PDMS Southern Nomads added the Shimmin Wilson Manx Trophy to their haul for the season with a comprehensive win against Douglas B.

Douglas got proceedings underway in the third minute when Adam Howarth kicked a penalty after Nomads were caught offside.

One minute later, Nomads were in front. The diminutive Andy Lead rose high in the sky to reclaim a Nomads drop out and, after taking the catch at full chat, he soon outpaced the Douglas defence with a 65-metre run-in. Duncan Miller converted to put Nomads 7-3 in front.

Howarth hit back with another penalty in the seventh minute to bring Douglas to within a single point at 7-6.

There was then a 15-minute deadlock until Dave Caldwell’s penalty extended the Nomads lead. They went farther ahead shortly afterwards when Ian Hargreaves finished off a right wing break made by Harry Brereton.

But Douglas weren’t finished and they hit back in stoppage time when James Lidgett powered over from the base of a scrum. Howarth converted and the game was finely balanced at 15-13.

The second half belonged to Nomads and one man in particular, centre Harry Brereton. Eight minutes in he weaved through the Douglas defence to make it 20-13.

Twenty one minutes in, after Howarth had pulled back a penalty for Douglas, Brereton picked up his second when a slick handling move put him clear on the right. Three minutes later he had his hat-trick as Nomads blitzed Douglas out of the game. With 10 minutes remaining, Andy Lean raced in for his second to send the trophy safely southwards.

MOST books fall neatly into genres – fantasy, horror, mystery, history, romance – but there are others which defy such simple categorisation.

Take Sue Cowing’s highly original and fascinatingly creepy novel Call Me Drog (paperback, £5.99), a coming-of-age story about a boy at the mercy of his wilful, wayward... hand puppet!

Like its wide-ranging themes and unusual star, this is a book with a broad appeal, offering reason and resonance for anyone aged between nine and young adulthood who finds the teen years tough and complex.

Cowing’s clever and compelling tale packs a real emotional punch, mercilessly exposing the awkwardness of being caught between childhood and adulthood, the turmoil of parents divorcing, the pressure of expectation, learning to stick up for yourself and ultimately taking responsibility for your own life.

Parker Lockwood is a quiet, introverted eleven-year-old boy, coming to terms with his parents’ divorce. He considers himself a “pretty happy, pretty ordinary kid” until he finds a dirty, smelly old hand puppet in a rubbish bin.

The minute he puts it on his hand, the puppet reveals his name is Drog and that wherever Parker goes, he will go too. Not only does Drog refuse to leave Parker’s hand, he also delivers ill-tempered, obnoxious insults to the boy’s parents, teachers and schoolfriends.

Worst of all, no one believes that Drog – and not Parker – is saying all the outrageous things. When his best friend stops talking to him and his dad threatens to sign him up to the Bradley Military Academy, Parker finds that Drog is the only one he can talk to, and discovers that some of the things he says aren’t quite so ridiculous after all.

And as Parker takes up aikido and builds up the courage to stand up to his father, he finds himself letting go of his worries... but will Drog finally let go of his hand?

For a plot that seems at first to trade on a supernatural element, Call Me Drog turns out to be based more on reality than fiction or fantasy, and as sophisticated and subtle as any adult novel.

Maybe that’s because the real star of this book is not the bombastic, sarcastic Drog but the boy who appears to come under his control.

Perhaps Drog is just a figment of Parker’s imagination, a small corner of a hitherto hidden rebellious streak, or perhaps he gives voice to all those things that children really want to say to adults.

Either way, Parker and Drog provide a lesson in growing up...

Thrill-seekers, meanwhile, will enjoy meeting Ashley Arthur and her best friend, Benjamin, teenage thieves who steal for the rich, hide from the law... and are wanted by some of the deadliest men and women in the world.

Hit List (paperback, £6.99) is author Jack Heath’s second outing with the dynamic duo who first impressed us with their insanely reckless spirit of daring and dangerous appetite for adventure in the cracking book, Money Run.

Ash and Ben work for the billionaire Hammond Buckland, hunting down stolen artefacts and returning them to their rightful owners, all for a fee of course.

But when they stumble across an SOS from an imprisoned girl, they realise they are in over their heads this time because there are other, more powerful people also looking for the youngster.

With corrupt governments, ruthless corporations and rogue assassins lined up against them, suddenly it’s Ash and Ben who have moved to the top of everyone’s hit list.

And when you’re about to break into the largest intelligence agency in the world to rescue a mysterious stranger, that is a seriously perilous place to be...

Heath’s writing momentum propels us along at lightning pace. Coupled with a high-tech, explosive plot, two slick, smart starring characters, a frenzied finale full of surprises and a frisson of young romance, this is teen crime fiction as its most thrilling and compelling.

