North One West league leaders Vale of Lune come to town in force on Friday.

With team and supporters arriving to acclimatise ahead of Saturday’s 2.15pm kick-off, it’s no surprise the Lancastrians are still smarting from the November result when Douglas took the Lune’s unbeaten 16-month home record.

The visitors have only lost at Rochdale in February since, where a mudfest resulted in a 9-3 win for the league strugglers.

With a 12-point margin to second-placed Northwich and two games in hand, promotion to North Premier is an odds-on certainty, but Vale of Lune recall the November blemish and alongside the Rochdale return fixture on March 24, want to make amends.

Douglas rest Max Singer but Glyn Hooson-Owen makes a welcome return to bolster the front row where Dave Hinks, Ralph Clarke and Owen Carvin will jostle for position alongside inked-in Carl Markl-Ferns at hooker.

The three-quarters look to be a cohesive unit and the centre partnership of youngsters Conor Stephens and Harry Hewson is just one of the key combinations to unlock the pace of Nick Brooker and Adam Boyd on the wings.

As one of the largest ship management companies in the Isle of Man, lunch sponsors Dohle (IoM) Ltd bring a suitably large number of guests to what will be a heavyweight contest at Port-e-Chee.

Douglas squad:

Dave Hinks, Carl Markl-Ferns, Glyn Hooson-Owen, Dominic Winrow, Paul Leivers, George Blackwell, Sam Games, Liam Kirkpatrick, Bryn Snellgrove, Aidan O’Shea, Nick Brooker, Harry Hewson, Conor Stephens, Adam Boyd, Max Morley-Green, Niall Killey, Ralph Clarke, Akkie Van Den Berg, Shaun Wyllie, Owen Carvin.

Fixtures: Saturday, March10

North One West

Douglas v Vale of Lune @ Port-e-Chee ko 2.15pm

South Lancashire/Cheshire Division Two

Liverpool Collegiate v Vagabonds

@ Collegiate ko tbc

Lancashire/Cheshire Three

Oxton Parkonians v Ramsey @ Parkonians ko 1pm

Shimmin Wilson Manx Shield all ko @ 2.15pm

Western Vikings v Douglas Celts @ QEII

Emerging Nomads v Castletown

@ King William’s College