Agoro trio lifts gloom

Photo: PICTURES by TIM BRADLEY

EARS PINNED BACK: Steven Nield races away to score for Oldham

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Oldham 58, Scorpions 2

ON the day Oldham went out to defend for all they were worth, Mo Agoro scored his first hat-trick in senior rugby and Ben Wood added two more as Roughyeds piled up their second-biggest score under Scott Naylor.

And in case we forget, the side didn’t neglect its main objective: to shut out Scorpions and keep their try line intact. Mission accomplished.

The Welshmen never seriously threatened to score as they reeled under the backlash of Oldham’s flimsy rearguard action at Hemel and the harsh words that followed from the coach.

Naylor has their respect, their ear and their desire to man-up when he lays down the law. All that, and more, was on show here as Oldham beavered to defend their line and win back the boss’s trust.

The only changes made were necessary because of Danny Langtree’s suspension, namely George Tyson’s switch from bench to second-row and Wood’s inclusion as a substitute for his first appearance since the defeat at Hunslet on Good Friday.

He looked more at home in the forwards, producing a performance that underpinned his claims for another chance among the men up front.

He ran excellent lines to score twice without a finger laid on him and it was his powerful break up the middle in the second half that allowed Agoro to complete his hat-trick.

The winger is starting to make a real name for himself at this level. Big, strong and deceptively quick, he has exploded into a rich run of form which has yielded ten tries in seven games.

Tyson, another young player, can take enormous credit for laying on Agoro’s first try with a wide run on the right and a perfectly-timed pass that set the winger on his way.

“Class — sheer class,” one observer was heard to remark as Tyson demonstrated he can be as subtle with ball in hand as he is ruthless when going into the tackle.

Agoro had to wait until midway through the second half to cross for his second after winning a high ball in the air and finishing near the posts.

The cheers had barely died before he was in again, this time getting alongside Wood to finish strongly and to crown a fabulous individual performance.

Other eye-catching displays came from Steve Nield at full-back, Josh Crowley in the second-row and Michael Ward and Kenny Hughes, coming off the bench.

With Phil Joy, Jason Boults, Ward, Wood and Nathan Mason sharing the heavy work in the middle, Roughyeds had a set of forwards that terrorised the Welsh, particularly in the second half when they were pushing forward relentlessly down the slope.

Behind them, Hughes gave an impressive performance from dummy half, repeatedly pushing forward and looking to bring colleagues into play.

It was an accomplished all-round effort by Roughyeds in which Palfrey and Roper were the anchor men, one on either side of the field.

It was great rugby — more’s the pity there were only 400 fans there to witness what was the last home game for a month.