Youthful Oldham hit by late tries

Thornton Cleveleys 27, Oldham 1stS 6
THREE late tries flattered the home team in this North Lancashire Division One clash against an Oldham outfit containing several changes in key positions.

No less than 15 of Oldham’s 17-man squad were products of the club’s youth academy, the front row had an average age of 21 and 17-year-old Alex Jobson made his senior debut at full-back.

Oldham also lost skipper Gareth Barber to a recurring hamstring problem in the second half, while Jordan McEwan had to leave the field with an eye injury after a clash of heads with team-mate Martin Hamer.

The hosts deserve credit for having the pitch fit to play after so much rain, but it took its toll on the attacking aspect of the match, with several moves stuck in the mud and potential tries denied.

The teams swapped early penalties, Callum Meagram scoring for Oldham, before Thornton went 10-3 up with a converted try.

Meagram’s second successful penalty after 55 minutes reduced the deficit to four points, but that was as close as Oldham got and they went 17-6 down following a converted try after a knock-on went unpunished.

Two further tries saw Thornton increase the lead to 27-6 and give them a bonus point, but that was harsh on an Oldham side for whom young Jobson was man of the match after taking over from the injured Barber at stand-off.