Speed king stakes is a two-horse race

WHO'S QUICKEST? Is it John Gillam?

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WHO would you put your money on to emerge as the fastest player on the Roughyeds' books?

Over the course of the season so far it's been whittled down to two — wingers Lucas Onyango and John Gillam.

Each has gone neck-and-neck in a sprint to establish who is the Roughyeds' 'prince of pace' and soon, fans will be able to watch the race and see who collects the crown on the home page of the official club website (www.roughyeds.co.uk).

For the record, Kenyan-born Lucas is the club's leading try-scorer so far this term with 19 touchdowns to his name, including a hat-trick in the 38-20 away win against Swinton Lions at Sedgley Park in the first game of the Co-operative Championship One campaign on February 28.

Full-back Paul O'Connor, who scored a hat-trick in the memorable 24-22 win at Blackpool on July 25, and Gillam's centre Mick Fogerty, who put three tries past the Gateshead Thunder defence in the Roughyeds' 68-10 win on Tyneside last month, are joint second with 18 tries apiece.

Gillam, who missed nine games through injury early in the season, is fourth in the list with 13 which includes a four-try haul in his first game back against Gateshead when they were hammered 64-10 on April 24, the last home game of the season to take place at Sedgley Park before the permanent move to Whitebank.

Those are the leading try scorers going into the Roughyeds' final home league game of this superb season against derby-rivals Hornets RL at Whitebank on Sunday.

Neither O'Connor nor Fogerty can touch Onyango or Gillam for sheer pace over distance, and the winner will go forward to represent the Oldham club in the prestigious Carnegie Sprint Challenge at Headingley Carnegie on Wednesday, August 25.

"They are both fast," said Roughyeds chairman Chris Hamilton, "and it was good to know that they were both competitive enough to be up for the challenge and to be eager to win in order to represent Roughyeds on the big occasion.

"The Carnegie Sprint forms part of the fast-growing Carnegie Nines event, which is fast becoming a big annual event on the RL calendar and it will be good to have either John or Lucas there to fly the flag for Roughyeds."