Having beaten Birkenhead Park in October, Douglas Rugby Club missed the chance to go second in Regional Two North West with a lacklustre performance in the return fixture at Port-e-Chee on Saturday.
Sodden underfoot and with a slight breeze advantage, Park took a 0-3 lead from Freddie Arista’s boot as Douglas transgressed at a 20th-minute ruck.
The hard-charging John Dutnall was replaced by injury returnee Ethan Kermode and the Manx side went further behind when Park churned out the phases while camped in Douglas territory.
Hooker Gray Dylan burrowed over and Arista added the extras for a 0-10 lead after half an hour.
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Douglas were losing the possession and territory stats, and Matty Wood missed a penalty kick from 33 metre after a rare Douglas excursion troubled Park.
Conor Garland led a 36th-minute charge that gained ground and, after Park illegally hauled down a maul, Wood made up for the miss.
Park scrum-half Jacob Ainscough was savvy with box kicks and keeping his forwards momentum, and again territorial gains paid off.
Park pounded away at the Douglas tryline and flanker Jack Ashcroft was credited with a 38th-minute score that owed all its origins to disciplined pick-and-go from the Park eight.
Arista converted and at 3-17 and the elements now in Douglas’s favour, money might have been on a second-half Manx revival.
A 50th-minute yellow card for Park was matched by a similar Douglas error and the hosts’ lineout wasn’t the usual slick operation.
When the home side did get some go-forward, passes didn’t stick and Park were adept at controlling the ball for long periods.
Another yellow card for Park, a burst from Douglas fullback Sheldon Higgins and the introduction of Zak Wickman didn’t change the narrative.
Harry Hewson’s trademark incisions and Wood’s snipes were well marshalled by Park centre Matt Walls as the clock became the Douglas enemy, and indicative of the conditions was a scoreless second half.
Douglas, in fourth, remain in the play-off scenario six points ahead of Burnage in fifth, with five to play.