Boys’ fiction is in a safe and supercharged pair of hands.

Another action hero is Luke Challenger, a teenager who is constantly in mortal danger and does what every boy dreams of ... has ‘ripping’ adventures! Return to King Solomon’s Mines (paperback, £5.99) is Luke’s third ‘mission impossible’ and sees his creators, former teachers Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore, at the top of their game with a tale of ancient magic, hidden worlds and bloodthirsty tribes

With a plot that gives more than a nod to the popular book by 19th century writer Sir H. Rider Haggard, this superb cliff-hanging thriller has the added dimension of being set in the dark and shadowy 1930s when the world was teetering on the verge of war.

While Hitler declares himself the German Fuehrer, the focus of the world in 1934 shifts to Africa where another totalitarian leader, Benito Mussolini, has terrifying ambitions of his own.

This is the new Scientific Age when discoveries promise a bright future ... but also threaten global disaster. And there are powers in the world older than science, and just as deadly...

So begins the third, unforgettable adventure for Luke and Nick Malone, his hot-tempered cousin and partner in a series of madcap escapades.

Luke has been expelled from school and sent to Africa to keep him out of trouble, but trouble has a habit of following Luke and before long he discovers that his old enemy, the ruthless Sons of Destiny, are closing in on the location of the legendary Spear of Destiny.

The ancient weapon grants the power of invincibility, which would help the Sons succeed in their fearsome plans for world domination.

In a deadly race against time, cool-hand Luke and the newly arrived Nick must track down the fabled King Solomon’s Mines where the spear is believed to have been hidden...before their enemies can find it.

Luke’s thrills and spills in a fast-paced, all-action story based on the Victorian classic are guaranteed to grip a whole new generation of readers.

Return to King Solomon’s Mines is fiction for boys aged nine and over at its very best. Exotic locations, super heroes, brilliant baddies and daredevil adventure ... who could ask for anything more?

But what about the girls? With the London Olympics now only months away, what better time to take a hop, skip and a jump into a sparkling new series about the exciting, energetic and inspirational world of gymnastics!

Debut author Jane Lawes doesn’t put a step wrong in her first three Gym Stars books, Summertime & Somersaults, Friendships & Backflips and Handsprings & Homework (paperback, £4.99 each).

Eleven-year-old Tara loves doing cartwheels and handstands in her garden and spends every spare moment practising. But with so many other things to learn, like backflips and somersaults, Tara is desperate to join a gym club.

When her mum finally gives in to her pleas, Tara signs up for a summer course at Silverdale Gymnastics Club. With a real sprung floor, bars, beams and a big foam pit, the gym club is everything that Tara has ever dreamed of.

After a whirlwind week, Tara can’t believe her luck when she is asked to join the acrobatics squad and is partnered up with another girl, ready to learn all sorts of new balances and moves.

Gym really does fix it for Tara!

Girls aged eight and over will love this fantastic Gym Stars series which is filled with fun, friendship and dreams of fame.

And when it comes to fame, or should that be notoriety, Penny Dreadful can’t seem to stop herself getting into trouble!

Joanna Nadin’s lovable funny girl Penny Jones is back in a super three-books-in-one trilogy, Penny Dreadful Causes a Kerfuffle (paperback, £4.99).

The three wacky and wonderful stories are Penny Dreadful Does Her Best, Penny Dreadful and the Secret Ingredient and Penny Dreadful and the New Girl, with an added bonus section called Penny Dreadful’s Top 5 Tips for Survival.

Penny’s hilarious adventures, which have enormous appeal for both readers aged seven and over and their parents, were shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize last year and there is no end in sight for her amazing mishaps.

Here we find her trying to do her best but failing miserably... again! She is sort of ‘blueish’ all over and so is her sister Daisy’s swan outfit. She was actually trying to help Joshua Bottomley fall in love with Daisy by doing a science experiment on him, but she didn’t know that he would just go a bit pale and green and it would all turn into one BIG kerfuffle!

Jess Mikhail’s brilliant and bold illustrations bring to life Penny and her cast of zany family and friends ... Cosmo (Penny’s best friend), Georgina May (Penny’s clever cousin), Daisy (Penny’s annoying sister), Mum and Dad, prim and proper Aunt Deedee and Gran and Gran’s cat Barry.

With madness, misbehaviour and mayhem on every page, there won’t be a straight face in the house when Penny makes an appearance!

The perfect book to get youngsters reading with an adult, or entirely alone.

