Blackpool Airport will close down next month unless a buyer can be found, its current owners have announced.

Balfour Beatty has been trying to find a buyer to take over the operating interests in the terminal, which was bought for £14m in 2008.

But in a statement, the company today said that unless an agreement can be reached before October 7, it is ‘likely the airport will close’ with the last commercial flights taking place on October 15.

Island-based air operator Citywing, which offers up to three flights a day to Blackpool, said it was working with Blackpool Airport to ‘seek out an interim position for continued operations, with a view to having a positive outcome for the longer term’.

A spokesman added: ‘Citywing understands that the position is fluid but remain positive for future operations to Blackpool. We will update as soon as further information is available.’

Blackpool Airport’s statement on its website reads: ‘On August 28 2014, we announced our intention to find a buyer for the airport operating company. The airport operations have been making a loss for a number of years and we are currently exploring a number of options in an attempt to secure the future of the airport.

‘We regretfully confirm that if no agreement can be reached before 7 October 2014 which ensures the viability of its operations, then it is likely that the airport operations will close. In this event, we expect that the last commercial flights will take place on Wednesday 15 October 2014.

‘We apologise for the uncertainty this will cause over the coming weeks and we recommend that any affected passengers contact their airline to confirm travel arrangements.’

The island’s director of ports Ann Reynolds said: ‘We hope there will be a buyer for Blackpool Airport. In the meantime we shall work with Citywing and their aircraft operator to look at both a continued operation at Blackpool plus the potential alternatives.’

Citywing is one of three air operators that fly out of Blackpool - the other two being Jet2.com and Stobart Air.

The island’s First Deemster has welcomed the creation of a British Isles Chief Justices’ Forum.

Deemster David Doyle was in Edinburgh for the inaugural meeting of the Forum on the day that the result of the Scottish independence referendum was declared.

He was there at the personal request of the Right Honourable Lord Gill, the Lord President of Scotland.

Invitations had been issued to the heads of the judiciary in the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey with the intention of discussing matters of common interest and to consider how the seven jurisdictions could best maintain and enhance regular and meaningful contact.

Deemster Doyle attended the opening of the Legal Year Ceremony in Court 1 of the Court of Session at which Lord Hodge, a Justice of the UK Supreme Court and a member of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council was also present.

The justices from Scotland, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the Crown Dependencies then attended a reception hosted by Frank Mulholland, Lord Advocate of Scotland, at Edinburgh Castle.

Later in the evening they were entertained an informal supper hosted by James Wolffe, Dean of Faculty in the Reading Room at Parliament House.

The formal meeting between the Chief Justices took place on the Saturday and the day ended with a formal black tie dinner at Parliament Hall.

Deemster Doyle said: ‘The creation of the British Isles Chief Justices’ Forum is an important step.

‘Co-operation and a hunger to learn from one another will assist in the development of our respective legal systems. It is very useful for the Isle of Man to be represented at the highest judicial level.

‘The timing of the meeting coincided with the declaration of the result of the vote on Scottish independence. The atmosphere in Edinburgh was incredible. I was comforted that the issue had been decided by a peaceful vote, with an impressive turnout of voters.’

Christa Worth has been awarded the Quilter Prize by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

The Quilter Prize is presented to the student with the highest marks in the Corporate Reporting module of the examinations leading to qualification as a Chartered Accountant.

Christa, who works for Moore Stephens, achieved 89 per cent in the paper.

This is Christa’s fourth major award in the past two years; she also won the Watts Prize in 2012 for the Audit and Assurance paper, the Howitt Prize in 2013 for Financial Management paper and, earlier this year, picked up the Little Prize for Financial Accounting and Reporting.

Christa joined Moore Stephens in 2011 as an audit graduate trainee having gained a first class honours degree in Business Management from the Isle of Man Business School.

She is now in her third and final year of her ICAEW training.

