Johnson is hat-trick hero

Local amateur rugby league

NICK JOHNSON grabbed a hat-trick as Waterhead won 22-20 at home against Hull Isberg in National Conference League division two.

The visitors, propping up the table, gave the Peach Road side plenty to think about prior to the former Roughyeds man’s third of the day at the hour mark, though.

“We struggled, but we had a patched-up side out there,” admitted coach Mick Slicker, who had three players – Sean Garrett, Michael Bennett and the outstanding Will Schofield – on the bench who had turned out for the under-18s in their 20-6 loss at Saddleworth the night before.

After going 10-0 behind after only a couple of minutes, Waterhead, for whom Keiran Grennan also stood out, fought back and scored through Johnson. A further Isberg try just before the break then gave the visitors an unexpected 14-4 advantage.

A strong second half performance saw the home side through, with Chris Charlesworth’s try added to by Terry Fitzgerald’s third goal of the game to secure the points.

Saddleworth Rangers were also back to wining ways in division one, defeating Millom 20-4 on their travels in what was described by coach Keith Brennan as “the best 80 minutes we have played all year”.

Rangers also featured one of the players, full-back Stephen Nield, who turned out in the previous night’s under-18s derby.

The visitors went 4-0 behind to the Cumbrian outfit, who started the game strongly.

After a shaky opening, Rangers took control and scored tries through James Whalley, Tom Lever, Adam Clayton and Fraser Coley, Michale Coates adding two goals in a comprehensive win in which veteran forward Emerson Jackman was impressive.

It wasn’t such a good day elsewehere in division one, with Oldham St Anne’s out-gunned 30-4 by a powerful and impressive Wath Brow Hornets team.

Despite playing against the wind in the first half, the Cumbrian table-toppers took a stranglehold on the game to establish a 18-0 lead at the break.

Too much ball was given up by Saints early in the tackle count and the visitors took full advantage to run in four tries to add to an early penalty goal.

In the second half, aided by the wiles of scrum-half Paul Ashton off the bench, St Anne’s improved and applied pressure on Wath Brow..

But a flowing move which swept from one end of the pitch to the other five minutes after the break ended any lingering hopes of a comeback.

To their credit, Saints stuck to their task and picked up a deserved score five minutes from the end, as centre Ryan Blake piled over on the left wing off Ashton’s kick.