Rangers target quick hat-trick

A TESTING trip to National Conference League division one leaders Wath Brow Hornets awaits Saddleworth Rangers tomorrow afternoon (2.30pm kick off).

Keith Brennan’s men are looking to make it three consecutive wins inside eight days in order to get their promotion hopes on track, but it won’t be easy against Cumbrian opposition traditionally so strong on home turf.

Wath Brow last week drew at home with second-placed Ince Rose Bridge thanks to a try two minutes from time to maintain a four-point lead at the top.

Rangers are currently eighth, but have plenty of games in hand due to successes in the BARLA National Cup and Carnegie Challenge Cup competitions.

They also enter the game after a solid 22-6 defeat of Oldham St Anne’s in the Standard Cup in midweek, an effort that pleased Brennan.

“I was really happy with the way we played again,” he said. “We had a few injuries and a couple of young lads came in and did well.

“Michael Coates played very well for us, Jason Best was outstanding again and Simon Parrish and Adam Walker also stood out.

“It will be another tough game for us, but we will be ready.”


WATERHEAD coach Mick Slicker welcomes Mark Leyden back from suspension and Chris Charlesworth returns from holiday to take his place in the squad too.

Keiran Grennan played in last week’s 40-6 defeat at Myton Warriors and will take to the field again tomorrow at home to Eccles and Salford Juniors in NCL division two (2.30pm).

“Everyone was there at training on Monday,” Slicker said. “We didn’t play well over there last week but heads weren’t down. It was a one-off game and you just start again.

“Eccles have picked up some good results recently after getting some players back from Leigh East, but we are targeting our home games and looking to just get stronger as the season goes on.”


OLDHAM St Anne’s, without a game this weekend, have four players currently training with the open-age Lancashire squad ahead of the county championship series of games.
Lee Forsythe, John Fox, Phil Jagger and David Cookson are all involved, as are Saddleworth Rangers quartet Jimmy Rogers, Simon Parrish, Danny Attersall and Tom Lever.

However, the traditional county pathway to the BARLA Great Britain team appears to have been controversially cut off with a squad to tour the South Pacific in June — featuring no local players — already having been selected.