2, H. Ellison (D) 40.94; 3, A. Kinley (D) 41.04. 100m freestyle, 1, A. Kinley 1:06.57; 2, Titterton 1:09.03 3, S. Fletcher (S)1:10.54. Boys, 50m breaststroke 1, Kebbell 36.05. 2, J. Corlett (R) 40.49; 3, A. Bregazzi (D) 42.18. 100m freestyle 1, Kebbell 59.96; 2, Bregazzi 1:01.66; 3, C. Jaques (R) 1:05.48. 12 years, Girls, 50m freestyle 1, C. Cassidy (D) 30.76; 2, K. Vickery (R) 33.19; 3, S. Linham (D) 34.70. 100m butterfly 1, Cassidy 1:13.91; 2, Vickery 1:31.11. Boys, 50m freestyle 1, J. Watterson (S) 32.99; 2, H. Peake (D) 34.18; 3, J. Cowin (R) 35.49. 100m butterfly 1, Watterson 1:37.17; 11 Years, Girls, 50m backstroke 1, C. Bregazzi (D) 38.86; 2, M. Short (R) 39.74; 3, J. Hill (R) 42.30. 100m breaststroke 1, Short 1:35.44; 2, Bregazzi 1:37.93; 3, R. Ellison (D) 1:43.68. Boys, 50m backstroke 1, J. Corteen (R) 39.16; 2, E. MacMurchie (D) 41.64; 3, C. Eaton (D) 45.01. 100m breaststroke 1, Corteen 1:36.67; 2, MacMurchie 1:41.31; 3, I. Parnell (S) 2:06.42. 10 Years, Girls, 25m butterfly 1, L. Callow (R) 19.22; 1, F. Skillicorn (D) 19.85; 3, R. Turner (D) 20.38. 50m backstroke 1, Skillicorn 44.60; 2, L. Callow 46.72; 3, M. Howland (S) 47.33. Boys, 25m butterfly 1, H. Katz (S) 17.24; 2, P. Allen (D) 17.36; 3, O. Ashe (D) 22.70. 50m backstroke 1, Allen 40.07; 2, Katz 40.48. 3, Ashe 51.37. Nine years, Girls, 100m individual medley 1, E. Hodgson (S) 1:28.93; 2, M. Craig (R) 1:48.52; 3, Y. Kelly (S) 1:54.09. Boys, 100m individual medley 1, M. Humphreys (S) 1:56.82; 2, L. Peake (D) 1:57.50; 3, N. Kelly-Bunyan (S) 2:04.51. Mixed 8 x 25m freestyle relay 1, Douglas 1:56.42; 2, Ramseian 1:59.25; 3, Southern 2:03.41.

THE Isle of Man branch of the Manchester United Supporters Club is meeting again this Thursday, February 23.

Fans can watch the clash with Ajax at the Outback in Douglas.The match kicks-off at 8.05pm.

All members and new members are welcome.

]]> 1.4271359 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:32:08 +0000 http://www.iomtoday.co.im/gaels_host_fundraiser_on_saturday_1_4271358

ELLAN Vannin Gaels are running a TT race night fundraiser at the Ascot Hotel, Douglas this Saturday, February 25, starting at 7.30pm sharp.

Special guest on the night will be Tyrone legend Brian Dooher.

A big turnout from players and supporters is expected on the night to welcome Brian and to support the club’s fundraising efforts.

For more details please contact Joe Garrity on 471140 or Eoin on 478635.

THE Wasps Legends Rugby team are coming to the island in September to play a match against an Isle of Man Select XV.

Promoted by Wooden Spoon Isle of Man, it will feature many British Lions and international players including household names like Andy Gomarsall, Kenny Logan and Serge Betsen.

On the evening of Friday, September 7 there will be a black tie dinner at the Palace Hotel where the speakers will be Paul Rendall, Peter Scrivener and Kenny Logan.

The Legends will be attending the dinner and there will be one on each of the tables. Tickets are already available for the dinner.

