Langhorn seals Rangers success

ETHAN LANGHORN scored a try four minutes from time as Saddleworth Rangers edged their top-of-the-table clash with Thatto Heath to remain unbeaten in National Conference League division one.

The 16-12 win at Greenfield leaves Rangers with a perfect five-from-five record, putting Keith Brennan’s men top of the early standings.

“Everyone was outstanding, but the pack stood up really well and Simon Parrish, who came on as a substitute, was fantastic for us,” said Brennan.

“We are not going to go overboard as there is still an awful long way to go in the season. But this is a very good start.”

A 12th-minute try from returning scrum-half Adam Kirwan was answered four minutes later by Thatto’s Darren Woods and the visitors took the lead after the half-hour when Carl Lamb’s try was improved by a Shaun Quinn goal.

Saddleworth pulled level on the stroke of half-time when prop forward David Byrne’s effort was converted by Paul Ashton.

Rangers, without key men Jason Best, Michael Coates and Fraser Coley, went behind again to a Quinn penalty before Ashton answered in kind.

That is the way it stayed in a tight, absorbing clash until Langhorn’s late heroics in the corner sealed the points.

On a winning afternoon for all the Conference sides, Oldham St Anne’s got back on track after defeat last week to see off Ovenden 42-16 away from home in division two.

Zac Cotton was the hero of the day, scoring a hat-trick of tries against a depleted side that could only put out a bare 13 players due to an injury in the warm-up.

Dane English was first in for Saints after 15 minutes, Kiel Lancashire converting, and three minutes later Danny Kay added another which was also improved.

Matty Turner’s try, converted by Matty Collins, halved the deficit but a pair from Cotton made it 24-6 at half-time.

Cotton’s hat-trick try kept the visitors in control and Lee Forsythe added a pair with lancashire ending with five goals, before consolation tries from Turner and Kurt Sutcliffe.

Waterhead thrashed previously unbeaten Egremont Rangers 50-10 on home turf in division two, with Terry Fitzgerald racking up four tries and seven goals for a personal haul of 30 points.

Leading 10-6 thanks to tries from Fitzgerald and Ashley Wildman, responding to an early Dave Telford effort that Matthew Bewsher had goaled, the home team benefited from the dismissal of Egremont’s Paul Brocklebank just before the half-hour for an alleged trip.

Waterhead dominated from then on and Fitzgerald added three more tries before the break to leave his side 28-6 up.

Patrick Toft added to the tally in the second half and Scott Frost also went over before Dean Laverick crossed for the visitors.

Further efforts from Martin Sarsfield and Nick Johnson enhanced Waterhead’s total.