Benson’s sights on first-day shock

MICK NANYN: Record-breaking goal-kicker for Oldham.

ROUGHYEDS chief Tony Benson is targeting an opening-day upset in this season’s Northern Rail Cup.

Oldham are away to Co-op Championship outfit Leigh, who are seeking a third success in the competition and, under Ian Millward, boast one of the rugby league’s most successful coaches.

The Centurions, with the experience and leadership of Robbie Paul plus the quality of John Duffy in the half-backs, are hot favourites to start with a win at Leigh Sports Village on Sunday, but Benson is hoping to “burst their bubble” in the first set of matches in pool ‘B’.

Oldham have already caused a surprise or two in the NRL Cup, with victories over Widnes Vikings and Salford City Reds, and the Roughyeds’ Kiwi coach fancies another shock.

He said: “It is going to be a very tough test. Leigh are playing well, having assembled a very good squad and they have made it very clear that their big focus is on winning the Northern Rail Cup.

“They will be very difficult, but there is nothing we would enjoy more than bursting their bubble, so we will give it our best shot.

“We are probably going into it two games underdone, but we have got what we have got and we will make the most of it.”

Although Oldham’s squad has changed much in the close season — a host of fresh faces including several promising youngsters have been snapped up in a bid to win promotion from Co-op Championship One — Leigh are relying on much of last term’s under-performing players.

Millward, who spent two years at Leigh from 1998 to 2000, transforming the ailing club from relegation candidates to promotion contenders before moving on to St Helens, Wigan Warriors and North Queensland, will be hoping to get the best out of his new charges.

The Australian will be looking to the likes of former Roughyeds Tommy Goulden, Ricky Bibey and Mick Nanyn to come up with the goods.

Goulden was a firm favourite at Oldham and was one of the club’s most effective and popular forwards, while expert goal-kicker Nanyn broke Pat Rich’s seven-year Roughyeds record when he piled up 346 points in 2008.




TO gain entry to the stadium at Leigh you MUST first buy your ticket from the ticket office at Leigh Sports Village. Cash will not be accepted at the turnstiles. Admission for standing is £14 adults and £7 children and for seats it is £16 adults and £8 children.






THE top four teams in two pools of 10 will go into the draw for the knock-out quarter-finals.



In the pool stages, each team will play two home and two away games against an equal number of Championship and Championship One clubs.

Oldham’s fixtures: Sunday, Leigh (A); February 7: Hornets RL (H); February 14: Hunslet (A); February 21: Sheffield Eagles (H).