Mervill back for a third season

OLDHAM have agreed a new one-year deal which will keep Richard Mervill at the club for the 2009 season.

The 27-year-old, formerly of Halifax and Keighley, becomes the fifth prop forward in Tony Benson’s squad for next year after ironing out issues regarding his career outside of rugby.

Mervill, a firm fans’ favourite with a terrific work ethic, is to become a firefighter in his native West Yorkshire.

He completes a training course in three weeks’ time, but his new job won’t affect his ability to play on Sundays.

“We have been talking to him for a while,” admitted Roughyeds chief executive Chris Hamilton.

“He got in the National League Two team of the year last year, though ironically of the two seasons he has been here it was his poorest — or, certainly not as good as 2007, by his own admission.

“As with everybody in the squad, he’ll be looking for improvement.”

Along with Jason Boults, whose signing was confirmed yesterday, Mervill joins Luke Sutton, Luke Menzies and Paul Highton as front row forwards now available to coach Tony Benson.

Though not quite as effective as he was in his first season with the club in 2007, Mervill took on a huge workload last season due in large part to the non-availability of experienced pair Warren Stevens and Simon Baldwin.

Despite picking up an elbow injury which restricted his pre-season training, the durable Mervill — particularly outstanding in the 40-16 home defeat of eventual National League Two champions Gateshead Thunder — only missed two games out of 37 and scored two tries. The year before, he was an ever-present in the NL2 campaign.

Next year’s first-team squad now numbers 22, with plenty more players than spots available in the matchday squad.

“We want competition in all positions, as that makes players perform to their optimum level,” added Mr Hamilton, who is expected to add further names to the playing roster very soon.