Rushen and Corinthians draw in Canada Life Combination One

Tuesday, April 24

6.30pm kick-offs

Canada Life Combination One

Ramsey 0-2 St George’s

Rushen 1-1 Corinthians

Laxey 2-1 Ayre

JCK Combination Two

Union Mills 3-0 Douglas Royal

Braddan 0-1 Onchan

Colby 2-1 Malew

Foxdale 3-3 Pulrose

Police 3-3 Douglas and District

Marown 2-1 Michael

67: The future’s bright...

More phone woes. It all started so innocently, a call from our friendly telecoms provider. ‘We’ve noticed you’re self-employed, have you considered our attractive business packages?’ Well no, actually, I’ve been too busy rustling up dinners for a dozen or so starving skiers and running them to and from the slopes twice a day for the last 5 months, but dangle the prospect of a smart new live-box (the last one is only months old) and I’m hooked. The clincher is the inclusive free calls to the UK; the Boss has unaccountable urges to actually speak with our offspring every blue moon and consequently has learnt to absent herself from the chalet when the tell-tale ‘facture orange’ clunks onto the mat. But I’ve been caught before; will this actually cost me any more, I warily ask? No sir, you’ll be in exactly the same position, just electronically sign here.... There’s one born every minute.

All is quiet for a couple of weeks then things start to happen; I migrate seamlessly to a smart compte-pro on the provider’s website and waste a couple of hours playing with the new bells and whistles. Then day 2, I can’t log in and the nightmare starts; long frustrating hours in automated queues before some technocrat relents and resets my password for me. A week later he calls back, just a courtesy call, is everything OK? Well it’s not actually, I’m glad you’ve called, the card payment machine’s playing up and I have rather a lot of payments to put through. Well Sir, that would be because you can’t actually use a card machine with your new contract, and the line it uses has been terminated. WHAT!? Well that’s not actually a word for word transcription but you get the flavour. Mr Technician hastily decides this is a matter for Sales and bails out..

The next week or so is purgatory laced with classic French farce. I have a number of help-lines to chose from; each produces a menu of options. Chose the wrong option and you’re referred to their website and the call is terminated. Hampton Court has nothing on this maze but with practice I learn a route through and can actually queue for assistance; this is best done sitting on the toilet or making meringues (not both together) with the phone on handsfree. When eventually connected, language remains a barrier. Bitter experience has taught me to prefix each exchange: ‘Excuse me, I don’t speak good French, could you please speak slowly?’ but I may as well save my breath – I must be pronouncing it too well thus belying the words. One frustrating exchange ended with the man at the other end referring me in desperation to their English Language Service; progress you would think, but nothing of the sort; when we eventually hooked up her English was worse than my French (no easy task) and in any case she was unable to help – I needed to speak to Sales!! Expletive deleted.....

Finally I start to get to the nub of the problem; the contract I have unwittingly signed up to makes no provision for card machines (so not much use to your average trader then). So why given that you have full access to my phone history was I sold the package? Well Sir, she tells me with disarming frankness, we have out-sourced commercial sales and have had a few complaints recently... You don’t say. The problem is, your old tariff no longer exists and can’t be reinstated and if we start again it may be 3 weeks before you have an internet connection.... A full and frank exchange of views and I’m moved up to manager level. A deal is brokered where I get a new all-singing/dancing service INCLUDING a line for the card-machine at the rate I was previously paying. A happy ending, I think, and trot off to tell the Boss how her man has triumphed against adversity. So what about the TV? she asks - I should add she has never watched French TV in her life, but as she has rightly pointed out, TV access was included in our cancelled contract and Orange did stump up half the cost of our satellite dish. Back through the maze and could you possibly tack TV access onto that deal? Well no, that’s not possible Sir and suddenly no-one’s returning calls and I’m back in that nightmare...

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HEALTH Minister David Anderson says he is concerned that statistics on breast cancer cases could be misused to ‘reignite unjustified fears’ about the island’s breast care services.

He questioned the motives of Douglas East MHK Brenda Cannell in asking a House of Keys question about the numbers of breast cancer cases received in the 12 months to April this year and how many of these had resulted in mastectomy or breast reconstruction on or off-island.

In his written reply, he said: ‘I do wonder what value you expect to derive from these statistics because a diagnosis of breast cancer can result in a wide range of clinical outcomes.

‘I would be very concerned at any attempt to misuse these statistics to reignite unjustified fears about breast surgery services which were raised in the minds of the Manx public last year.’

The minister was referring to the row over the appointment of a new breast care surgeon that dominated the news this year.

When the Department of Health announced it would be advertising for the permanent post of a general surgeon with an interest in breast care, critics, led in the Keys by Mrs Cannell, argued this would undermine the breast care service. Campaigners set up the Isle of Man Breast Cancer Action Group.

