Swinton warm-up a test for Oldham

OLDHAM Rugby League Club’s pre-season programme of warm-up games will include a derby clash at Whitebank against Swinton Lions on Sunday, February 9 (kick-off 3pm).

This won’t be the only game to form a key element of the Roughyeds’ preparations, but it’s the first one to be confirmed and announced.

The season proper kicks off three weeks later, on Sunday, March 2, when Scott Naylor’s men travel to South Wales Scorpions on curtain-up day in Kingstone Press Championship One.

Swinton finished 10th out of 14 clubs in the Championship last season, their nine wins from 26 games giving them four more points than Hunslet Hawks and eight more than York City Knights, both of whom were relegated to the third tier of the professional game.

Oldham chairman Chris Hamilton: “We haven’t played a derby with Swinton for a year or two so it will be an interesting fixture for fans as well as a good test for our players, both individually and

collectively. It’s always a challenge to go up against a team from a higher division.”