Rangers U-12s Hold St Annes

SADDLEWORTH Rangers under-12s beat local rivals Oldham St Anne’s 10-8 in a thrilling curtain-raiser to the weekend’s Blackpool versus Roughyeds game in National League Two.

Both sides delighted their travelling supporters by producing excellent rugby despite strong winds at the home of Fylde RUFC, Lytham St Anne’s.

It was a hard fight for supremacy early on, with both sides tackling superbly before Callum Montgomery gave Saints the lead midway through the opening period.

Rangers hit back with the best try of the game, Joseph Harrison-Brown picking up the ball 70 metres from the try line before outpacing the opposition defence to score under the posts.

A Cameron Matthews conversion gave Rangers a 6-4 interval lead and soon afterwards, Sebastian Leech stretched the advantage further by diving over at the right hand corner.

St Anne’s fought back and Oscar Wallace set up a grandstand finish with a well-worked try down the left.

But, though they threw everything forward as the game drew to a close, St Anne’s couldn’t breach the defence again as Rangers held firm.




THE Oldham Service Area Junior Festival was held at Counthill, amid very poor weather conditions.



Local clubs Waterhead, St Annes, Saddleworth, Shaw and Fitton Hill played games at under-sevens, under-eights, under-nines and under-10s level and despite the weather, there was some good rugby on show.

After that, the primary schools’ championships — both tag and full tackle — were played out.

In the tag tournament, eight schools competed and the winners were Diggle, while in the full tackle version St Edwards came out on top.

Results —

Tag tournament, group ‘A’: Knowsley 5, Alexandra 0; SS Aiden and Oswald 5, Knowsley 3; SS Aiden and Oswald 4, Alexandra 0; Alexandra 0, St Mary’s Greenfield 4; Knowsley 4, St Mary’s Greenfield 6; SS Aiden and Oswald 3, St Mary’s Greenfield 4 (St Mary’s win group).

Group ‘B’: Bare Trees 2, Failsworth 3; Diggle 4, St Margaret’s 2; Bare Trees 1, Diggle 4; St Margaret’s 4, Failsworth 0; Failsworth 0, Diggle 5; Bare Trees 3, St Margaret’s 3 (Diggle win group).

Final: Diggle beat St Mary’s Greenfield.

Full tackle results: Greenacres 1, St Edward’s 7; Knowsley 3, Bare Trees 2; Knowsley 4, Greenacres 2; Bare Trees 1, St Edward’s 9.

Final: St Edward’s 3, Knowsley 1 (after extra time).