Minister Anderson accused Mrs Cannell of hijacking the issue as a ‘political football’ ahead of the general election.

He insists that following the appointment of Millie Bello to the post as of February 1 together with the introduction of a sentinel node biopsy service and a planned breast reconstruction service in the island, the breast care service has been significantly enhanced.

In his written reply, he said that as predicted, the number of new breast cancers diagnosed in the island had fallen from a temporary peak of 93 patients recorded in 2010, following the introduction of the breast call and recall screening programme, to the current level of 63.

He said this is a similar number to those detected prior to the introduction of screening.

Mr Anderson added: ‘We do anticipate a slow year on year increase in the number of breast cancer diagnoses in line with the general trend in the rest of Europe and have configured our breast service to deal with this expected trend.’

He said of the 63 recorded cases, 18 patients has so far undergone a mastectomy.

Of these 18, three had received breast reconstruction on-island, all of these since March 1 this year. Statistics for off-island reconstruction are not readily available. He said some patients attending UK trusts for surgery may well have undergone delayed reconstruction, and been diagnosed some considerable time ago.

I HOPE my old friend and fellow songster Mr Geoff Corkish MHK (he forces me to sing while nobody can force him not to) is keeping abreast of the latest on global warming as political member of the Department of Economic Development with responsibility for tourism.

It appears that the good old days of the Manx visiting industry, when it was a disastrous summer season if we didn’t have at least half-a-million happy holidaymakers arriving from May to September for their statutory fortnights, are on their way back.

The British Isles are predicted to be sunnily sub-tropical by 2050 and it will be too hot to package it down to British-occupied Spain.

A new UK Government report on climate change says: ‘Hotter summers and warmer year-round temperatures may make the UK more attractive for foreign and domestic holidaymakers.’

Now it’s clear that Mr Corkish will not be in office to see these things happen in 40 years’ time, no more than I will still be doing a column in the Examiner, for the same money let me add. But we can consider what’s going to happen...

In Douglas the town council will have to find out what it’s done with all its hundreds of beach deckchairs. We will have to build new fleets of rowing boats for hire. And if anybody has any donkeys with beach skills they should let the authorities know now.

As for the horse trams, there will be no chance any more of the corporation trying to flog them off to the government.

Unfortunately, however, the Isle of Man’s summer tourist industry of the mid-21st century will enforce some unwelcome changes.

All those empty apartments on Douglas seafront will have to be demolished to make way for new boarding houses. I regret to say that the TT will have to be dumped; we can’t have all those bikes and bikers cluttering up the place for two weeks in June.

We will also have to expand Ronaldsway Airport to make way to the super-jets of 2050. This will mean demolishing Castletown and Castle Rushen. As for the Steam Packet Company it will have to face up to buying a new boat or two.

But let us pause for a moment and think things through even more thoroughly on the downside. There will be the likes of Spaniards and Italians and Turks wanting to get away from the searing heat that’s coming to where they now live. They will seek to have second homes in more temperate climes as history reverses itself back into the 20th century.

They will be building villas with swimming pools all the way up the lower slopes of Snaefell. They will insist on good Manx restaurants having to serve them the foreign muck they insist on eating. They will insist on not even trying to speak Manx, the language of their host country. In fact they will be in sufficient numbers to wipe out Manx language and history and culture.

The history of the Isle of Man will be turned back a hundred years. We will be back in the tempestuous days of the New Residents.

Bring back Fo Halloo I say.

• A READER has asked, anonymously, if the Bishop of Sodor and Man, is on Faith Book. Er, you mean the Bible?

• MY regular and also anonymous contributor in Laxey sends me a page from a copy of the Examiner saying: ‘It always strikes me as defeatism for the Samaritans to advertise in the same column as funeral directors.’

A CHARITY is to donate a potentially life-saving defibrillator to every island high school and football club.

Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation was prompted to make the generous £31,500 donation following the high profile cases of Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba, 24, who collapsed with a heart attack during an FA Cup quarter final against Tottenham last month and the tragic death of Italian player Piermario Morosini, 25, who suffered a fatal cardiac arrest during a Serie B game on April 14.

An order was placed on Friday for 35 Zoll AED Plus defibrillators, at a cost of £900 each.

They are expected to be delivered early next week and during the next couple of weeks they will be donated to each of the island’s 26 football clubs and every high school. One will also be donated to the Isle of Man Football Association for use at the Bowl in Douglas.

