Off the mark

Hollinwood on their way to a first win

HOLLINWOOD are up and running in Division Three of the North-West Counties League.

After seven straight defeats, they got off the mark with a hard-fought 20-12 win at home to Wigan Bulldogs.

It was a peformance that would have made former Hollinwood coach John Blair proud.

John (59), who played 115 senior games for Oldham RL in a Watersheddings career spanning the years 1970 to 1979, died in Dr Kershaw’s Hospice after losing his battle with cancer.

Both teams observed a minute’s silence before the game.

Hollinwood broke the deadlock when Pete Davies found a space on the outside and outstripped the defence to score under the sticks. Andy Gorey added the conversion.

Gorey then went over himself, also under the posts, and kicked his second goal before the visitors hit back with a try to leave the score 12–6 at half-time.

In the second half, the home side turned the ball over several times by trying to off-load at every opportunity.

After one turnover too many, the visitors scored a converted try to level the game.

But Hollinwood dug deep and Alistair Williams

finished off the move of the match — he was sent in by Pete Jackson’s slick pass — to put the home side back in front.

Gorey kicked the

conversion, before clinching victory with a penalty.

Prop Mike Richmond, who played the entire 80 minutes, Davies, Jackson and Kevin Collins had fine games, while Chris Gorey pulled the strings.

Fred Halliwell, of Hollinwood, said: “It was magic — a very good win.

“There was a different attitude from the players. They stuck at it and got a few breaks, which helped.

“They were really up for it, having trained hard in the lead-up to the game.

“It’s just a pity we haven’t got a match this weekend. We’ll just have to go and beat the unbeaten league leaders, St Helens Wild Boards, on Saturday week.”