The Shimmin Wilson Manx trophy gets under way on Saturday, which is a sure sign that the beginning of the end of the season is upon us.

The Shield ,however, is still to be won which is unusual for the time of year.

Douglas B are the champions-elect in the Manx Shield. They have two fixtures remaining and know that two wins will seal the deal.

This week they host Western Vikings at Port-e-Chee.

While the game should be a physical challenge, Douglas, at least on paper, should have sufficient fire power to deal with Vikings and claim maximum points.

This will inch them closer to the title and to breaking the domination Southern Nomads and Vagabonds B have had over the competition for almost 10 years.

In the other Shield game on the card Castletown host Vagabonds B at Poulsom Park in a ’double-header’.

An earlier meeting between the two was postponed and both clubs have agreed to play this one match for all six championship points.

Town have a fairly experienced crew while Vagas are less so but potentially with more running. This augurs well for a close contest.

Finally on the domestic front, the Manx Trophy competition gets under way when defending champions PDMS Southern Nomads taking on Ramsey B at the Mooragh Park.

The Trophy is played under the same rules as the Shield, but with a couple of twists. Only the top three teams play and the games are on a league basis home and away.

The top two will then play off in a ’Grand Final’.

Taking Manx Shield form as a guide, this would appear to be a simple win for Nomads, but Ramsey are likely to be smarting from their last defeat to Nomads and resistance may be a little stiffer.

Fixtures: Saturday, February 11

South Lancashire/Cheshire Division One

Douglas v Glossop @ Port-e-Chee ko 2.15pm

South Lancashire/Cheshire Division Two

Vagabonds v Hoylake @ Ballafletcher ko 2.15pm

South Lancashire/Cheshire Division Three

Ellesmere Port v Ramsey

@ Ellesmere Port ko 1.30pm

Shimmin Wilson Manx Shield all ko 2.15pm

Douglas B v Western Vikings @ Port-e-Chee

Castletown v Vagabonds B @ Poulsom Park

Shimmin Wilson Manx Trophy

Ramsey B v PDMS Southern Nomads

@ Mooragh Park ko 1.45pm