Saddleworth battle but fall in quarters

Michael Coates takes Saddleworth forward

SADDLEWORTH Rangers made Siddal fight hard for every metre as the teams clashed in the quarter-final tie at Shaw Hall Bank Road last night, but it is the Halifax side who made it through to the competition's last four, where they will now face off with Queens at home.

The match-winner for the visitors was winger Shaun Blackburn, who scored a vital interception try and kicked four goals for a very well-drilled outfit.

Shaun Blackburn’s four-pointer arrived with just 12 minutes to go, intercepting a long Jason Best pass to race home from 60 metres out and effectively put the finishing seal on a tie which was up to that point still in the balance.

Gareth Blackburn, operating on the left wing, thought he had opened the scoring for Siddal in the 17th minute, but his effort was disallowed amid a period of heavy territorial pressure.

A penalty was then awarded against Saddleworth forward Adam Walker while he was in possession, seemingly for use of the forearm, and Shaun Blackburn put his team 2-0 up at the halfway point in the first period before adding a similar effort three minutes later.

And the away team picked up their first try soon after, Chris Marsh neatly exchanging passes with Gareth Blackburn down the short side before running home to score.

Full-back Tom Lever went close to responding for Rangers, dropping the ball as he attempted to touch down, before a Michael Coates penalty put Keith Brennan’s men on the score board seven minutes before the break.

The second half was a hard-fought tussle with neither side able to gain the ascendancy.

Shaun Blackburn kicked a penalty on 48 minutes but the game was still very much within reach for Rangers up until the winger’s try.

“We worked hard and we had to at times,” said Brennan. “We gave the ball up a bit too easily at times and against opposition like that, you can’t afford to do it.

“But the effort and commitment that they showed out there was impeccable.

“In the first half they had a lot of territory but it was because we kept letting them off the hook. To be fair to them, they didn’t do that.

“There are a lot of sore bodies and wounded prides, but they can all walk off with their heads held high.”