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| Full name | Castletown Rugby Union Football Club |
|---|---|
| Union | Cheshire RFU |
| Nickname(s) | Town |
| Location | Castletown, Isle of Man |
| Ground(s) | Poulsom Park |
| Chairman |  John Grimshaw |
| President | Garry Logan |
| Coach(es) | Nick Dale |
| Captain(s) | Matt Quine |
| League(s) | Manx Shield |
| 2012-13 | 3rd |
Castletown R.U.F.C. is a Rugby union football club in Castletown, Isle of Man.
The club traces its roots back to the late 1960s, when a rugby club, Ronaldsway Rugby Club, was formed by employees of the Ronaldsway Aircraft Company.
The first official outing for the new-formed club was the Douglas Rugby Club Easter Sevens competition in 1967, held in the grounds of King Williams College. There were just seven players for their debut, but things improved over the following weeks and months, and the number of players increased.
Facilities began to improve, when the pitch was moved from the hillside where the first couple of games were played, to a better quality playing area, with use of the cricket pavilion for changing and membership of the Ronaldsway Sports and Social Club.
Along with the local sides of Douglas and Vagabonds, the only other regular fixture was against the King Williams College second team. However, matches were also played against touring sides.
The 1980s a new competition, the Manx Shield, became part of the annual rugby calendar. The club were runners up in the Shield for the first two years of its existence. During this time the club lost a number of players to the newly formed Southern Nomads club, but new clubs meant more games and a bigger competition.
As the 1990s beckoned, the management at the Aircraft Company realised that the rugby club they were supporting was no longer made up solely of employees and withdrew their support, so Ronaldsway as it was, folded. Or would have if not a few passionate souls, at the final Ronaldsway RUFC Dinner Dance, refused to give up the club that they had been part of for so long and vowed to find a way to continue and Castletown RUFC was founded.
With the permission of Castletown Commissioners a pitch was marked out at Poulsom Park and posts erected, although short at first. Changing facilities were sparse, with the railway station awning keeping the rain off on wet days. Modern changing facilities by way of porta-cabins came next, which were added to, repainted and repaired over the next few years.
The club has completed the building of permanent changing facilities to replace the porta-cabins. They were officially opened in October 2006 and built with the support of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), Manx Lottery Trust, Manx Sports Council, Castletown Commissioners and the members of Castletown RUFC. With the newly formed Castletown Rugby Union Football Club Limited, the club has secured the tenure on the pitch at Poulsom Park, having taken on a lease from the Castletown Commissioners.
Castletown struggled for much of the year with playing numbers and absences in key positions. Generously moustachioed utility man James Jones missed most of the season travelling with work or by rickshaw, regular try scorer Barry Irvine suffered a potentially career ending knee injury early in the season and powerhouse prop Ruan Badenhorst incurred a broken leg while attempting to gain a winning try at Mooragh Park against Ramsey B.
Despite these set backs morale remained high throughout and 'Town managed to secure a number of impressive wins throughout the season to ensure they made the Manx Bowl final. The season ended with a fine success in the Manx Bowl final with a hard fought 10-8 victory over a strong Ramsey B side. [1]
Following a raucous annual dinner the club are hoping to build on this success and defend their crown next season.
Douglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021). It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and on a sweeping bay of two miles. The River Douglas forms part of the town's harbour and main commercial port.
Castletown is a town in the Isle of Man, geographically within the historical parish of Malew but administered separately. Lying at the south of the island, it was the Manx capital until 1869. The centre of town is dominated by Castle Rushen, a well-preserved medieval castle, originally built for a Viking king.
Ramsey is a coastal town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,845 according to the 2016 Census. It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has a prominent derelict pier, called the Queen's Pier. It was formerly one of the main points of communication with Scotland. Ramsey has also been a route for several invasions by the Vikings and Scots.
The Isle of Man Railway (IMR) is a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin on the Isle of Man. The line is 3 ft narrow gauge and 15+1⁄2 miles long. It is the remainder of what was a much larger network that also served the western town of Peel, the northern town of Ramsey and the small mining village of Foxdale. Now in government ownership, it uses original rolling stock and locomotives and there are few concessions to modernity.
Foxdale A.F.C. is a football club based in Foxdale on the Isle of Man. They compete in the second tier of the Isle of Man Football League.
Ramsey A.F.C. is a football club from Ramsey on the Isle of Man. They compete in the Isle of Man Football League and they wear a blue and white kit, and a change strip of all red. They play their home games at the Ballacloan Stadium in Ramsey.
Ballasalla is a village in the parish of Malew in the south-east of the Isle of Man. The village is situated close to the Isle of Man Airport and 2 miles (3 km) north-east of the town of Castletown.
Isle of Man Airport is the main civilian airport on the Isle of Man. It is located in the south of the island at Ronaldsway near Castletown, 6 nautical miles southwest of Douglas, the island's capital. Along with the Isle of Man Sea Terminal, it is one of the two main gateways to the island. The airport has scheduled services to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
Malew is one of the seventeen parishes of the Isle of Man.
Vagabonds RUFC also known as simply Vagabonds or by their nickname Vagas is a rugby union club located in Douglas, Isle of Man. They are affiliated with the English Rugby Football Union with their Men's Team currently playing in the South Lancs/Cheshire 3 division and the Ladies team playing in North West 1.
Douglas Rugby Club are a rugby union club based in Douglas on the Isle of Man. The club has two senior sides and age-range teams encompassing both mini and junior rugby. The men's 1st XV currently play in Regional Two North West, at the sixth tier of the English rugby union system, following their promotion from South Lancs/Cheshire 1 via the playoffs at the end of the 2016–17 season.
Southern Nomads R.U.F.C. is an amateur Rugby Football club in Port Erin, Isle of Man.
Ronaldsway Halt is a request stop on the Isle of Man Railway between Castletown and Ballasalla at Ronaldsway, near the Isle of Man Airport. Passengers wishing to board the train here can signal the driver to stop the train; to alight from the train the guard must be notified in advance.
For a small country, sport in the Isle of Man plays an important part in making the island known to the wider world. The principal international sporting event held on the island is the annual Isle of Man TT motorcycling event. However, the Isle of Man is represented internationally in a number of other sports at the Commonwealth Games and the Island Games.
The King George V Bowl is a multi-use stadium in Douglas, Isle of Man, and the home of F.C. Isle of Man. With a capacity of 3,350, a third of which are under cover, and a viewing platform for disabled users, it is the largest stadium on the Island. The Bowl also serves as the home of the Isle of Man Football Association, Isle of Man official football team and Ellan Vannin football team.
The Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service is the fire brigade of the Isle of Man Government, providing fire and rescue cover throughout the Isle of Man, an independent Crown dependency located in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland. The service operates under the Department of Home Affairs.
Ramsey Rugby Club is a rugby union team based in Ramsey, Isle of Man. Until the end of the 2019/20 season, the club's First XV played in the English Clubs Championship. The League Structure at levels 8 and 9 disintegrated in March 2020 leaving Ramsey confined to Isle of Man domestic rugby only.
Rugby union in the Isle of Man is a popular sport. It has no national competitive side of its own, and is not affiliated to the IRB in its own right. For this reason, it has no IRB ranking.
Keighley Rugby Union Football Club is a Rugby Union club based in Keighley, West Yorkshire, England. The club currently play in Yorkshire 1.
Western Vikings Rugby Club is a rugby union team based in Peel, Isle of Man. They are affiliated to the Cheshire Rugby Football Union and in turn the English Rugby Football Union.