Day to enjoy for Rangers

WATERHEAD forward Mark Leyden (middle) gets to grips with Eccles and Salford Juniors player Chris Smith during his side’s 40-12 home defeat on Waterhead Park at the weekend.

SADDLEWORTH Rangers are undaunted by the task they face when taking on Widnes Vikings in the Carnegie Challenge Cup on Saturday night (6pm kick off).

While fully respecting the capabilities of their full-time opponents, Rangers simply intend to make the most of a rare chance to face a side club chairman Terry Flanagan believes are "Super League in all but their fixture list".

The third-round clash at the Stobart Stadium is preceded by a curtain-raiser between Saddleworth's crack under-14s side and West Bank Bears and there is sure to be a large contingent making the journey into Cheshire.

"It is a great occasion but we are under no illusions," said Flanagan, who featured in many a bruising battle against Widnes as a player.

"They are not a semi-professional side, they are a full-time professionals. It will be an almighty challenge for us, but we will go there with smiles on our faces and we intend to do ourselves justice.

"One of the goals we set for ourselves this season was to get to this stage and we have managed it. What we have got to do now is go there and enjoy it, putting in a good performance.

"But we cannot afford to let it overshadow the rest of the season to come.

"We have an awful lot to play for still in terms of Cups and the league."

Saddleworth have games in hand on every other team in National Conference League division one and once the razzmatazz of the Vikings tie has faded the challenge will switch to refuelling the team's promotion challenge.

At present, despite a good effort in defeat at divisional leaders Wath Brow Hornets last weekend, Rangers are only one point clear of the relegation zone.

At the same time, though, should they win each of the games they will be right back in the midst of the top-three shake-up.

In addition, Saddleworth are involved in a BARLA National Cup quarter-final date at home to Siddal. A date has not been confirmed yet, but the game is likely to take place under floodlights at Shaw Hall Bank Road on the evening of Tuesday, March 24.

Carnegie Challenge Cup, round three

fixtures —

Saturday, March 7: Keighley v Pia; Kells v Hunslet (at Recreation Ground, Whitehaven); Queens v Doncaster (at Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster); Siddal v Swinton (at The Shay, Halifax); Widnes v Saddleworth Rangers; Workington v Lezignan.

Sunday, March 8: Barrow v Blackpool; Dewsbury v Carcassone; Featherstone Rovers v The Army; Gateshead v Whitehaven; Halifax v Loughborough University; Leeds Met Carnegie v Rochdale (at Headingley, Leeds); Leigh v Lokomotiv Moscow; Oldham v Sharlston Rovers; Pilkington Recs v Batley (at Knowsley Road, St Helens); Sheffield v Toulouse; Wath Brow v London Skolars (at Recreation Ground, Whitehaven); York v Wigan St Patrick’s.




Sweeney leads way

WITH another man-of-the-match award tucked under his belt, David Sweeney is the runaway leader in this season's Man of Steel stakes.

The scrum-half, who moved back to Higginshaw from Oldham St Anne's earlier this season, has had a big impact at the club to bag seven top-player awards in the North-West Counties League division four side's last nine games.

He is currently ahead of Alan Williamson (four), with a trio of players — Lee Forsythe (Oldham St Anne's), Andrew Cheetham (Waterhead) and David Hewson (Higginshaw) — on three nominations each.

The player at the top of the standings come the end of the season will pick up a £500 prize.




St Anne’s excel at Stanley

OLDHAM St Anne's under-18s produced a superb effort to inflict a first defeat of the season on Stanley Rangers, taking them into the last four of the BARLA National Cup.

The 26-18 victory — ending Stanley's 18-game winning streak — was watched by around 100 Saints supporters who had made the journey to Wakefield.

St Anne's made a great start, scoring through Andy Fitzpatrick after only five minutes. It stayed that way up until five minutes before the break, when a good, physical Rangers side went in for two quickfire converted tries to lead

12-6 as the teams changed ends.

The visitors went back into the lead with tries from Greg Worrall, Callum Casey and Jordan White, Andrew Waugh kicking a pair of conversions and though Stanley went in for a third try near the end, there was to be no comeback.

"When I spoke to their coach he told me we were the best team he has come up against all season," said a proud St Anne's coach Bob Marsden.

"He said their lads just couldn't handle the strength of our forwards or our speed and fitness.

"The team morale and bonding is great and it is a pleasure to coach these lads."

Saints now have arguably an even bigger game coming up on Sunday, at home to Thatto Heath (11.45am kick off).

The winners of that game look set to claim the North-West Counties division one title.




IN THE Gillette National Youth League, Saddleworth Rangers defeated Leigh East 14-6 under floodlights at Shaw Hall Bank Road last Thursday, before going on to lose 18-10 at Featherstone Lions just three days later.

Anthony Morrison, James Greenwood and three goals from Ethan Langhorn gave Rangers a 14-0 lead at the break which Easts were unable to overcome.

Matt Fogerty's try and a Langhorn conversion were the only first-half scores for Saddleworth at Featherstone, with Danny Bowker going over out wide in the second period.



Dunn’s half ton for gutsy Higgy

ALAN Dunn reached a remarkable personal milestone as Higginshaw fell to a creditable 28-10 defeat at unbeaten Moss Bank Bulldogs in division four.

At the age of 52, the veteran prop forward — who has been playing open-age rugby for 35 years — clocked his 50th try for Higginshaw.

"The guy is a credit to himself," said club official John Mellor. "He never misses a training session and usually plays for the full 80 minutes in games."

Mark Ward went close to opening the scoring for the visitors before Moss Bank opened the scoring midway through the first half.

A further converted try followed five minutes before the break, but Higginshaw responded when a good move, started by man-of-the-match David Sweeney, ended with Dunn going over under the posts. Sweeney added the extras and Higginshaw trailed 12-6 at half-time.

In the second half Moss Bank stepped up a gear and hit Higginshaw with all guns blazing to take the game away from the visitors at 28-6.

But Higgy refused to fold and picked up a second try on the hour, centre Carl Fields scoring in the corner off a Ryan O'Donnell pass.

While Sweeney stood out, it was a very good team performance in which O'Donnell and Chris Tomlin also performed well.


ELSEWHERE, Oldham St Ane's 'A' drew 16-16 at home with Shevington Sharks in division one, Saddleworth Rangers 'A' lost 48-6 at Leigh Miners Rangers in division three, Waterhead 'A' went down 40-6 at home against West Bank Bears in division four and Rochdale Cobras won 42-12 at home against Folly Lane 'A' in division six.