Rangers dig deep despite red-card jolt

RUGBY: A RED card for Tom Dransfield saw Saddleworth Rangers play with 12 men for an hour of their NCL Division One home clash with Milford Marlins.

The number eight was dismissed with the hosts leading 6-0. With a player down, they eventually lost 44-28.

A third-minute Ethan Langhorn try and Ben Whitehead conversion had put Rangers in the ascendancy, before Dransfield was given his marching orders.

A converted Macauley Barrow score put the visitors in front, but the match was level again when Ben Whitehead goaled his own touchdown.

Three unanswered tries from Josh Parle and Harry Gillfillian (two), of which two were converted, gave Rangers a mountain to climb, but they refused to throw in the towel.

Craig Farrimond’s team hit back as Ben Wood and Langhorn went in — Whitehead landed one of the goal attempts — to cut the gap to half-a-dozen points with a quarter of the game to go.

But Marlins responded with two tries in four minutes from Joe Ramsden and Whatmough to create some breathing space.