Moore Stephens audit partner Dawn Webb said: ‘Christa is an inspiration to our whole team – she’s not just an exceptional student, she’s a great person to work with. Well done Christa!’

Christa said: ‘I could not believe it when I received the email saying I had won another prize.

‘I’m absolutely delighted – thank you Moore Stephens for your support.”

The Quilter Prize was founded in honour of William Quilter by his son, Sir Cuthbert. William Quilter was president of the old Institute of Accountants in 1870 and was in partnership with its honorary secretary, Thomas Weldon.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) Valerie Cottle will present a talk to the Isle of Man Literary Society entitled ‘The editor’s decision is final’.

Over the past 50-plus years Valerie has edited a wide variety of publications both on and off the Isle of Man.

They included yhe Bristol University newspaper Nonesuch News when she was a student, and Babyworld in London in the 1960s (which brought her to the island, where it was printed), to the Manx Star newspaper in the 1970s, Manx Life and Manx Life Style, Manx Tails for Manx Airlines, Skylines for British Airways, Seawatch for the Steam Packet, Inheritance for the Manx Heritage Foundation, Healthwise for the DHSS, the annual Newsletter of the Manx Plants and Gardens Society, and for 10 years the Proceedings of the Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society.

She has also been involved in the production of many books, including Dr Larch Garrad’s The Manx Garden, the Earl of Northesk’s Diary of an Island Glen, Bank Accounts for the Isle of Man Bank’s 125th anniversary in 1990, Bernard Cotton’s Manx Traditional Furniture for Manx National Heritage, Robert Fyson’s The Anglo-Manxman: A Life of A. W. Moore, Eva Wilson’s Castletown Miscellany, and Edward Huyton’s Flowers from an Island Garden, as well as acting as Publisher’s Editor for the Manx Heritage Foundation’s New Manx Worthies. Her own book, Thomas Cubbin, Master Mariner, and the Wreck of the Serica, was published by MHF in 2011, and copies will be on sale at Waterstones after her talk.

Due to unforeseen circumstances Waterstone’s Bookshop is unable to host the October meeting.

The meeting will now take place in The Ticket Hall at Douglas Station. The Ticket hall will be open from 6pm onwards, refreshments will available for purchase so please come along for a coffee and a chat prior to the speaker starting at 7.30pm.

Membership of the Society is £10 a year. Visitors are welcome to meetings for a small donation.

The Isle of Man Literary Society would also like to remind writers that it is seeking entries for the Olive Lamming Memorial Writing Competition which the Society administers on behalf of the IOM Arts Council. There are three categories 1) short story, 2) poetry, 3) short non fiction, a first prize of £100 is available in each category.

ntry forms may be downloaded from the internet – Google Olive Lamming Writing Competition or are available in hard copy from libraries, bookshops etc. An exciting new development this year is that ALL entries be published by dpdotcom digital publishing in paperback, Kindle and iPad format.

Manannan has returned to full power and will return to its original schedule after repairs to one of its four engines were completed.

The fast craft suffered a failed crankshaft with one of its four engines in July. Coming at the height of the summer season, taking Manannan out of service for several days to carry out the repair would have caused huge disruption for passengers.

Instead, the Steam Packet announced a revised schedule allowing for longer journey times, so travellers could plan ahead, and committed additional resources to carry out repairs while the vessel was in port overnight.

Those repairs have been concluded and Manannan is now operating on all four engines and back to its normal schedule.

Steam Packet chief executive Mark Woodward said: ‘We were faced with a dilemma when Manannan suffered this major mechanical failure; take it out of service and cancel many days of sailings in the peak summer period or operate on reduced power and amend the schedule to reflect the slightly longer crossing times.

‘We felt it would cause far less disruption to passengers to operate on reduced power and commit resources to carrying out repairs overnight. This required a greater investment than simply taking Manannan out of service, but was clearly the best option.’

Manx poker players are getting ready to win big at the PokerStars UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) Isle of Man festival from tomorrow following a bumper £57,850 haul last year.

