Rovers keen to pit their wits

SHARLSTON Rovers can’t wait to test themselves against Oldham — yet again.

The team from the former pit village near Featherstone will travel west across the M62 on Sunday (3pm kick off) for the third Challenge Cup meeting between the sides in the last six years, and the second to be played out at Boundary Park.

Having made it past National Conference League premier division outfit Leigh East via a 22-10 home win in the second round, Sharlston may as well have not even tuned in to find out who they would play: every time they have qualified to face professional opposition since 2004, they have been paired with the Roughyeds.

Familiarity doesn’t breed contempt, though, for Rovers player-coach Lee Bettison, who is both delighted and realistic with regard to the task that lies in store for his side.

“We are unbeaten in all competitions this year but at the same time we are realistic enough to know that we are massive underdogs,” said Bettison, a hooker for the Pennine League premier division side and current Yorkshire Cup holders.

“All the lads are buzzing for this one and we can’t wait to challenge ourselves against quality opposition. Some of the young lads in our side aspire to playing professionally so it is a good chance for them, and everyone else, to see how they compare to a team like Oldham.

“Paul Highton has played well over 100 Super League games, the Coyle brothers were at Wigan and Paul Reilly and Marcus St Hilaire have loads of experience at the top level.

“Oldham are strong all over the park and it is a great challenge for us.”

Three supporters’ coaches have been booked to travel to Oldham and visiting fans will be hopeful that Rovers can replicate their efforts from the last time they visited Boundary Park in March, 2004.

The home team only led 8-4 at half-time in a fourth-round tie against a Sharlston side who had previously taken the scalp of nearby professional outfit Dewsbury Rams. Lee Lingard had at one stage pulled the scores level at 4–4 with a pair of penalty goals.

Sharlston continued to battle strongly after the break before eventually going down to a 24-4 defeat, with Simon Svabic kicking four Oldham goals to add to two Iain Marsh tries and one each for Nick Johnson and Lee Marsh.

Of the current Roughyeds squad, only Neil Roden played on that day — he was on the bench — though he wasn’t at the club the following season, when Oldham triumphed 46-14 against Sharlston in a game played at Post Office Road, Featherstone.

Oldham coach Tony Benson is taking nothing for granted and last weekend watched Sharlston defeat Drighlington 40-14.

He will fully expect his side to make it through, though. Super League clubs enter the Challenge Cup at the fifth round stage and the Roughyeds will hope to emulate last season’s feat in which they reached the quarter-finals of the competition before losing at Wakefield 46-4.