Points blitz seals fate
Reporter: Matthew Chambers at the Mayfield Sports Centre
Date published: 28 January 2010
Photo: PICTURES by ANTHONY MILLER
TWO AGAINST ONE: Oldham’s Jamie Knight (right) is outnumbered as he tries to make ground.
Hornets 30, Oldham 6
A FLURRY of first-half points from Hornets ensured the Law Cup remains out of Oldham hands for another year.
John Stankevitch’s side ran home four tries in a devastating 15-minute spell before the break in a low-key game, helping the Rochdale outfit to a 26-0 interval advantage that was never in danger of being overturned at the home of amateur club Mayfield in Castleton.
Tony Benson’s Rough-yeds did at least offer more resistance after the break, ‘winning’ the second period 6-4 thanks to an Austen Barrowclough try and a Mark Smith conversion, and there were a number of impressive displays from the likes of Scott Mansfield, scrum-half Michael Diveney and Jack Graves.
Unfortunately, Benson also saw substitute Luke Rhoden carried off midway through the first half with a dislocated knee that was later put back in place.
The rearranged midweek clash, the third and last of Oldham’s pre-season period, featured a whole host of reserve teamers on both sides.
For the visitors, a scratch line-up featured only two men — centre Marcus St Hilaire and Gary Sykes — who were members of last season’s first-team roster.
The 19-man playing squad included three players in Diveney, Mark Kellett and Michael Cadd who had only one training session under their belt for reserves coach John Hough.
With the first Northern Rail Cup pool game at Leigh in wait on Sunday that was understandable, as was the fact that the Roughyeds consequently struggled for cohesion early on.
Hornets, with former Roughyeds half-back Chris Hough pulling the strings, grabbed their first try after eight minutes when a good switch of direction saw Jay Duffy supply Dayne Donoghue with a try wide on the left which was unconverted.
The visitors were their own worst enemies with poor ball control and the consequent extra work in defence benefited Hornets.
After Rhoden had been taken off the field — he was sporting crutches post-game — Dean Hatton twisted and turned over the line from close in the 25th minute, the former Widnes man converting his own effort.
Five minutes later Hough started a passage of play with a high bomb which was gathered by team-mate Paul Crook, who returned the ball for Hough to score.
In the 32rd minute, the lively Craig Tunstead ran home the first of his double by scything through Oldham’s defence and John Cookson was next to crash home, Wayne Corcoran converting both tries.
After the break, prop Jacob Kinney became another Roughyeds casualty after suffering a knock to the head which caused concussion.
Finally enjoying some good field position, the visitors got on the score board when substitute Barrowclough faked a pass left and dived across the line from acting half.
But there was little further action of note in the second half save for Tunstead’s second try and the result left Oldham still searching for a first Law Cup victory since 2004.
