Knock-out blow

Photo: Pictures: GRAHAM LYNCH

DANNY Langtree takes the ball up for Oldham.

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Hunslet 36, Oldham 10

OLDHAM tried hard while never seriously threatening a Challenge Cup upset.

A 26-point winning margin flattered Hunslet in some respects, yet in others the Championship side looked a division better, both in goal-line defence and in turning chances into points.

Roughyeds were at their best in the first 20 minutes of both halves, but on each occasion the home side held them back – and then struck with a three-try salvo.

Scott Naylor’s men didn’t deserve a 36-10 beating in this third-round Tetley’s tie, but it still demonstrated the difference in class between the Kingstone Press divisions.

There was a sign of things to come when Hunslet’s first raid produced a try for Tommy Haughey and the second saw winger Lee Mapals scampering over - only for the touch-judge to come to the Roughyeds’ rescue.

Hawks had an escape when pacy Richard Lepori went clear up the middle on a short ball, which was judged forward.

The introduction of lively Callum Windley off the Hunslet bench was to give Hawks more sharpness on attack and they duly responded with two tries in three minutes.

The ability to turn half-chances into points was one of the biggest differences between the sides.

In the second half Palfrey’s early break opened up the hosts and Danny Samuel went desperately close, but was penalised for a double movement in the act of touching down.

Such was the frustration surrounding Oldham’s attacking performance – it was often exciting in its build-up, but awful in its final execution.

To rub salt into the wound, Hunslet soaked it all up and then handed out another lesson in finishing by piling on three late tries

By way of some consolation, Oldham finished off the try-scoring when Adam Files dummied his way over in the corner on the last play of the game.