UPFRONT
OUR COMMUNITY
GIVE CELTON MANX SPONSORSHIP SEES MIKE HENTHORN CRUSE MEMORIAL GOLF DAY RAISE £7,500 The 2018 Mike Henthorn Cruse Memorial Golf Day has raised £7,500.
Douglas RUFC junior players with goodie bags at the Old Mutual International Junior Rugby Festival.
BIG TURNOUT AT OLD MUTUAL INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR RUGBY FESTIVAL Children from across the Island took part in a junior rugby union tournament organised by Douglas RUFC at the weekend (April 28th/29th). The third annual Old Mutual International Junior Rugby Festival – which is backed by the Douglas club’s main sponsor – featured teams representing all of the rugby union clubs on the Island. All the matches were held at the Port-e-Chee ground with primary school age group games on Saturday, and secondary school age group games on Sunday. In addition to the action on the pitch, the festival featured entertainment for all the family with food and refreshments available in the clubhouse, and a barbecue. Carl Murray, Douglas RUFC player/coach, thanked everyone who had supported the festival and added: “It was great to see the enthusiasm for the sport which all of the children have shown this weekend. They certainly burnt up a lot of energy, so everyone was grateful for the Old Mutual International goodie bags
which contained water, fruit, sweets, and milk from Isle of Man Creamery to help the children refuel after each match. The festival has grown steadily since it began in 2016. It’s a great way to encourage children to get more involved with the sport, and an important part of our ongoing plans to promote rugby across the Island – plans which include Old Mutual International supporting England Rugby’s Old Mutual Wealth Kids First programme on the Island.” Peter Kenny, Old Mutual International Managing Director, attended the event to present prize winners with rugby balls provided by Old Mutual International.
Held at Peel Golf Club and sponsored for the seventh year in succession by Celton Manx, the fully subscribed event was renamed in 2017 as a tribute to the late and much respected local businessman Mike Henthorn, a former vice-chairman of Cruse Bereavement Care Isle of Man. 22 teams entered the event which saw Bronwen and Roger Raatgever with Maryann and Richard Dunn take first place with 52.5 points. Ahead of the prize presentations Cruse Bereavement Care Isle of Man chairman Sam Skelton said that the ‘tremendous support’ the event enjoyed was a fitting tribute to Mike Henthorn who had been such a driving force behind the charity and the golf day. He continued: ‘We are enormously grateful to the long-standing sponsorship from Celton Manx. 2018 is the eighth year we have been running the event and in that
time we have raised around £50,000. ‘2018 is also the 30th anniversary of Cruse in the Isle of Man. Over these past 30 years the charity has grown and recruited many more volunteers. We have now reached a new and exciting phase in our history as we are looking to swell our volunteer numbers further, expand our range of services and, hopefully, relocate to larger offices. All of which is down to the loyalty, support and generosity of the Manx community.’ Celton Manx executive director Bill Mummery said: ‘The memory of Mike Henthorn lives on, such was his standing in the island’s business community and his tireless commitment to Cruse Bereavement Care. ‘It is encouraging to see that in a challenging economic climate when corporate organisations are having to review their charitable giving priorities this golf day continues to garner such a loyal following.
The festival crowned an excellent season all-round for Douglas RUFC with the 1st XV achieving a solid mid-table position in their first season in North One West league of the Northern Division. The squad won the Team of the Year Award at the Isle of Man Sports Awards, and Carl Murray won the Coach of the Year Award.
DANDARA CONTINUES SUPPORT OF ISLE OF MAN JUNIOR GOLF
Homebuilder Dandara is continuing its support of Isle of Man junior golf and will once again sponsor the Junior Order of Merit and Isle of Man Golf Junior Championships.
Pictured, left to right: Richard and Maryann Dunn, Celton Manx head of business development Mike Stanton, Janet Henthorn, Mike Henthorn’s widow, Bronwen and Roger Raatgever, Cruse Bereavement Care Isle of Man’s chief operating officer Amanda Cafearo, chairman Sam Skelton and treasurer Richard Hetherington. (Photo Matt Mosur)
20
The Junior Order of Merit was first launched in the Island in 2014 with assistance from England Golf, and aims to encourage youngsters to get involved in the sport, develop pathways to become better players and inspire them to play golf for life. The competition is open to all junior golfers
and consists of five separate events held between April and September. Catering to all levels and abilities, each event includes full rounds for Under 18s and Under 14s, 9-hole and 6-hole competitions for younger and less experienced players, and a flag competition for beginners.
In 2017, 67 individual golfers took part, with only nine aged 15 or older. Several of the 18-hole players who have come up through the ranks now regularly play in adult competitions at their home clubs, with some notable wins recorded. ISLE OF MAN PREMIER MAGAZINE