The charity’s chairman Paul Healey, 34, said: ‘These defibrillators will undoubtedly save lives. Each week in the UK 12 young people die from an undiagnosed heart condition. As a charity we hear this sort of thing week in, week out but the collapse of Muamba and the death of the Italian footballer has brought it to the forefront of everyone’s mind.’

Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation was set up following the death of talented young Manx footballer Craig Lunt from an undiagnosed heart defect in April 2005 at the age of just 25.

It funds two heart screening sessions a year for island residents aged between 14 and 35 to detect any abnormalities and prevent Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS).

Paul, who was Craig Lunt’s best friend, said: ‘These machines are high tech and easy to use. You don’t have to be qualified to use them. The defibrillators actually talk you through the process so anyone with the slightest bit of knowledge will be able to use them.

‘We’ve already saved lives with the screening sessions we’ve organised on the island and we want to make sure that every football club and every high school has at least the possibility of saving someone’s life.’

And Paul said the charity was not stopping with football clubs and was considering future further donations of defibrillators to the island’s rugby and cricket clubs and the Cycling Association.

Individuals and groups around the island hold fundraising events for Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation, but the charity’s main fundraiser is its annual sportsmen’s dinner, the next one of which will be held at the Palace Hotel in Douglas on May 11, when the guest speaker will be Anfield legend Phil Thompson, with tickets priced at £50, which are available from Paul on 460918.

The next heart screening sessions will be at the Sefton Hotel in Douglas on November 24 and 25. You can book a screening closer to the time via {http://www.craigsheartstrongfoundation.co.uk|www.craigsheartstrongfoundation.co.uk}.

Fabrice Muamba has made a miraculous recovery since he collapsed on the pitch on March 17.

COMPLETED with a customised call sign M-HHHH and VIP interior this Airbus 318 is the latest corporate jet – and one of the largest and most expensive – to go on the Manx aircraft register.

It touched down at Ronaldsway for a few hours last week for paperwork to be completed before heading off again to its new home in Moscow.

The brand new aircraft was manufactured in Hamburg from where its wealthy owner took delivery of it on Thursday. That same day it landed in the island as the 472nd plane to join the Manx aircraft register.

Director of civil aviation at the Aircraft Register Hartley Elder said: ‘It’s much bigger than the average aircraft on the Manx register.

‘To resolve taxation issues, the aircraft had to fly outside the EU and then back in. The first place it landed was the Isle of Man [which is treated as being in the EU for VAT purposes].

‘It was on the ground at Ronaldsway for a few hours before it took off again for Moscow.’

Mr Elder said the client would have paid extra for the customised call sign M-HHHH.

It is estimated that the Airbus, complete with its VIP interior, would cost in excess of £100 million to purchase.

The Airbus is a medium-range jet airliner that can carry 132 passengers, but in line with registry rules will not be allowed to operate commercially.

Appleby in the island was involved with the latest addition to the Manx register as corporate service provider for the new owner.

THE Steam Packet Company’s return Liverpool sailing will go ahead as scheduled this afternoon (Wednesday).

The fastcraft Manannan is due to leave Douglas at 3pm and will return from Liverpool at 7.15pm.

The Steam Packet had warned of possible disruption/cancellation to the sailing due to the weather forecast.

Today’s return Heysham sailing was cancelled.

The Manannan is covering passenger and car services while the Ben-my-Chree is in dry dock for its biennial statutory overhaul.

JCK Division Two sides Union Mills and Marown can both secure promotion to the Canada Life Premier League with victories on Wednesday evening.

League leaders Marown travel to Balleira Road to face fourth-place Michael United while the Millers make the short trip to Ballafletcher where they meet Douglas Royal for the third time in as many weeks.

The Crosby side currently lie a point of second place Mills but have played a game more while the latter are seven clear of Onchan with only three games left to play each.

That means that, should both sides better the Os’ result away at Pulrose, then they will be playing top flight football next season.

Elsewhere in the second tier of Manx football, Foxdale will be looking to keep their increasingly-faint top-four hopes alive with victory at home to Braddan while Douglas and District and Police go head-to-head at Noble’s Park.

In the Canada Life Premier League, Laxey’s game at home to DHSOB has been postponed because of potential call-ups to the island squad to face Jersey in the FA Inter-League Cup final at the Bowl on Saturday. However, there is still one game going ahead in the top flight this evening as Gymns travel north to face Ramsey at Ballacloan Stadium.

A win for the hosts in their last league match of the season would see them secure a ninth-place finish but victory for Gymns would see the Tromode outfit move to within two points of the northerners with two games still to play.

