Senior service for roughyeds

Date published: 27 September 2013


SENIOR citizen in Oldham’s fledgling squad Jason Boults believes Scott Naylor’s boys will succeed where their predecessors failed four years running.

Roughyeds have known nothing but play-off final heartbreak stretching back to 2001 and prop-forward Boults has had his share, having played in the 2009 defeat by Keighley and the following year’s loss to York City Knights.

“I don't want to go through that again,” said 30-year-old Boults, the only survivor from the 2010 game in which Roughyeds were outplayed by a York side they had beaten by nine points only two weeks before.

Three years later, the roles are reversed. Oldham go into a final having been beaten by the same opponents in an earlier round.

Derby rivals Rochdale relied on a Paul Crook drop goal four minutes from the end to sneak home 23-22 in the semi-final at Whitebank — a setback from which, true to form, the Roughyeds’ class of 2013 responded by posting their biggest score of the season in hammering London Skolars 64-8 the following week

Boults said: “That was a top-drawer performance and it’s given us a lot of self-belief about the final.

“We’ve every reason to be confident — not too confident — because we’ve been the best team in the division all year, losing out to North Wales in the race for top spot only because we had a slow start.”



GERRY Jones has been named Oldham RL’s ‘King of the Fans’ at the end of a season-long hunt by sponsors Kingstone Press Cider to find the most dedicated supporter at each of the 23 clubs in the two Championship divisions.

Oldham-born Gerry has supported Roughyeds all his life and never misses a game home or away - even though he lives in Leeds.

“I’m chuffed to bits to win this,” said Gerry. “The club means the world to me.”

He has won a crate of cider and a family ticket for finals day on Sunday.