Seven players flying the Manx flag turned a big profit in the four-day poker tournament, last November by outlasting the majority of the 379-strong field.

Chris Jonat, a member of the PokerStars VIP team based at the Onchan headquarters, collected £34,870 for a stunning fourth-place finish at the webcast final table.

Other local heroes included Chris Straghalis (19th, £4,800), who also works for PokerStars; Lewis Cheetham (22nd, £4,315); chip shop owner Mark Handley (23rd, $4,315); and Sam Kenny (53rd, £2,375).

The UKIPT Isle of Man festival this year runs from October 1 to 6 at the Villa Marina, Douglas. The Main Event costs £770 to play and carries an enormous £350,000 guaranteed prize pool, but 10 of the 14 scheduled tournaments have an inclusive ‘buy-in’ of £110 or less. PokerStars are keen to open their doors to everyone, whether you’re playing or not, but you will need official ID and be 18+.

Cheetham, Handley, Jonat and Straghalis are all confirmed to play again this year. Cheetham, who works as a trader in Douglas, said: ‘The experience of playing last year was unbelievable. I got to play on the feature table with some of the world’s great poker players and hold my own. Beating Barry Greenstein in a hand was my claim to fame that day.’

‘Last year’s tournament really surprised some many Manx residents who had never been to a world-class poker event,’ said Eric Hollreiser, PokerStars’ head of corporate communications.

‘The beauty of the Villa Marina venue, the party-like atmosphere, the hundreds of poker players who crowded the restaurants, pubs and hotels and the £10,000 the charity tournament raised for local organizations helped re-define poker for many people.”

Conor Cummins, the Manxman who came second in the 2014 PokerStars Seniors TT, swapped his leathers for the green felt last year.

‘It was an absolutely awesome event,’ said Cummins. ‘I finished 16th out of a hundred in the charity tournament. I was happy enough about that. All the pros were there and David Williams (a pro player with $8.6 million in live winnings) knocked me out. That’s not bad. I really, really love the game. I’ve developed a bit of a passion for it… I got such a rush off it was unreal. I was absolutely peaking. It was pure adrenaline for me and I thought, “Crikey, this is for me.”’’

Cummins will be playing the £110 six-max tournament at 8pm on Wednesday, October 1.

An album of unreleased music by Manx-born superstar Robin Gibb was released yesterday (Monday).

Its name, ‘50 St Catherine’s Drive’, is the address in Douglas where the Gibb brothers, who later went on to form the Bee Gees, grew up.

The Manx Post Office has produced limited edition collection that reflects on the solo career of island-born superstar Robin Gibb.

The album features many of Robin’s last compositions and recordings as a solo artist.

The Post Office, in partnership with Robin Gibb’s widow, Dwina Gibb and Warner/Reprise Records, has released a collection that combines a CD of Robin’s final solo album together with an Isle of Man Post Office limited edition DVD, a booklet containing an extract from Robin’s biography and a booklet containing a full set of Robin Gibb stamps. This special limited edition of 1000 also contains an insert signed by Dwina Gibb and postmarked with a special silver foil cancellation for September 29, 2014. Everything is contained within a CD jewel case.

There are just 1,000 copies.

The product costs £22.50 and the Gibb family has requested that royalties are to be donated to Rebecca House, the island’s children’s hospice.

Robin took a great interest in the island throughout his life and indeed forged a special relationship with local charity Rebecca House, which he opened with Dwina in 2008.

50 St Catherine’s Drive is of great significance in that it was the former home of the Gibb family in Douglas, Isle of Man.

In April 2013 the address was recognised by Douglas Council as the childhood home of Robin Gibb and his brothers, and was commemorated with a blue plaque on the front door.

The street sign for St Catherine’s Drive also marks the fact that it was the Bee Gees’ childhood home.

Dwina Gibb said: ‘Robin always loved the Isle of Man and he would have been especially pleased with this commemorative album, DVD and stamp package produced in the place of his birth.’