On the Saturday morning at the National Sports Centre there will be the chance for mini/junior rugby players to attend a training and coaching session run by the Wasps Legend players. In the afternoon, again at the NSC, the Wasps Legends XV will play against the Isle of Man Select XV. There will be ample opportunity to meet the Legends and have pictures taken with them.

Admission to the National Sports Centre for the day will be by purchase of a programme, which will include a raffle to be drawn at the end of the match

It is planned to be a fun day out for all the family with all funds raised throughout the weekend going towards Wooden Spoon Isle of Man. There will be fun events and stalls, food and drink outlets running through the day.

Wooden Spoon is a rugby-based charity that organises various initiatives to raise money to improve the quality and prospect of life for children and young people who are disadvantaged physically, mentally or socially.

All funds raised in the Isle of Man stay in the island. Recently, Wooden Spoon Isle of Man provided more than £23,000 for the purchase of 12 adult and six junior sport specific wheelchairs to enable the establishment of The Wooden Spoon Wheelchair Sports Club.

THE Isle of Man national football team has booked their place in the semi-finals of the FA Inter-League Cup after a stunning comeback against Liverpool County Premier League on a remarkable afternoon at the Bowl on Saturday.

The Manx looked dead and buried as they went in at the half-time break three goals down, but a quite simply breathtaking second half saw a snow storm, thunder and lightning, a goalkeeper getting sent off, a couple of pitch invasions and the hosts scoring no fewer than five times to seal a dramatic victory.

The islanders had sealed their place in the quarter-finals thanks to a last-gasp, thrilling 4-3 victory over West Yorkshire in the previous round, but few people in the 1,300-strong crowd at the national stadium could have predicted an even more exciting finish this time around.

As in previous rounds, the Isle of Man began the contest sluggishly and Liverpool went close early on through Joey Roberts and Francis McIntosh, while at the other end of the pitch Calum Morrissey saw an fierce effort deflected wide.

It wasn’t long before the visitors found the breakthrough when, on 17 minutes, they worked a short corner routine to perfection, allowing Roberts time to swing over a cross. Unfortunately for the hosts, {http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y30Jdm-Zm_E|Julian Ringham’s attempted clearance deflected the ball past goalkeeper Max Thomas and into the net for 1-0|related video clip}.

The hosts responded well to the setback and nearly drew themselves level just minutes later when Frank Jones’s cross by brought down by Morrissey into the path of his St George’s strike partner Ciaran McNulty but he fired his first-time effort over the bar.

They went even closer in the 24th minute when captain Sean Quaye released Daniel Lace down the left wing who found McNulty with an excellent, pin-point cross but the striker’s diving header cleared the bar when the goal was at his mercy.

Despite the chances, the Isle of Man found themselves two goals down shortly after the half-hour mark following a fine individual effort from Carl Gargan who {http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_pEOo65Yf0|latched onto a long ball forward before skipping past Quaye with ease and slotting the ball into the net|related video clip}.

Matters got even worse for Kevin Manning’s men just four minutes later when they lost possession in midfield and a defensive slip allowed Gargan to surge forward, {http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr13XqtctgQ|the talented striker making no mistake as he lifted the ball over Thomas and into the far right corner of the net to make it 3-0 to the Merseysiders|related video clip}.

The hosts immediately looked for a way back into the match and very nearly found it in the 39th minute when McNulty released Morrissey and, from 20 yards out on the left side of the area, the front man produced a moment of magic to chip the goalkeeper. However, while shot-stopper Ray Clifton was well beaten, the crossbar came to Liverpool’s rescue as the ball cannoned back to safety and the visitors’ goal remained intact.

With half-time approaching, still the Isle of Man pushed for a breakthrough and again they came close when, in the 44th minute, a superb tackle from Quaye set up another island attack. McNulty fed the ball out wide to Chris Bass Jr on the left wing who produced a delightful low ball across the face of goal to Morrissey but, from five yards out, his effort was somehow saved by the feet of Clifton.

