Weekend Sports Preview

For the second weekend running, the island’s hockey players will fly the flag in the England Hockey Championships.

The senior men’s side head to Wilmslow HC to face Brooklands on Saturday, before the Isle of Man under-14 girls tackle Bowdon in Altrincham.

These games mean there’s a slightly reduced fixture list in the local leagues, although still plenty of good games to key an eye on.

Away from hockey, it should be a busy Saturday for Manx rugby sides on home soil, with Vagabonds men and women plus Douglas RUFC all in action against English opposition. There will also be two games in the Manx Trophy.

After concentrating on the FA Cup last weekend, attention returns to league matters in football as Peel aim to continue their quest for the Premier League title when they face western rivals St John’s amongst other games.

It’s a surprisingly quiet weekend on the local athletics front, but there’s definitely one event off-island to pay attention to as Isle of Man Commonwealth Games athlete Sarah Astin adds to her growing list of England vests this weekend when she heads to Belgium to run in the Lotto Cross Cup on Sunday.

Another Manxie competing away from home this weekend is trials ace Kaytlyn Adshead whose off-island season begins in earnest in round one of the ACU British S3 Trials Championship at the Vic Brittain Trial in Shropshire.

Locally, Peveril MCC is running a motocross at Knock Froy this Sunday, starting 9 for 10am, while Manx Trials Club is hosting a runaround trial the same day, starting from Sulby reservoir 9.30 for 10am.