Maxine Cannon, general manager of Isle of Man Stamps and Coins said: ‘Everyone on the island is immensely proud that Robin called the Isle of Man his home.

‘The island was his birthplace with 50 St Catherine’s Drive being his childhood home. We are pleased to take any opportunity to celebrate Robin’s life and music.’

The compilation can be ordered at iomstamps.com or from the Regent Street post office, Douglas.

Ramsey Commissioners has submitted plans for a community sports hall.

It has applied for approval in principle for the facility in a field next to Ramsey Rugby Club Pavilion, in Mooragh Promenade.

In a letter from town clerk Peter Whiteway submitted with the application, it states: ‘The proposal has been the subject of a public meeting held at Ramsey Town Hall where about 80 representatives from a wide range of sporting interests and sports clubs from Ramsey and the surrounding areas were in attendance.

‘The meeting confirmed the view that there is a demand for additional indoor sports facilities within the town to serve the needs of local sports clubs and groups, and that the proposed location was acceptable.’

The letter continues: ‘The application seeks approval in principle to the development of a community indoor sports facility to be located on land adjacent to the existing sports pavilion and rugby pitch, part of the Mooragh Estate.

‘The application does not seek to establish the external appearance of any building, and it is expected that, subject to approval in principle being granted, external scale, design and finishes would be the subject of a subsequent application for detailed approval.’

Subject to funding, the facility would be 42m by 25m with run-offs, for ‘optimum sports benefit’. This size –larger than the minimum space required for an indoor football court – would provide greater flexibility in use and allow multi-use.

The most-viewed story on our site concerned John Aspden standing down as head of the Financial Supervision Commission.

It was considerably more popular than anything else we reported that week.

Around 150 stories (news, business, district, sport, entertainment etc) are reported on iomtoday.co.im every week, ensuring that the site has between 35,000 and 40,000 unique weekly users.

The most-viewed individual stories last week were:

1. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/head-of-fsc-to-stand-down-1-6854647|Head of FSC to stand down} 4,552

2. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/end-of-the-road-for-piece-of-tt-history-1-6855957|End of the road for a piece of TT history?} 3,604

3. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/finance-management-company-s-accounts-being-investigated-1-6855766|Finance company’s accounts being investigated} 2,763

4. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/number-plates-removed-from-crashed-car-1-6858667|Number plates removed from crashed car} 2,751

5. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/minister-s-figures-were-wrong-1-6855073|Minister’s figures were wrong} 2,244

6. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/man-admits-possessing-heroin-but-denies-supply-charge-1-6858303|Man admits possessing heroin but denies supply charge} 1,989

7. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/hotel-demolition-bid-1-6853990|Hotel demolition bid} 1,974

8. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/nurse-who-discussed-patient-s-fantasies-1-6858881|Nurse who discussed patient’s fantasies} 1,973

9. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/business/bets-are-off-as-online-casino-ceases-trading-as-precaution-1-6847987|Bets are off as online casino ceases trading} 1,934

10. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/fourth-twins-lead-family-into-record-books-1-6860840|Twins lead family into record books} 1,760

Derivco Isle of Man is sponsoring the award for Medium Enterprise at this year’s Awards for Excellence – it’s the company’s inaugural year of involvement with the award ceremony. Errol Larson from Derivco explains why they are proud to call the Isle of Man home

----------------------

Derivco Isle of Man is an international IT specialist to the online gaming industry.

The company employs a group of creative and technical specialists who are called upon to solve complex business problems, find answers and implement solutions by utilising the latest techniques and technologies. And this experienced team service and support Microgaming software throughout the world. Both companies enjoy a close supplier relationship, which is why Derivco Isle of Man is based in Microgaming’s headquarters on Circular Road, Douglas.