Wednesday, April 25

6.30pm kick-offs

Canada Life Premier League

Ramsey v Gymns

Laxey P-P DHSOB

JCK Division Two

Michael v Marown

Douglas Royal v Union Mills

Foxdale v Braddan

Pulrose v Onchan

Douglas and District v Police

Tomorrow’s Manx Independent previews the biggest game in Manx football for six years as the Isle of Man prepares to take on Jersey in the FA Inter-League Cup final.

We have the latest twists in the ongoing row following the sacking of two MHKs from the Department of Education and Children.

Plus we reveal the latest big name band lined up to play at the Villa Marina.

The Manx Independent is in shops first thing tomorrow morning.

A PRISON protest which involved a small group of inmates refusing to return to their cells at Jurby jail has ended peacefully.

The protest, which began at midday, was peaceful and involved fewer than 20 inmates. It is believed to have been over the smoking ban at the prison.

But at 6pm a spokesman said the matter had been resolved ‘without force’ and the prison was operating as normal again.

Home Affairs Minister Juan Watterson MHK said: ‘I would like to commend the Governor (Alison Gomme) and her staff for their professionalism in handling this incident.’

Last year, an official report by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick said the prison had ‘lost control’ of the smoking ban situation.

‘Many prisoners appeared to be intensively and creatively engaged in circumventing the smoking ban,’ Mr Hardwick said.

After the report was published in October 2011, the DHA said the smoking ban would stay with a renewed focus on robust enforcement.

APPLEBY Appleby (Isle of Man) LLC has announced the appointment of Mark Holligon as partner in its litigation and insolvency practice.

Mark Holligon brings to Appleby more than 15 years of professional experience in the legal profession.

His expertise spans the contentious and non-contentious arenas, both onshore and offshore, a broad spectrum of mutual funds work together with all aspects of insolvency and restructuring, both corporate and personal.

He joins Appleby from Isle of Man firm, Gough Advocates where he was a director and Isle of Man qualified Advocate in the litigation team.

Mark is not only a Manx advocate but also an English solicitor and Cayman Islands attorney-at-law (all non-practising). He is an overseas member of the Insolvency Lawyers Association, an Associate Member of R3 and an Honorary Member of the Chancery Bar Association.

Sean Dowling, managing partner of Appleby in the Isle of Man said: ‘We are delighted to welcome someone of Mark’s calibre and expertise to our litigation practice.

‘Our litigation and insolvency team is one of the most highly regarded on and off the island, a position that will be further strengthened by Mark’s arrival.

‘We are consistently ranked in the top tier of Chambers, PLC Which Lawyer, IFLR 1000 and Legal 500 legal directories and Mark’s introduction to the team will reinforce our commitment to providing a first class service to our clients.’

Mark Holligon said ‘I am excited to be joining the team. Appleby has an excellent reputation both in the Isle of Man and globally and I am looking forward to helping build on this.’

Mark Holligon has been involved in many of the largest cross-border insolvencies of the past decade.

He began his career in England, qualifying in the City of London in 1995 and gaining experience with two further leading UK firms before moving to Walkers in the Cayman Islands in 2003 and on to the Isle of Man in 2008. In his role as partner at Appleby, Mark will utilise his cross border expertise by working together with Appleby’s global network to provide a seamless service to both local and international clients.

Christopher Cope, Isle of Man Practice Group head and litigation and insolvency partner said: ‘Mark is a welcome addition to our practice.

‘He brings with him a wealth of experience in dispute resolution, insolvency and restructuring to our team which is dedicated to delivering the highest standards of service to our clients in the Isle of Man and worldwide. I am looking forward to working with him.’

ISLE of Man Friends of the Earth has submitted a response showing its opposition to the government’s radical plans to reform the planning system.

The environmental group’s submission is part of a public consultation on the draft planning policy, which ends on Friday next week.

Government’s draft policy sets out how development will take place in future. At its heart is a greater presumption in favour of development, in an attempt to stimulate economic growth.

FoE believes protection of the natural environment ‘does not have anything like sufficient prominence’ and that not enough weight has been given to social and environmental sustainability.

In its submission, it said: ‘The effect of including the presumption in favour is that it might sway decision makers towards giving less weight to adverse social and environmental consequences if they believe it to be their duty to find in favour of the presumptive position.

‘There is a danger the whole initiative, based as it is on questionable premises, is all about simply making it easy for the island’s countryside to be developed.’

FoE believes planning policy should consider adverse impacts on biodiversity, and that applications should be required to show use of low carbon or carbon neutral design and materials.

VAGABONDS B added to their 2012 Manx Plate win by taking the Shimmin Wilson Manx Bowl against Emerging Nomads.

Vagas went ahead after six minutes when Franzy Germishuys up-and-under was gathered acrobatically by Andy Pease who raced in for the opening try. Ryan Pope converted for a 7-0 lead.

