Holders Ramsey beat Western Vikings 57-0 at Mooragh Park on Saturday afternoon to keep their title defence on track.

Vikings struggled to handle Ramsey’s pace from the start of the game and the first try came within three minutes.

Eddie Lord punched a hole in the Vikings line and headed for the posts. He was felled short of the line but the ball was recycled quickly and moved left where wing Nathan Brew had a comparatively easy finish.

Ramsey lost scrum half Dan Richmond to an injury after seven minutes and this slowed down the scoring and the 15-minute mark had passed before they scored again.

This one was created by right wing Will Millsopp who bounced and spun his way into the Vikings 22 and, when he was finally halted, Conor Goodall was on hand to finish. Brandon Atchison added the first of six conversions and Ramsey were 12-0 clear.

Just after 20 minutes the Ramsey forwards got in on the action from a close-range line-out.

Lord made the first thrust for the line and skipper Josh Corteen was on hand to complete the score. Atchison converted again.

Five minutes later defence became attack and Ramsey were in again. Jake Richmond put in a huge punt to clear the ball out of Ramsey’s 22, the ball floated onto the wind and deep into Vikings half.

Richmond chased his own kick with Millsopp in support and they recovered the ball which was sent wide to the left for Brew to run in his second.

This was quickly followed by a third as Brew drifted from the left wing to the right where he became an extra man and race in for his hat-trick. Atchison converted for a 31-0 half-time lead.

Ramsey found life a little trickier in the second half. They were playing into a strong wind and had made several changes to the line-up, but Josh Corteen got them in after eight minutes with a close-range run. Atchison added the extras.

The score of the game came 12 minutes in when Joey Callow and Jim Lantry ran it out of defence.

Around halfway they linked up with Nathan Robson who sent Atchison clear on the left and he lit up the afterburners to score and convert his own try to make it 45-0.

But that was it until the final five minutes. The Vikings defence put the shutters up and the Peel men had a couple of chances at the other end which they just couldn’t quite finish.

As the end approached, there were some tired legs and Atchison took advantage.

A Millsopp break put him clear for his second and he completed his hat-trick with another sprinting exhibition in the final play of the game.

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