The company established itself in the Isle of Man in December 2012, embarking on a massive venture which saw more than 50 staff (and their families) move from Derivco South Africa to the island. It’s a project that took several months to complete, but was a very successful undertaking.Errol explained: ‘It’s no small task relocating this number of staff and their families, but I’m pleased to say the process couldn’t have gone any better. We received wonderful support throughout the entire process, from the applications for work permits to the physical relocation and finding houses and schools.

‘Our relocation was helped by B-Local Isle of Man and I have to say their services were invaluable, as was the support from several other local organisations including the Hospice’s retail arm Share the Care, who arranged for temporary furniture to be made available, if required, for staff during the move. To show our appreciation, Derivco Isle of Man made a donation of £10,000 to Share the Care.’

Derivco Isle of Man settled on-island very quickly, explains Errol: ‘I can honestly say that we love living here – the weather may be different to what we are used to, but the lifestyle, safety, schooling, sports and social side more than make up for that. We’re very proud to call the Isle of Man our home.’

Since December 2012, the business has grown considerably and the total number of employees currently stands at 69. A great effort has been made to recruit locally, and at present around 25 per cent of its employees are local recruits. This number is expected to grow over the coming years.

‘The island really does have an impressive number of talented technical specialists and we are always on the lookout for extraordinary individuals, with a passion for IT to join our team. We are committed to recruiting local talent where possible, and this is evident in our growing number of Manx staff.

‘We recognise raw talent and we feel it’s important to invest heavily in staff development – we are a growing company and it’s important our staff develop with us. We have a career development programme that provides the framework to nurture exceptional talent and a leadership development programme which is designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders. We do work very hard but we play hard too. And our internal culture and core values are something I’m very proud of. We are a fun, lively and energetic bunch that are keen to get involved locally. This year alone we’ve signed up to the KPMG Promenade Relay, Viking Longboat Races, Tin Bath Championships, The Children’s Centre Rounders Tournament, End 2 End Mountain Bike Challenge, Tough Mann Adventure Challenge and Race the Sun. And it’s been great fun!

‘The Isle of Man Awards for Excellence is another project to add to the growing list and we are absolutely thrilled to be involved in an event which recognises the island’s business community.

‘We look forward to celebrating everyone’s success on November 20.’

Find out more at iomtoday.co.im/afe

Health chiefs are encouraging smokers in the island to take advantage of the free support available and quit smoking this Stoptober.

The campaign launched by Public Health England and supported by the Department of Health encourages smokers to move towards a healthier life by signing up to a 28-day non-smoking challenge.

Research shows those who stop smoking for 28 days are five-times more likely to stop for good. Those who quit smoking by joining the Stoptober challenge could gain an extra week of life for every 28 days they are smokefree and save about £210 (based on smoking 20 a day and a packet price of £7.50).

Anita Imberger, health psychologist and tobacco lead, said: ‘We know quitting isn’t easy on your own, so Stoptober is a great opportunity to find out about services available to help you, and join thousands of others quitting.

‘It’s also a chance to give quitting another try – even if you’ve tried many times before. There are new products and different ways of quitting that might make a difference.’

People are four times more likely to quit if they combine a product such as nicotine replacement therapy with stop smoking service sessions.

Quit4You is the island’s free stop smoking service, providing practical advice and support and runs weekly clinics around the island. It also offers private appointments for pregnant women and partners or those who find it difficult to attend clinic times.

Member for Health, Dudley Butt MLC, said: ‘Quitting smoking is still the single best thing that people can do for their health, so we want to encourage people to take part in the challenge as a first step to a longer, healthier and wealthier life.’

For more details visit www.Quit4You.gov.im, call Quit4You on 642404, or email tobacco@gov.im

smokefree.nhs.uk

There was drama at the final round of the Isle of Man ACU Centre Road Race Championship at Jurby Motodrome on Sunday.

Going into the two-day Andreas Racing Association meeting, Glenn Harrison had a 10-point lead over defending champion Ryan Kneen.

But third-placed Ryan Cringle won both of the big races on Saturday with Kneen second and Harrison - who struggles on right-hand circuits, registering sixth and fifth places.

