Brilliant Barber pulls the strings
Date published: 14 December 2010
Photo: Pictures by CHRIS SUNDERLAND.
IT TAKES TWO . . . Oldham’s Charlie Roscoe is floored by a double challenge from Upper Eden.
OLDHAM 33, UPPER EDEN 26
SOME excellent running rugby enabled Oldham to record a fine win in North Lancs and Cumbria Dision with five tries to their opponents’ two.
Upper Eden were kept in contention by the excellence of kicker Matt Allinson, who had a 100 per cent record with four penalties and two conversions.
Oldham’s strength was in the backs, while Upper Eden relied on the power of their forwards.
Jack Taylor took over as hooker for Oldham and had an excellent game along with second row Gary Phelan, who held his own against his 6ft 7in opposite number.
Indeed, Oldham did well in the set pieces, but struggled to stop Eden’s rolling mauls.
Oldham’s backs ran the ball as much as possible, with Gareth Barber bossing the game and the centre partnership of Mark Brocklehurst and Ian Sinfield running off him.
Mark Goodman reverted to scrum half, while Will Mellor provided excellent defence when the visitors broke through.
Two Allinson penalties gave Eden the early lead, but Barber’s try in the 16th minute, following a Brocklehurst kick, gave Oldham a lift which was accentuated by Goodman’s conversion.
Mellor and prop Brian Massey combined to set up Sinfield for try number two to make it 12-6, but that became 12-9 following another Allinson penalty.
Five minutes later, Barber’s break from his own half set up Sinfield to score a try which Goodman converted.
An Allinson penalty on the stroke of half-time reduced Eden’s arrears to 19-12 and the scores were level six minutes after the break when John Blue scored a converted try from a rolling maul.
Oldham were rocked, but they hit back 10 minutes later when Barber fed Mellor on the blind side and Goodman converted to make it 26-19.
Then, five minutes from time, Oldham won a scrum against the head, Barber broke out of defence and Brocklehurst and Sinfield combined to get the ball back to Barber, who did the rest.
The victory was all but assured at 33-19, but to their credit Eden’s pack produced another converted try to keep Oldham on their toes until the final whistle.
Oldham are at home to De La Salle on Saturday.