There was still time left in the half for Adam Cregeen to make a superb last-ditch tackle to prevent the Manx falling further behind while Johnny Myers went agonizingly to reduced the deficit when he headed narrowly wide in injury time but the score remained 0-3 at the break.

Manning introduced St Mary’s forward Steven Priestnal into the fray in place of Frank Jones at the interval and the island nearly pulled a goal back soon after the restart. On another foray forward, centre-back Quaye delivered a quality cross from the right to Morrissey at the back post but his looping header crashed back off the bar.

They were almost made to pay for that miss in the 50th minute but from a superb, and vital, stop from Thomas. A deep free-kick from Roberts was headed back across goal by substitute David Foy to Gargan who hooked a sweet volley which was arrowing into the right corner of the net until Thomas flung himself to his left to somehow tip the ball wide when a goal looked certain.

What an important stop it proved to be.

The Isle of Man then went straight up the other end of the pitch and finally found a way back into the contest to breathe life into their Inter-League Cup campaign. The visitors failed to cut out a lofted ball forward from McNulty, allowing Morrissey to burst into the box. The No.10 unselfishly squared the ball across goal to the unmarked Priestnal who, instead of shooting first-time. Opted to go round the keeper and was subsequently brought down and referee Mark Ackerman pointed straight to the spot.

{http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3VtfIyN37c|Up stepped experienced midfielder Nick Hurt who kept his composure to coolly send Clifton the wrong way and slot the ball into the bottom left corner|related video clip}.

Boosted by the goal, the island surged forward in numbers as they sought to reduce the deficit even further and came close to doing so when Hurt rose highest to meet a corner from Bass Jr but Clifton was able to save his header at the second attempt.

The attacking trio of McNulty, Morrissey and Priestnal then carved open the Liverpool defence in fine fashion but, after McNulty’s lay-off, Morrissey shot was saved by Clifton.

There was no stopping them in the 67th minute though when Morrissey flicked the ball on to McNulty who in turn sent his Geordies team-mate Bass Jr scampering through one-on-one with Clifton and the talismanic winger made no mistake, {http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOxn1ggcKGg|calmly lifting the ball over the advancing shot-stopper into the top left corner to make it 3-2|related video clip}.

With the wind firmly in their sails the island, and the fantastic crowd, finally began to believe that it would be their day after all and they were given a timely boost 10 minutes from time when the Liverpool goalkeeper was given his marching orders.

Myers showed great perseverance to close down the keeper as he collected a back pass and, although Clifton managed to evade his tackle, the latter overran the ball and then lunged in two-footed on Morrissey as the ball broke loose, giving Ackerman no choice but to send the goalkeeper off.

Liverpool boss Stuart Daly withdrew Stephen Andrews, replacing him with second-choice keeper David Kellett.

The Isle of Man made full use of their one-man advantage and four minutes later found themselves back on level terms. Again Bass Jr was involved as he swung in a corner from the right and McNulty was on hand to atone for his first-half miss as he {http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epj6TWzrpM8|planted a superb diving header past Kellet tinto the back of the net|related video clip} to send the local crowd wild.

From that point on there was only ever going to be one winner, the question was: would extra-time time be needed to seperate the sides?

Immediately after the goal, a quite remarkable scene unfolded. A sudden snow storm descended on the Bowl, sending heavy swirls of snow all over the pitch, reducing visibility dramatically. Then came the thunder and lightning just to add to an already electric atmosphere.

The hosts were given a golden chance to take the lead in the 88th minute when Liverpool were penalised for a a back-pass but Myers’s verocious effort from five yards out was somehow deflected over the bar by one of the 10 Liverpool players on the line.

A minute later Cregeen rose high above the Liverpool defence to send a header goalwards but could only watch as, yet again, the ball crashed back off the crossbar.

Morrissey was next to try his luck as he picked up possession deep in opposition territory before surging goalwards but his fierce, low effort crashed into the side netting with Kellett well beaten.

The Geordies forward then fired over the bar before Quaye saw a low shot saved from the edge of the area. Priestnal then fired a cross-shot just wide as the Isle of Man pegged the Merseysiders back into their own half as they went in search of a late winner.

