Seven-try Roughyeds down Eagles

JOHN Hough’s young Oldham RL high-fliers were again in scintillating form when trouncing Sheffield Eagles 42-6 in an under-23s reserve game in South Yorkshire.

In so doing they leapfrogged Leigh Centurions to go second in the table behind Widnes Vikings and, with two games left, to become firm favourites to head into the play-offs as runners-up.

They have won 12 and drawn one of their 16 league games, completing league doubles over Keighley Cougars, Halifax, York City Knights and Sheffield Eagles and taking three points out of four off Featherstone Rovers.

They can’t finish top, despite being the only side all season to defeat champions-elect Widnes, but two wins from their remaining games against Dewsbury Rams at the Whitebank on Saturday (2.30pm) and Whitehaven away seven days later would guarantee a second-place finish.

In this latest triumph in Sheffield, which stretched their unbeaten run to nine games, Roughyeds slogged it out with rugged opponents in a 30-minute arm-wrestle and then turned on the razzle-dazzle to score 36 unanswered points.

Enterprising attack produced seven tries in total, each converted by Jamie Dallimore, while tenacious defence restricted Sheffield to one try, scored near the end of the game on the back of three penalties in a row.

Prop Danny Langtree scored two second-half tries while others fell to centre Matthew Fogarty, loose-forward Alex Thomson, winger Terry Bridge and second-row pair Chris Dean and skipper Jamie Knight.

Best of the lot was Thomson’s individual effort in which he chipped over two defenders close to the line, regathered with his right hand while under pressure from the full-back and planted the ball down for the try by the side of the posts, all in one movement.

Hough said: “Having conceded a few tries against Leigh the week before, even in victory, we needed to put in a big defensive effort this time.

“Our goal was to keep Eagles to 12 points or fewer, so we achieved that with plenty to spare.