Comeback kings

SADDLEWORTH Rangers were the comeback kings against bottom-of-the-table Shaw Cross Sharks in National Conference League division one.

Keith Brennan’s side were 14-0 behind after a devastating 10-minute in the first-half, but recovered to run out 28-22 winners and keep their hopes alive of mounting a promotion challenge.

Jimmy Rogers, back after a spell out with a kidney infection, was among the five try-scorers, benefiting from good work by Liam Coates. Tom Lever, James Whalley, Emerson Jackman and Michael Coates also touched down for Rangers, who face another team below them in the table this weekend, Normanton Knights.

Brennan said: “Shaw are fighting for their lives at the bottom and the players showed a lot of character to come back from such a big deficit.”


OLDHAM St Anne’s are in a fight to avoid the drop after they slipped to a 22-0 defeat at home to promotion contenders Castleford Panthers.

Saints faced 12 men for three-quarters of the game after Andy Tillett was sent off, but they were also let down by indiscipline as playmaker Paul Ashton was sin-binned on two occasions.

Danny Kay was also sent to the sin-bin for holding down as Panthers took command.

Saints were down to 11 men at one stage and trailed 12-0 at the break.

The home side were better after the break, but could not prevent Panthers from extending the advantage with two tries and a conversion.


WATERHEAD threw away an 18–0 lead as they lost 28-24 against Stanley Rangers at Peach Road.

Hooker Andy Cheetham, full-back Alan Williamson and scrum-half Michael Diveny went over for Waterhead and, with Terry Fitzgerald adding the extras, they were seemingly in control.

Rangers reduced the deficit before half-time with a converted try, but Fitzgerald’s try and goal after the visitors had made further inroads looked to have settled it.

But Rangers refused to throw in the towel in their final league game of the season and a storming finish broke the hosts’ hearts.