This put Kneen into a two-point lead over Cringle, with Harrison a further point adrift in third going into the final two races on the counter-clockwise circuit on Sunday.

Kneen won the first of these from Cringle, with Harrison fourth, so it was all to play for in the final showdown.

Cringle led throughout the final race, but he needed Kneen to finish third or lower to lift the title and there were some unprecedented last-lap manoeuvres by Cringle to try and ensure this happened.

Read all about it in the Manx Indepdendent.

Police are investigating two separate hit-and-run road traffic collisions that occurred on Friday.

As a result two motor vehicles have sustained damage.

The first collision occurred in Shoprite car park, Bowring Road, Ramsey, between 1.25pm and 1.50pm.

The damaged vehicle was a silver Hyundai i10 motor car that was situated in the car park at the front of the Shoprite building.

The second collision occurred on Minorca Hill, Laxey, around the area of the railway bridge, between 7.30am and 4.30pm. The damaged vehicle, was a blue Rover motor car.

If you have any information regarding either incident contact Ramsey police station on 812234 or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Mining could return to the island after some 60 years.

The Department of Economic Development is about to issue licences in four areas – Snaefell, Sartfell, Glen Rushen and Glen Crammag – to companies interested in carrying out initial prospecting.

DED development manager David Roberts said: ‘The early stages of a prospecting programme would likely involve the taking of soil and river samples which would be analysed for traces of minerals.’

He said an aerial geomagnetic survey would also be undertaken to identify the presence of minerals reserves.

Mr Roberts said: ‘It would be a matter for government to assess future activity.

‘If metals were found, and in quantities/ situations that made them viable to economically exploit, it would be necessary for the prospective miner to obtain planning permission.’

A mining licence, setting out the total mineral to be extracted, the rate of extraction and the financial agreement between the miner and government, would also be required.

When asked what measures would be taken to minimise the environmental impact of mining operations, he said a full environmental impact assessment would be carried out.

The continental market will not be returning to Douglas this Christmas.

In a statement, Douglas Development Partnership said it had been unable to secure its preferred provider.

A fair with island stallholders will go ahead.

‘We appreciate some of you may be disappointed, we are too. The continental food and craft fairs do bring a great atmosphere to the town centre, but it just isn’t meant to be for Douglas this year.

‘We will do our best to ensure we have a summer fair and Christmas one next year.’

It explains after shoppers and businesses expressed their disappointment over last year’s festive continental food and craft fair a decision was made to go back to our preferred provider.

It continues: ‘Christmas is an incredibly busy time for these traders and there are scores of towns competing for the best. Due to the nature of living on an island there are additional costs (such as ferry costs and the costs of a non-resident traders licence) which make us less of a financially viable place to come and trade compared to other towns of our size.’

There will be extra Liverpool services and increased availability of offer fares next year, the Steam Packet has announced.

The company has announced Manannan will operate 48 additional seasonal Liverpool sailings next year.

The schedule also includes extra year-round services to Heysham, as well as winter services to Birkenhead operated by Ben-my-Chree and seasonal Dublin and Belfast services.

There has been no increase in foot passenger fares, which start from £18 each way, and special offers for a car and two passengers start from £65 each way. The summer Kids Go Free offer and Steam Packet Holidays-organised Day Trips will also return for 2015.

The Steam Packet has also announced plans for its 2015 advertising and marketing strategy, a £500,000 investment to attract more visitors to the island. A wide range of national and regional newspapers, special interest magazines and websites will be used in the UK and Ireland, with adverts and features promoting the Isle of Man.

Chief executive Mark Woodward said: ‘We have been very pleased to note an increase in traffic this summer and we’re pleased to be able to confirm our 2015 schedule, prices and special offers will be bookable from October 1. We are awaiting final confirmation from various port authorities of linkspan and berth availability for the busy TT period, but provisional timetables will also be bookable for the TT.

