Opportunity knocks for reserves
Reporter: Matthew Chambers
Date published: 16 July 2010
INJURIES could open the door for Kashley Watkins to impress in the Northern Rail Nines competition tomorrow.
FRINGE trio Kashley Watkins, Mark Brocklehurst and Scott Mansfield are among the players bidding to impress in the Northern Rail Nines competition.
With a raft of injuries to contend with, Roughyeds coach Tony Benson is likely to put together a squad combining available first-team men with the cream of John Hough’s successful reserve squad.
And Benson hopes that he can get plenty out of a the competition, which is being held at Fylde RUFC tomorrow.
“The Nines is fantastic for working on certain parts of our game,” the Oldham coach said.
“We will be fielding the strongest team we possibly can and with the injuries we have got, it is a good opportunity to take a look at some of the reserves who have been playing so well.”
Currently on the treatment table are Paul O’Connor (neck), Lucas Onyango (ankle), John Gillam (concussion), Marcus St Hilaire (groin), Neil Roden (foot and shin), Gregg McNally (hand), Matty Ashe (collarbone), Luke Sutton (knee) and Craig Robinson (back).
Some of those players may be available for the trip, but Jason Boults (work commitments) and Wayne Kerr (prearranged trip) definitely won’t make it.
Oldham line up for their first game at 10am on pitch one, taking on Barrow in a nine-minutes-each-way clash.
Benson’s men then play Sheffield Eagles on pitch two at noon and Featherstone Rovers, also on pitch 2, at 3pm.
Dewsbury, Rochdale, Swinton and Gateshead are in pool one; Keighley, Workington, York and Whitehaven make up pool three; Doncaster, Blackpool and London Skolars are in pool four; and Halifax, Hunslet and Leigh comprise pool five.
Teams in pools four and five will each play an additional cross-pool game so that every team will play three games, the results of which will form one final table. The top four will go forward to the sudden-death stage.
The top team will play the fourth (5pm) and second will play third (5.30pm), the winners of each to contest the final on pitch one, starting at 6.30pm.
