Reserves face Vikings battle

RUNNING MAN . . . Oldham’s Dave Ellison takes on Hornets RL, the side Roughyeds could face again next month.

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OLDHAM Roughyeds reserves will take on Widnes Vikings in a play-off clash on Saturday (1.30pm kick-off) at Widnes RU club.

Coach John Hough travelled to York on Tuesday night to watch Widnes complete their regular season with a 52-6 win.

They needed to score more points than that to oust Leigh out of third spot, so the league table remained unchanged.

The top six, who all now feature in the play-offs, finished in the following order: Whitehaven, Featherstone, Leigh, Widnes, Oldham, Keighley.

Of those, Roughyeds are the only club currently in Co-operative Championship One — proof of how well they have performed this season.

This weekend's other play-off tie sees Leigh host Keighley.

Saturday will be a big day for Hough, his backroom staff and all the players because they will arrive back from Widnes and immediately prepare for Saturday night's presentation evening in the Whitebank club.

Tickets are priced at £7.50, including two-course buffet supper, and they are available each day this week, from 9am to 5pm, at the club office in Lansdowne Road, Chadderton. Call (0161) 628 3677.




WITH one game still to play, at London Skolars a week on Friday night, Oldham are confirmed as Co-operative Champion-ship One runners-up.

Hunslet Hawks go up automatically as champions and the Roughyeds will take pole position in the play-off six which means they are only 80 minutes away from their fourth Grand Final appearance in a row.

Their semi-final clash will take place at the Whitebank Stadium on Sunday, September 12.

Opponents cannot be confirmed until this weekend's games are played, but likely rivals will be either York City Knights or Hornets RL, whom Tony Benson's men have already beaten three times this season.

Benson will be hoping such a run of form can continue to set up the ideal climax to the season.

Tickets for the semi-final, an all-pay game, will go on sale from the Roughyeds office on Monday from 10am and usual league-match prices will apply as follows:

Adults £10, concessions £8, under-16s £3.