Pros step up to the mark

Photo: Jim Davis

Oldham’s Mark Hobson tries to punch a hole in the Egremont line.

EGREMONT 24, OLDHAM 42
“This is our Wembley,” mused Egremont chairman Sam Bailey.

And while it required more than a smattering of imagination to temporarily transform Copeland into our magnificent national edifice, it was clear the chairman’s enthusiasm had spread to his players.

Egremont unleashed on their unsuspecting Championship One rivals a couple of kids full of spirit and fire. Rugby’s 2014 model requires half-backs to be organisers, decision-makers, leaders, expert tactical kickers — men who will shoulder responsibility and guide their team around the park.

Youngsters Paul Corkhill and Lewis Beckwith were hardly in that mould, but they caught Oldham out because they did what half-backs don’t generally do these days: they ran at the Roughyeds defence, examined it for the slightest weakness and then swept through it far too often for comfort.

Oldham looked like posting a cricket score early on when forwards Jason Boults, Michael Ward, Josh Crowley, Danny Langtree, Kenny Hughes and Adam Files were too hot for the amateurs to handle.

Even at that early stage there were odd moments when Oldham defenders had to look lively to keep Corkhill and Beckwith at bay.

But in the main it was one-way traffic with Mo Agoro, Hughes and Steven Nield twice scoring excellent tries, two of which Lewis Palfrey converted.

Then out of the blue came a rare moment of magic when baby-faced Beckwith (20), did what he had threatened. A dummy, a shimmy and a turn of pace saw him race into the clear well wide of Nield, to record a brilliant solo try.

Either side of half time, Langtree crossed for Oldham; John-Paul Brocklebank for Rangers; then Files for the visitors, who led 30-12 after 55 minutes.

Oldham was the stronger, more structured side, but Rangers gained confidence by the minute on the back of constant thrusts by Beckwith and Corkhill.

Corkhill’s clever little kick produced a try for Farrer, then Beckwith ripped into the Oldham again to set up a try for Keiron Glenn.

At 30-24, Oldham’s slip was starting to show, but the game was again turned on its head when the home side failed to defuse a Palfrey bomb, the costly error giving Roughyeds possession in a perfect position.

It was time for the professionals to step up to the mark and finish the job and they did it with a two-try blast by star-man Crowley in the 75th and 77th minutes.

A tiring Rangers defence couldn’t hold Oldham’s big second-row man, who stopped the amateurs getting too excited by smashing through the last remnants of cover to record his all-important brace.