Ten minutes later the lead was extended. Jo Louw broke from the back of a scrum and bumped off two tacklers before off-loading softly to Phil Moore who dived in to make it 12-0.

Al Corrin sneaked a drop goal at the other end for Nomads, before Bryan Quinn barged over for Vagabonds to make it 17-3 at half-time.

Early in the second half, Vagas forged farther ahead. Their forwards got them to within touching distance of the try line. Bryn Griffiths was hauled down just short but, from the ensuing ruck, Andy Pease sneaked in for his second. Ryan Pope converted and Vagas were looking comfortable at 24-3 ahead.

Two minutes later they put the result beyond any doubt. Pease, looking for his hat-trick, was brought down inside the Nomads 22. Bryn Griffith cleared the ruck and Blair Acheson was on hand to finish it off. Pope converted and Vagas were 31-3 in front.

With 15 to play Nomads seemed to finally realise that they were capable of more.

Gerard Landels was the catalyst. He broke down the left wing and, when he ran out of space, Chris Beaumont galloped to his rescue. He took the ball on before popping to Sam Spooner for the try.

With the southern star firmly in the ascent, Landels rounded off their afternoon with a spectacular solo try as he weaved his way through some tired Vagabonds defending. Corrin converted to leave it 31-15.

SURE-SPONSORED Vagabonds brought the curtain down on their South Lancashire and Cheshire Division Two season with an entertaining draw at home to Crewe and Nantwich on Saturday.

The Manx outfit got off to a great start and were soon leading thanks to a great solo try from Leigh Kennaugh. The veteran talisman added the extras from outwide and followed up with two further penalties for a 13-0 lead.

On two rare visits into Vagabonds territory the visitors came away with six points from the boot of Tom Snelly.

Vagabonds were soon back on the attack and, following a well-worked midfield move it was Ross McCulloch who sliced like a hot knife through butter to score. Another try soon followed, this time Jonny Beckley supported out wide and took the scoring pass to leave Vagabonds well in control going into the break 23-6.

In hindsight, maybe Vagas had one eye on this weekend’s Manx Cup Final and took the foot off the pedal so-to-speak. With Crewe sensing this, they came out of the blocks firing from the off.

The game was soon back to 23-all after two quickfire tries from the English outfit and the boot of Snelly.

Vagabonds rallied one more time, going into the final quarter with the ever -present Mark Howarth charging over the line with six defenders on his back. Beckley added the extras.

Crewe were not finished and they soon scored a try of their own. Snelly added the extras to draw the match.

This encounter was certainly a game of two halves with rugby running out the winner on the day.

VAGABONDS lost to Fleetwood Grasshoppers by the narrowest of margins at Ballafletcher in RFU Women’s Championship North Two after putting in a vastly improved performance to their previous matches this season.

Number eight, Tara Jackson,was the star for Vagabonds with two tries.

Fleetwood (or the Floppers as they are more commonly known) went ahead with only 30 seconds played after Vagas strayed offside at a ruck just inside their own 22. The visitors’ stand-off, Mel Box, slotted the easy penalty for a 3-0 lead.

Vagas settled into the game slowly and, despite their set scrum looking a bit creaky, they started to string some phases together.

After quarter of an hour they got a deserved opening try. Sorrelle Williams made the initial line break and, after Lauren Ellison drove it on, number eight Tara Jackson glided in for the try.

Vagas were unable to build on their lead and shortly before half-time Floppers finally gained something from their powerful scrummage. The tight five set them up in excellent field position and, after a quick ruck, prop Stephanie Wilson smashed through the Vagas defence from close range to leave it 5-8 to the visitors at the break.

The opening period of the second half belonged to Vagabonds. Natalie-Jayne Bush was over but adjudged held up. Floppers couldn’t clear their lines and, after a succession of close-range penalties, Jackson went clear and picked up her second try and a 10-8 lead.

From the restart Floppers were back in front. Vagas couldn’t take the kick cleanly and were turned over in midfield. Skipper, Melissa Cox, took the ball in space and her angled run opened up the outside channel for right wing Wendy Voo who retook the lead for Fleetwood.

Midway through the half, Box kicked her second penalty of the game to take the lead to 16-10.

Vagabonds still had a shot left in the locker. Off went Brona Wilson and on came speedster Lizzie Lennon. This move quickly paid dividends.

A quick tap-penalty was shipped to Lennon via the impressive Lauren Ellison and she outpaced the Floppers defence down the right wing to bring Vagas to within a point of the visiting side.

Floppers reacted quickly to this and marked Lennon out of the remainder of the game by switching Voo from the opposite wing. This move allowed them to hang on for a win by a single point.

