Brookes wings in for reserves

WINGER Lewis Brookes and back-row man Mark Smith are in line to make their seasonal debuts for Oldham RL reserves in their pre-season game against Halifax at Whitebank tonight (7.30pm kick-off).

They were unavailable when John Hough's boys beat Dewsbury Rams 36-12 in their first run-out, but both are included in a 21-man squad to take on 'Fax.

Powerful 20-year-old prop Tom Wood-Hulme has returned to the first team squad, but Roughyeds will stick pack a punch up front, given that all six tries against the Rams were scored by props – two each by Wood-Hulme and Michael Cadd and the others by Tom Crosby and Matty Barber.

Crosby was Hunslet Hawks reserve team player of the year in 2010, while Barber, another Oldham newcomer, has joined on trial from Warrington amateurs, Crosfields.

Also included tonight, for the second time, are a trio from Wigan St Cuthberts in goalkicking half-back Jamie Dallimore, a BARLA international, pacy winger Terry Bridge and centre or full-back Adam Hunt.

Other newcomers this season include hooker Alex Thompson and loose-forward Chris Dean, who have both come through the scholarship and academy systems at Warrington Wolves.

Squad: Hunt, Thompson, Williams, Barrowclough, Marsden, Dean, Langtree, Vaughan, Dallimore, Brookes, Smith, Thomas, Fogarty, Barber, Cadd, Ward, Robinson, Nield, Bridge, Crosby, Connick.

Admission is £4 adults, £2 concessions and under-16s.