Waterhead begin as underdogs – Slicker

CHAMPIONS: Saddleworth Rangers celebrate lifting the Standard Cup after the 2008 final.

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WATERHEAD coach Mick Slicker admits his side are huge second favourites for tomorrow morning’s Standard Cup final — but fully believes in the ability of his young side.

Slicker’s men take on current holders Saddleworth Rangers at Boundary Park (11am), bidding to take home the glory in the Oldham Amateur League’s showpiece event.

While in good form at the moment, Waterhead — who have slight injury worries hanging over Mark Leyden, Will Schofield and Keiran Grennan — will have it tough against a Rangers outfit who still have an outside chance of promotion from division one.

“We all know that in reality we are rank outsiders,” said Slicker (pictured, right).

“They are 13 places above us in the National Conference and looking at that, they could probably afford to go out and have a beer the night before and still beat us by 20 points.

“But stranger things have happened. This is a local derby and form goes out of the window.”

In their last three outings on the road, Waterhead have picked up victories at Hull Isberg (36-26) and Castleford Lock Lane

(30-16), drawing 18-18 at Crosfields at the weekend.

With Boundary Park being, in effect, an away venue Slicker hopes this will play to his side’s advantage.

“We couldn’t possibly have prepared any better,” he added. “We have taken five points from six away from home recently and we have young players in our squad who have a lot of ability.

“All the pressure is on Saddleworth as they are expected to win the game. We will go out there to give it our best shot and we will enjoy the occasion.”

Saddleworth coach Keith Brennan says there is “no chance” of complacency in his camp with silverware — and local bragging rights — up for grabs.

Rangers lifted the trophy last year by beating Oldham St Anne’s 15-8 in the final and a fully-fit squad will go all-out to repeat the feat.

“It is a local derby and we expect a very tough game,” said Brennan, who takes his side into the final on the back of a 28-16 victory at Eastmoor Dragons last week.

“They have picked up a bit towards the end of the season and have enjoyed a couple of good results. We will be ready for it.”

With the National Conference League not prepared to arrange fixtures around local competitions, Rangers face the gruelling prospect of two games in the space of just over a day.

On Saturday, they must travel to face a side currently third in division one, Widnes St Marie’s.

Waterhead, along with Oldham St Anne’s, are without a league fixture this weekend.


St Anne’s suffer semi-final loss

TWO late tries broke Oldham St Anne's to take Leigh Miners Rangers into the national final.

Up against a big, physical side who finished the season top of the Gillette National Youth League, Saints put up a terrific show and, only trailing 14-12 with six minutes left, could easily now be contemplating a showpiece occasion.

“The whole team gave 110-per-cent, as they have all season,” said St Anne's coach Bob Marsden.

“I spoke to their coach afterwards and he said we were the best team his side have faced.

“It has been a great honour and pleasure to coach these lads and I have had a great year with them.”

The scores were level at 8-8 at half-time before a converted try and a penalty gave the Leigh side a 14-8 lead.

Back came Saints with a try of their own — only for those two late scores to wipe out thoughts of a famous semi-final victory.

Outstanding players on the day for St Anne's were Callum Casey, Jordan White, Sean Hamilton and Michael Arrowsmith.


Seven-try Higgy beat Warriors

ATTACKING rugby was the order of the day for Higginshaw, who eased their relegation fears with a comprehensive 38-6 home win over Leyland Warriors.

Led by man-of-the-match David Sweeney, Higgy went into the lead by scoring two tries. The first came through Scott Foote, off Ryan O’Donnell’s kick, with Chris Tomlin getting the second after accepting a pass on the burst from Sweeney, who converted both.

Leyland hit back with a converted try before the half-hour but from the resulting kick-off, a barnstorming run from Alan Dunn set up the position from which Michael Cadd crashed over.

Another Tomlin try, converted by Sweeney, made it 22-6 at half-time.

Carl Fields then scored out wide before the best try of the day arrived through Foote, O’Donnell adding the extras.

Sweeney rounded off the scoring action with a try which was converted by O’Donnell to give Higginshaw their biggest win of the season.


OLDHAM St Anne’s ‘A’ suffered a 22-14 home reverse against Haydock in division one, while Saddleworth Rangers ‘A’ won 42-16 away at Blackpool Stanley in division three — a game that was worth double points.



INTERESTED members of the public are invited to a Higginshaw ARLFC event in which a new vision statement for the club is to be unveiled.

It takes place at Shaw Road Conservative Club on Thursday, April 23 (7.30pm for 8pm). Contact John Mellor on 07970100606.


Deposed Hobson unhappy over exit

KEVIN Hobson has hit out at the way he was deposed as chairman of Waterhead.

The 62-year-old, who has an association with the club running back to the early 1970s, was voted out at the club’s AGM last week.

The new man at the helm at the Peach Road club is Peter Beswick, the former Roughyeds academy coach.

Hobson, though, wasn’t happy with the way his departure was orchestrated.

“Unfortunately, nobody was strong enough to say to me, ‘I’m going to stand against you’,” he said, after losing his position of 15 years by only one vote.

“If they had done, I could have either stood down honourably or gathered more of my own supporters.

“It isn’t the fact that I was voted out — that can happen any time and sometimes I agree that sometimes change needs to be made. I just don’t agree with how it was all done.”

Also departed from the Waterhead committee is former treasurer Jackie Dawes.