Crowd delights Oldham officials

ROUGHYEDS RESERVES: DESPITE their reserve team’s 28-20 defeat by Featherstone, Oldham Roughyeds’ officials had plenty to smile about at Whitebank last night.

The attendance of 275 was the club’s biggest second-team gate for years — and bettered high-flying Blackpool Panthers’ attendance in their 132-0 defeat of Gateshead Thunder in a Co-operative Championship One game last weekend.

“It was a great turn-out for a midweek reserve-team game, and there was a good atmosphere too,” said Oldham chairman Chris Hamilton,

“It confirmed what we have always believed; that rugby league fans in the town would start coming back once we were back home where we belong.”

Roughyeds trailed 28-12 early in the second half, Paul Ashton having been sin-binned for dissent, but they finished the stronger to score two late tries by forwards Michael Ward and Michael Cadd.

Cadd, a big prop, scored twice in an eye-catching individual performance, while Dean Hatton also crossed the Rovers line and Mark Smith landed two goals.

Roughyeds, leaders of Championship One, will be looking for another encouraging attendance when third-placed Hunslet Hawks come to Whitebank on Sunday — a match in which new loan signing Gregg McNally will make his debut.

Hamilton had provisional talks at the ground yesterday with the RFL Facilities Trust to seek possible financial assistance for the continuing development at Whitebank.

He said: “It was the first time they had had a chance to look at the ground, and our meeting with them was just the first of a series.

“We talked informally about certain proposals; about what is eligible; about procedure, and things like that.”