THE Island’s first CAMRA beer festival last week would doubtless have found favour with the first UK CAMRA festival’s Best Beer award winner.

Manxman Timothy Atkinson, a former King William’s College pupil, was chief brewer with T.D. Ridley’s at Hartford End in Essex, when he won the award at the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) festival at Crystal Palace, London, back in the 1970s.

Related article: {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/real-ales-have-drinkers-approval-photo-slideshow-1-4453742|Real ales have drinkers’ approval}.

Mr Atkinson died five years ago, but his widow Angela said her husband would have been pleased to see the success of CAMRA’s first island festival.

‘He won the award at the very first one they did at Crystal Palace,’ she said. ‘The brewery had been going for over 100 years after being established by the owner’s grandfather, but the owner didn’t know a lot about brewing, so someone recommended Timothy to him.

‘We moved there in 1968 from Burton on Trent, where Timothy had served an apprenticeship with Bass [Brewery].’

Mrs Atkinson said the award was made after drinkers at the beer festival voted for their favourite tipple and his topped the poll.

Though she no longer has the certificate he received, Mrs Atkinson said she did still have a gold medal he had been presented with in 1983 from the International Brewing, Bottling and Allied Trades Exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham.

‘He was proud of that one because it was a mark of approval by the public as well as his peers,’ Mrs Atkinson said.

Ridley’s brewery was bought by Greene King in 2005, but the Ridley family has since started brewing again.

Commenting on the recent beer festival at the Masonic Hall in Douglas, Mrs Atkinson said: ‘I’m not really a beer drinker myself. Timothy would certainly have gone down there to see who he knew and he would have been very interested.’

A MHK raised concerns about old motorhomes being left abandoned in residential streets for months on end – and claimed it was lucky nobody was hurt when one such vehicle actually blew up.

David Quirk (Onchan) raised the issue of motorhomes with Infrastructure Minister David Cretney MHK and asked him: ‘Would he not be concerned, as I am, with only last year in this particular area of Onchan, in Belgravia Road, where one of these motorhomes actually blew up and ripped the side out of the vehicle?

‘Lucky enough nobody was injured at the time, but it is in a park. Would the minister not look at any regulations he does have? Some of these are parked there up to six months, for three months and are just left lying there. Nobody even looks after them.

‘Can I ask the Minister, before we have a death, could we look at something there to remove these vehicles which sometimes are not taxed, and when they are found out, they are taxed? The police chase them up, but they are still left lying there.’

Mr Cretney said his department didn’t have a specific policy on old motorhomes in poor condition left around housing estates.

But he said there was clear legislation to allow for the removal of any unroadworthy or untaxed vehicles – not just motorhomes – that are left on the public highway.

Unroadworthy vehicles left on housing estates and other areas that are not adopted highway can still be removed by the abandoned vehicles officer, he added.

Mr Cretney said his department was currently considering introducing roadworthiness test checks for older vehicles, between 10 and 15 years old, which he said might help to reduce the numbers of vehicles that are not well maintained. Any proposal would be subject to consultation, he said.

The minister said his department had recently completed a consultation exercise to clarify and extend the dimensions of goods vehicles that cannot be permitted to park overnight in residential areas, and these regulations would be submitted to the June sitting of Tynwald. ‘We are on the case, we are doing what we can,’ he said.

There are 853 motorhomes taxed in the island, MHKs heard.

THE Manx Classic three-day sprint and hillclimb event for classic and modern sports cars roars into life today, Thursday, with the Governor’s Sprint.

A total of 80 competitors in a wide selection of vintage, classic and modern sports cars, ranging from 1921 to 2012, will compete in the event, held at three venues across the island.

Practising for the opening sprint takes place this afternoon between midday and 3pm over a reverse stretch of the TT Course from the Grandstand to The Nook, travelling through Governor’s Dip to the finish on the ‘old road’, near to West Drive.

Timed runs will be between 6pm and 9.30pm.

The action moves south to the Sloc on Friday (roads closed 9.15am to 4.30pm) for a hill climb taking in a section of the A36 Sloc Road, north of Port Erin to a point south of Point 1119.

The three-day meeting reaches a finale at Ramsey on Saturday with the ever-popular Lhergy Frissell hill climb (roads closed 9.15am to 5pm). Cars will start from a point close to Barrule Park, running out of Ramsey on the TT Course past Stell maris, continuing round Ramsey Hairpin, Waterworks and the Gooseneck towards the 26th Milestone.

For more information go to: www.manxmotorracing.com

Road closure information is available at: www.manxmotorracing.com/localinfo.htm