Oldham survive penalty pile-up

North Manchester 16, Oldham RUFC 21
RUGBY UNION: BATTLING Oldham secured a much-needed victory in North Lancashire Division One, but had to negotiate a penalty count of 21-3 against them.

Some of the decisions were justified while others appeared harsh, but Oldham need to become more disciplined if they are to build on this win.

In a game in which the lead changed hands on a number of occasions, Oldham scored three tries, each converted by Gaz Barber.

The first originated from a scrum; the ball moved along the backs for Gavin Dodd to produce a telling chip. Barber scrambled the ball over the line for a try.

Oldham scored a second try through Joe Hesse. The ball was fed to Barber, then Dodd, before Hesse broke through wide. Barber’s boot made it 14-11.

Time appeared to be running out for Oldham, but with four minutes remaining Joe Cooke crashed through the centre and ran 20 metres for his first try for the first team. Barber converted to make it 21-16