Chart-topper Ryan
Date published: 22 October 2008
Photo: Anthony Miller
TRYING TIMES: Nathan Jewitt (left), of Our Lady’s, heads for the try-line against Crompton House
A PAIR of tries and an excellent stint in both defence and attack pushed Ryan Maneely to the top of the under-14s Tri-Team Challenge player of the series standings.
Maneely’s Saddleworth Rangers side beat Oldham St Anne’s 32-0 in an outstanding display, in the third match of the three-team mini-league which also involves Higginshaw.
Saddleworth pair Ben White and Ross Hansford were rated as second and third-best players, respectively.
The top side at the end of the six-game competition also goes straight through to the final of the Oldham Junior Cup, with the other two sides playing off for the right to face them.
Counthill reign at Manor
COUNTHILL were crowned champions of a Year 11 Oldham Schools Rugby League Festival at Manor Park (see pictures).
Showing flair in attack, they defeated Saddleworth by two tries to nil in a fiercely-contested final.
Counthill went through the competition unbeaten after other wins against Crompton House and Our Lady’s.
Our Lady’s won the Plate final after overcoming Royton Crompton.
Six teams took part and they were: Counthill, Royton and Crompton, Saddleworth, Blue Coat, Crompton House and Our Lady’s.
Late rally in vain
HIGGINSHAW Eagles under-14s were squeezed out 16-12 away at Ince Rose Bridge.
A great effort by Niall Reyburn opened the scoring before Ince hit back.
Outstanding defence forced the home team to spill the ball, Elliott White profiting, but a converted effort from Ince helped them to a 10-8 lead at the break.
The home side added to that lead and, despite throwing everything at them in the last 15 minutes, the Eagles managed to score just once more through the outstanding Reyburn.
Other top performers on the day were Elliot White, Bradley Turner, Josh Queenan, Callum Deakin and Ryan Standring.
SADDLEWORTH Rangers under-15s remain top of the North-West Counties League table thanks to a 32-14 victory over local rivals Shaw.
Playing at home, Rangers responded after conceding an early try to put pressure on Shaw’s defence, which held up well for a time.
But before long Saddleworth started to rack up the points, with a brace of tries each for Luke Du Feu and Kurtis Smith, plus others from Jordan Arundale and Dan Mulqueen — on the end of a superb team effort — securing the points.
Nathan Shaw-Langhorn and De Feu landed two conversions each.
But Rangers under-11s suffered a first major defeat of the season at home to Widnes St Marie’s.
Eight tries, all converted, saw the visitors record a 48-4 triumph against Rangers, who had several new players performing well on debut.
OLDHAM St Anne’s under-15s bounced back from their Lancashire Cup exit in style, defeating Ince Rose Bridge 40-6.
Ryan Bradbury opened the scoring with a fine move, before further tries from Dale Harris, Ryan Bradbury and Pat Weldon, added to three Nathan Hughes conversions, helped Saints to a 22-0 half-time lead.
The home team carried on from where they left off after the break to claim further tries through Nick Hughes, Bradbury and Powell, with Nathan Hughes kicking three more goals. Ince’s consolation try arrived in the last minute.
Saints’ under-10s side also responded well to a loss to turn things around at the weekend with a 24-0 defeat of Atherton Dragons.
Tries from Nathan Done and James Barran, plus two length-of-field efforts from Oliver Depetrillo and Alex France, secured the win.
A defensively strong Portico Vine team beat St Anne’s under-nines by eight tries to one. Cole Connelly scored Saints’ only try.
The under-eights enjoyed better fortunes, coming up with an awesome display to see off a good Wigan St Patrick’s team.
Four-try Ben Ivell topped the scoring charts and other scores came from Thomas Barnes, Danny Fish, Ethan Chiappie and Alfie Baldwin.
JACK Holmes’ goal, the last kick of the match, edged Waterhead’s under-13s to a nail-biting 22-20 victory at Portico Vine.
Tries on the day came from Alex Fallon (two), Jacob Rothwell and Nathan Mason.
It was a similar tale for the under-16s, who won 34-30 at Haydock Warriors for a first victory in five games.
In an excellent game, Waterhead’s try scorers were Anthony Mellor (two), Jordan Curtis, Niall Dunnington-Wallace, Luc Kinder and Ross Maher, with Mellor adding five conversions from six attempts.
Ben Whitehead scored a try and kicked two goals as the under-15s beat Latchford 20-10 at home.
Leading 6-0 at half-time thanks to a converted Daniel Yates try, Waterhead went 14-0 up when Jack Cooke and Whitehead crossed the whitewash.
Latchford came back strongly to reduce the deficit to 14-10, before Cooke sealed the win with his second try of the game.
Waterhead’s under-nines found the going tough at Atherton Dragons following a three-week break, losing by nine tries to two.
The strong running Lewis Wighton Turner scored both tries.
