Roughyeds avoid winding-up move

Chris Hamilton: Ongoing battle to put the Roughyeds on an even keel.

A “SUBSTANTIAL” payment has been made by Oldham Roughyeds to fend off the latest winding-up petition against the club.

Registrar Barber formally dismissed winding-up moves that had been brought against Oldham Rugby League Football Club (1997) Limited by HM Revenue and Customs, on request from HMRC’s lawyers.

While happy to have kept the club going once more despite a third such petition in the space of less than a year, chairman Chris Hamilton said that the battle to get the club on an even keel has not yet been won.

“We have made it clear since the takeover that the club has debts to address in order to get back on track,” said Hamilton, who recently welcomed Sean Whitehead back on to the board of directors.

“We are not out of the woods yet in terms of debt. But what this does demonstrate is that we have a strong commitment to moving this club forward.”

While the amount that has been paid by the club to the Revenue has not been revealed, that last two payments in June and November amounted to £55,000 and £47,000 respectively.

Roughyeds play Welsh amateurs Blackwood Bulldogs at Sedgley Park on Sunday (3pm) in the third round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup, but their next two home league games have been put back to later in the season in the hope that the new-ground situation will have been resolved by then.

“We are looking for some breathing space,” said Hamilton, “and we would like to thank Hunslet and Blackpool for their assistance in this matter.”

The Hunslet fixtures have been reversed. Oldham now play at Hunslet a week this Friday, March 12 (8pm kick off) and Hunslet come here on Sunday, May 23 (3pm).

Blackpool were unable to reverse the fixtures so their game here scheduled for Sunday, March 21 will now be put back to Sunday, June 20 (3pm).

The alterations mean that Roughyeds will not play at home again in the league until Easter Monday, April 5 (3pm) when Workington Town visit.

And after the game at Hunslet on Friday of next week they won’t play again in the league until they go to Rochdale on Good Friday, April 2.