Saints coping in adversity

REMAINING UPBEAT . . . St Anne’s coach Mick Fogerty.

RUGBY: Oldham St Anne’s players will miss a toyal of 21 games after the rule book was chucked at the club in this week’s league disciplinary hearing.

Sixteen of that huge total came as a result of the 26-6 defeat at Bradford Dudley Hill in late April.

Simon Topping is suspended for eight matches after being dismissed for using an elbow in that fiery match. Nathan Jewitt was dismissed for foul language to match official, and also misses eight games.

Carl Fields has been banned for five games for his part in a fight with Waterhead’s Jack Pemberton, who received the same penalty.

The suspensions hardly make life easier for St Anne’s coach Mick Fogerty ahead of his team’s trip to Castleford Panthers tomorrow.

But it means the player-coach gets the chance to pull on his boots: “We are actually not looking too bad, even though we are missing 11 players,” said Fogerty.

“Penalties cost us in the Kells game, so we go to Castleford looking to put that right and pick up a win.”

Saints lost 37-18 at home to Kells last week, despite being 12-10 up at half-time.



Saddleworth Rangers will hope a weekend off has left them ready for a positive result at second-bottom Dewsbury Celtic.

Last time, Rangers suffered a last-gasp defeat at home and left the National Conference Challenge Trophy at the first round.

Dudley Hill won 20-18, leaving the Greenfield side to focus on improving their standing as third-bottom club.

Waterhead, depleted to 16 players at Ovenden last week, are at home to Pilkington Recs in Division Two - and looking to put a thumping 50-0 defeat firmly behind them.