Oldham on brink after key victory
Date published: 10 March 2015
Photo: Pictures by TIM ABRAM.
GO FOR IT . . . Max Horsfall beats his man.
Oldham 1sts 33, Littleborough 1sts 10
OLDHAM have one hand on the North Lancashire Division One trophy after winning their vital top of the table clash against Littleborough at Manor Park.
And they won in style, scoring four tries to their rivals’ two and dominating for most of the game.
Oldham welcomed back Jack Taylor after his lengthy trip to the Antipodes and the back-row forward produced a man-of-the-match display.
Oldham started slowly and conceded an early penalty which Boro missed. And the visitors were made to pay when Callum Megram stepped up and scored with a penalty at the other end.
A second Megram penalty soon followed and when Will Mellor darted over for Oldham’s first try and Megram converted, the hosts already boasted a healthy 13-0 lead.
They extended that advantage as Megram scored to the left of the uprights, the same player converting, and when Max Horsfall went over in the corner, Oldham had racked up a 25-0 lead going into the interval.
Oldham suffered a setback early in the second half when they lost Tom Hannon for 10 minutes for obstruction. And when Boro scored two unconverted tries via the strength of their forwards, the away side saw a glimmer of hope.
That was snuffed out after 52 minutes when Jordan McEwan made a break and released Lewis Simister for a try in the corner and a bonus point for Oldham.
At 30-10 in front, Oldham played some outstanding rugby and were rewarded with another Megram penalty which completed the scoring.
The title is not actually in safe keeping just yet, but it would take an unusual sequence of events for Oldham to be denied.