That goal finally arrived in the 93rd minute as the island took the lead for the first time in the game. Bass Jr lifted a neat ball through to McNulty who, from an angle, forced a good save from Kellett who tipped the ball wide.

From the resulting corner, however, {http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql8za2kU8fM|Bass’s set-piece deceived everyone before nestling into the far corner of the net|related video clip} to send the home crowd into raptures and spark a mini pitch invasion.

And the Isle of Man were not finished there as they wrapped up the win in the sixth minute of injury time. Yet again Bass was involved as he stole the ball straight from kick-off and sprang clear of the Liverpool defence down the left before finding Priestnal with a deft cross.

His downward header was saved by Kellett but the keeper could not hold onto the ball, allowing Morrissey to steal in and turn the ball home from close range with virtually the last kick of the game.

It proved to be the last of the action on a remarkable day at the Bowl as the Isle of Man booked a semi-final date with the Southern Amateur League at the Bowl.

The Manx side showed tremendous spirit and resilience to stage such a comeback and there is no reason why they cannot go all the way in this competition once again.

TEAM CHECK

Isle of Man: Max Thomas, Julian Ringham, Daniel Lace, Sean Quaye (c), Adam Cregeen, Johnny Myers, Frank Jones (Steven Priestnal 45m), Nick Hurt, Ciaran McNulty, Calum Morrissey, Chris Bass Jr. Subs not used: Liam Doyle, Danny Bell, Joe Kelly and Lee Gale

Liverpool: Ray Clifton, Liam Huson, Chris Lester, Gerard Smith, Philip Green, Dave Cooney (c), Francis Mcintosh (David Foy 45m), Joey Roberts, Neil Maguire, Carl Gargan, Stephen Flynn (Stephen Andrews 45m (David Kellett 80m))

Referee: Mark Ackerman

Assistants: Louie Barnett and Simon Mather

Fourth official: Mark Thomas

Sent off: Clifton (Liverpool)

Match rating: 5*

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Player Ratings

by Andy Dalrymple

Max Thomas - 7 - Despite the scoreline, the St Mary’s keeper had quite a quiet afternoon and had no chance with any of the Liverpool goals. Made a crucial wonder save to deny Liverpool a fourth goal early in the second half.

Julian Ringham - 6 - Right back produced a typically solid display on the flank for the Men.

Sean Quaye - 6 - Island skipper and centre-back partner Adam Cregeen struggled with the pace and movement of Liverpool’s two-goal man Carl Gargan in the opening 45, but like his team improved after the break and drove his side forward.

Adam Cregeen - 6 - After recent heroics in island shirt, Rushen defender had a quiet game this time out.

Danny Lace - 6 - Peel man was caught out a few times defensively but proved a handy outlet on the left as the island staged their remarkable second-half comeback.

Frank Jones - 6 - St George’s all-action midfielder struggled to get into the game and was sacrificed for striker Steven Priestnal at half-time as manager Kevin Manning looked for a way back into the tie

(Priestnal - 7 - St Mary’s livewire forward acted as a catalyst for the second-half resurgence, winning the penalty that put the island on the comeback trail)

Johnny Myers - 6 - Having played centre-back for club St George’s for the majority of the campaign, the experienced island cap took a little while to settle back into the midfield groove. When he did in the second half though he began to showcase his impressive passing skills.

Nick Hurt - 6 - St John’s player-manager, like Myers, took a while to get going. Coolly slotted in from the spot the island’s first goal.

Chris Bass Jr - 8 - Geordies winger once again shone in a Manx shirt grabbing two goals and taking the game to Liverpool in the encounter’s second period.

Ciaran McNulty - 7 - Was a bit off the pace in the game’s first half but warmed up to the task in the second period and helped to terrorise the beleaguered Liverpool defence.

Calum Morrissey - 8 - St George’s man spearheaded the island’s renaissance. Held the ball up well all game and was a constant thorn in the Pool backline’s collective side.