Saints start with a flourish

RUGBY:

OLDHAM St Anne’s hit the ground running in Division Two of the Kingstone Press National Conference League with a 30-22 win away to Leigh East.

It was a first triumph for Saints at Leigh Sports Village — but they needed a second-half fightback to pocket the points on the season’s opening day.

Early exchanges were scrappy with handling errors from both sides, but Mick Fogerty’s visitors broke the deadlock when Kiel Lancashire and Nathan Jewitt paved the way for centre David Harris to touch down. Lancashire added the goal.

On the half-hour mark, East’s full-back Chris Penn took an interception to race 40 yards to score under the posts, with Mark Ballard slotting over the conversion. Saints trailed 10-6 at half-time.

Three minutes after the break, Saints lost their composure — conceding three penalties on their own line — and were punished with East’s Gavin Hunter crashing over for a try and Ballard converting to gain a 10-point advantage.

Jordan White then snapped up a loose ball in his own half and with the Saints man-of-the-match Lancashire in support he supplied the final pass for Dom Igoe to touch down in the corner. Lancashire kicked the goal.

Leigh restored their 10-point advantage on the hour mark when loose forward Iain Jolley raced away to score under the sticks, leaving Ballard to kick a simple conversion.

This prompted Saints captain Chris Carter to have words with his players — “concentrate on the basics and cut-out the fancy stuff” — and they responded in style.

With 10 minutes remaining, Igoe managed to get the ball away from a three-man tackle a metre short of the line to send Lancashire racing up the in-goal area. He goaled his own try.

Both sides give their all in the time that was left, and the issue was finally settled with Igoe claiming his second try in the corner with two minutes to go. Lancashire added to his tally with a touchline

conversion.