Oldham RU get new campaign off to a flying start

It’s safe to say that the Oldham RUFC men down at Manor Park were glad to see the back of the 2024/25 season.

With only four wins all year, it was clear that change was needed.

Pre-season started early and combined a gruelling slog with the reintroduction of structure.

With high numbers from the off, it was obvious the lads were ready to buy into the coaching of Jim Forster and Jack Sayle.

That togetherness and the new-look Oldham were on show on Saturday, as they beat Orrell 29-5 at Manor Park in the first round of the Alan Stone Lancashire Bowl.

Preparation had been excellent, but in the first five minutes it looked like a repeat of last year as Oldham were slow out of the blocks.

Orrell capitalised on a few early missed tackles to score first, though the conversion was missed. 

Oldham were quick to wake up and began to play the structured rugby they had worked on all pre-season.

Immediate pressure from the kick return pinned Orrell deep in their 22.

After turning the ball over, Oldham lost it again close to the line, but from the resulting scrum a huge drive from the pack forced the ball loose.

Quick-thinking back-row Karl Shenton pounced to score Oldham’s first of the afternoon, with Alex Jobson adding the extras - Oldham 7 Orrell 5.

With their dander up, Oldham began to pile on the pressure in both attack and defence.

Big tackles from Ross Cooper, Paul Wardle, Tom Davies and Josh Watson shut down Orrell’s momentum, while strong carries from Josh Semple, Chris Shaw, Dean McEwan and Robert Froggatt, linked by their young scrum half, Lewis Ward, kept Oldham moving forward.

A crisp backline move saw Corey Kelly break down the left wing, supported by Louis Fitton.

With Orrell scrambling, they conceded a penalty, and Oldham went to the corner.

From the resulting maul, Captain Jack Taylor peeled off to dive over for Oldham’s second try.

Jobson’s kick drifted wide.

To their credit, Orrell never gave up.

Strong carries from their big back rows and centres piled real pressure on the Oldham line, but solid defence – including a vital cover tackle from Phil Conroy on the Orrell scrum half – kept them out.

Davies was quick to the breakdown, tackling superbly to win a key penalty.

Oldham’s next try was almost a carbon copy of the last: structured carries from the forwards combined with quick ball out wide to force a penalty deep in Orrell territory.

Another well-executed lineout maul saw Froggatt power over for his first of the season.

The conversion was missed so at half-time it was Oldham 17, Orrell 5.

Oldham began the second half as strongly as they ended the first.

Building pressure in Orrell’s 22, a crunching carry from McEwan saw him burst over the line to extend the lead. 

The set-piece remained rock-solid, even with Carter West making his first-team debut in the front row, alongside Marshall Yates and Andrew Birch who added impact in the pack. With young scrum half Arjun Mistry now directing play, Oldham continued to attack with confidence.

Their defence proved impenetrable, forcing Orrell to kick away possession. But that only played into Oldham hands, as Davies produced three superb 50/22s to keep the visitors under pressure.

Despite Oldham’s dominance, the worsening weather and resilient Orrell defence kept the scoreboard quiet until late on. Another fine kick was chased down by Reece Blakeley, who forced a turnover.

Swift handling and strong carries set Shenton free to score his second of the day.

Jobson added the extras to make it 29-5.

This was an excellent performance from the Manor Park side, with plenty still to work on but clear signs of progress.

Oldham will take confidence from this victory as they head to Bury for their first league fixture next weekend.

Man of the Match: Karl Shenton – two tries and tireless work across the pitch.

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