‘We once again listened carefully to our passengers and I am pleased we are able to offer 48 additional Liverpool services in 2015, giving passengers even more opportunities to travel, as well as increasing the availability of special offer fares, so passengers can continue to enjoy great value.

‘A major part of the Steam Packet Company’s role is bringing people to the island, and we will once again make a substantial investment in promoting the Isle of Man across the UK and Ireland, highlighting the many attractions to potential tourists. We are very proud of our island home, and want to share it with as many visitors as possible.

‘The range of travel options available, from day trips to any length of stay, and well over 900,000 offer seats available during 2015 should ensure every traveller’s requirements are met.’

Bookings for 2015 open at 8.30am on Wednesday, October 1.

Mark Christian claimed silver in the men’s points race in the National Track Cycling Championships at Manchester Velodrome on Saturday.

This came 24 hours after he missed out on a bronze medal in the men’s individual pursuit race on Friday.

Onchan resident Ben Swift was the top British rider in the men’s road race at the 2014 UCI Road World Championships in Spain on Sunday.

Swift was strongly supported by Peter Kennaugh, who was the only other Brit to finish the gruelling 254-kilometre race.

It was won by Michal Kwiatkowski of Poland, who rides alongside Mark Cavendish in the Omega-Pharma Quick-Step pro team.

Anna Christian and fellow teenager Nathan Draper played vital supporting roles to leading GB riders in the women’s and junior men’s road race championships at the same venue on Saturday.

More in the Manx Independent.

Rob Sellors produced a superb performance to win the Isle of Man Mountain Ultra race between Ramsey and Port Erin on Saturday.

In mixed conditions, starting with low cloud and rain on the northern peaks, steadily improving to conclude in sunny, warm weather over the closing miles, Sellors won in a time of 5hr 34min 23sec from fellow Manx Fell Runners member Ian Gale, with Mark Bottomley of 10peaks.com third.

Lloyd Taggart won the shorter Mountain Race from St John’s.

More in the Manx Independent.

PwC Mixed Premier Division

Celton Manx Celts 2-3 LJ Ramsey Mixed A

Saracens Sabres 1-13 IOMA Group Bacchas A

Canaccord Genuity Vikings Mixed A 3-4 Crowe Morgan Valkys A

PwC Mixed Division One

IOMA Group Bacchas B 7-0 Crowe Morgan Valkyrs B

IOMA Group Bacchas C 2-1 Canaccord Genuity Vikings Mixed B

LJ Ramsey Ravens 0-1 Crowe Morgan Valkyrs C

PwC Mixed Division Two

Celton Manx Cammags 3-3 Canaccord Genuity Vikings MIxed C

Celton Manx Cushags 0-9 Harlequins A

IOMA Group Bacchas Colts 3-0 LJ Ramsey Rookies

PwC Mixed Division Three

Celton Manx Southerners 0-5 LJ Skye Ramsey Robins

Harlequins B 3-3 Crowe Morgan Valkyrs D

Harlequins Colts 5-0 IOMA Group Bacchas D

Canaccord Genuity Vikings Mixed D 2-4 Saracens Sharks

PwC Mixed Under-16s

IOMA Group Bacchas A 2-1 Canaccord Genuity Vikings U16s

Harlequins 1-2 LJ Ramsey Rogues & Rascals

Full round-up in today’s Examiner.

A man from Maughold has appeared in court charged with assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH) after punching the landlord of a Laxey pub.

Ian Derek Brown, aged 33, of The Corony Estate, was arguing with his girlfriend at the Mines Tavern on Saturday night when the row spilled out into the beer garden.

When the landlord approached Mr Brown is alleged to have punched him, causing him to fall to the concrete ground and bang his head, knocking him unconscious.

He was taken to Noble’s Hospital where he was said to have suffered three broken ribs.

Prosecutor Barry Swain asked for a two week adjournment pending updated medical information as the charge may be reviewed.

The case has been adjourned until October 14.