Boults signs new deal

OLDHAM RL Club kicked off Grand Final week in upbeat mood by tying long-serving prop Jason Boults into a new contract for the 2011 campaign.

The 27-year-old Yorkshireman (pictured, inset) will complete four seasons with Roughyeds in Sunday’s Co-operative Championship One Grand Final showdown with York City Knights at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington.

And he didn’t hesitate to make it five, even though the club is still 80 minutes away from knowing which of the two Championship divisions it will be playing in next year.

“To know I’m secure at Oldham again next year is a big weight off my mind going into Sunday’s final,” said Boults, who has played in 103 cup and league games for Roughyeds since joining from Halifax for the start of the 2007 season.

“The club is moving in the right direction. No matter which way the final goes I will be delighted to stay with Oldham for another 12 months.

“It’s a closely-knit club, the staff and the fans are great and it’s a nice place to be. That counts for a lot. It must be awful to be at a club where you don’t feel at home.”

Boults, who lives in Halifax and works in Bradford as a fork-lift driver, didn’t play in Oldham’s 2007 and 2008 finals, but he was in the starting line-up at the Halliwell Jones last year when Tony Benson’s men were pipped 28-26 by Keighley Cougars.

Watched by Roughyeds chairman Chris Hamilton and coach Benson, York qualified to play Oldham in the final by beating Blackpool Panthers 38-18 at the Huntington Stadium yesterday.

Blackpool’s defeat means that Oldham will be flying the flag for Lancashire as the only team from this side of the Pennines in the Championship and Championship One finals.



SUPPORTERS’ coaches, leaving Whitebank at 1pm on Sunday, are filling up fast and fans intending to book need to do so as soon as possible. Details: 628 3677.