Giants partnership a positive step

YOUTH RUGBY LEAGUE

SADDLEWORTH Rangers have formed a link with Huddersfield Giants which gives youngsters from the age of 13 upwards the chance to benefit from Super League coaching.

Rangers had already formed a commercial link with the Giants through a tie-in on their lottery scheme and now, promising talent from the club will get the chance to play in youth sections and academies at the top-flight club.

“It isn’t an exclusive arrangement,” said Saddleworth chairman Terry Flanagan. “They approached us with a benefits package that was of interest and we saw it as a positive step.

“We have a great relationship with Oldham, our nearest professional club and we are loyal to that.

“At the same time, you can’t deny that people will always be attracted to Super League.”

Giants playing staff and mascot ‘Big G’ were present at Shaw Hall Bank Road to watch Saddleworth’s under-16s make it eight wins out of eight this season with a 42-0 win over Golborne Parkside.

Jack Francis scored four tries and was named man-of-the-match by the Giants stars.

Other tries came from Damon Lees (two), Jack Chadwick and Michael Tattersall, with Joe Greenwood kicking four conversions and Tattersall one.

Nathan Jewitt was the top man in defence for Rangers, while Kristian Constantinou, Lees and Curtis Robinson had their best games of the season.


A FIRST HALF hat-trick from man-of-the-match Chris Bolton helped Saddleworth Rangers under-14s overcome Pilkington Recs 38-10 in the third round of the North-West Counties Cup.

The other Rangers scorer in the opening period was Harry Ripley, with Ben White kicking two goals for a commanding 20-0 interval lead.

Pilkington came out strongly at the start of the second period and pulled it back to 20-10, before Rangers improved to score through Ben White, who also added a conversion.

Top defender Ryan Maneely was next in before White completed his brace, going on collect a match total of five goals.

Rangers under-15s saw off local rivals Fitton Hill 52-0.

Sam Rhodes ran in a hat-trick and the other tries came from Dan Mulqueen (two), Chris D’Adamo (two), Jacob Mayers, Jordan Arundale, Luke Du Feu and Andy Joy. Conversions came from Nathan Shaw-Langhorn (two) and Arundale.

The under-nines put in a great performance against a spirited Leyland side, with nine individual players scoring tries.

Nathan Roebuck picked up a hat-trick while Nathan Burgess and Guy Edwards each played a half for Leyland, which was appreciated by the opposition.

WATERHEAD under-15s overcame previously unbeaten local rivals Oldham St Anne’s in a tough local derby, running out 10-8 winners.

In a North-West Counties division one fixture in which no quarter was given by either side, Saints benefited from loose errors to take a 8-0 lead into the half-time break.

The home side reduced the number of errors on resumption and took the game to St Anne’s, reducing the deficit with a fine Jake Shoel try which was then converted by Ben Whitehead.

It stayed that way until five minutes from time, when Jonathan Fouldes went over to give Waterhead — who held on at the end despite losing a man to the sin-bin — a match-winning lead.

Both sides are now joint top of the division.

Alex Fallon completed a fine display with a match winning score for the club’s under-13s, who beat their Chorley counterparts 20-16 at home.

Other tries came from Harry Pattinson, Jack Kilgannon and Jacob Rothwell.

A hat-trick of tries from Jordan Hanley couldn’t prevent the under-16s from losing 30-26 at home to Langworthy Reds.

Waterhead, who lost Anthony Mellor with a broken elbow after 20 minutes, picked up their other points through a Niall Dunnington-Wallace try, three goals from Luc Kinder and two from Mellor.