Patrick is the hat-trick hero as Roughyeds see off Cornwall

Patrick Ah Van touches down for career try number 150. Image courtesy of ORLFC

Big Patrick Ah Van, Oldham Rugby League Club’s former Super League winger, was all smiles – and with good reason – when he collected his man-of-the-match award after the Roughyeds’ 36-16 win against Cornwall at the Vestacare Stadium.

The veteran former Bradford Bulls and Widnes Vikings star took only 11 minutes, squeezing in at the corner on Gregg McNally’s wide ball, to score the try he needed to reach a career milestone 150.

He scored a second try four minutes later, completed his hat-trick early in the second half and then added two angled conversions for good measure (16 points in total) to make it a day to remember for the 35-year-old former Samoan international.

He later received his man-of-the-match prize from a former club secretary and chairman, John Chadwick, at a presentation in the hospitality suite.

Oldham’s seven-try win took them back to third place in Betfred League One, with games in hand on the two clubs above them, by leap-frogging Workington Town, with whom they clash next up at Derwent Park on Sunday (3pm) in an important promotion encounter.

The other tries against Cornwall were scored by young Harvey Wilson, grandson of Oldham’s late and legendary  prop Ken Wilson and on dual-reg from Wigan Warriors, full-back McNally (two) and another youngster, second-row man George Hirst, who was named in the starting line-up for the first time.

After the game, Roughyeds head coach Stuart Littler said: "You could tell we’d not played for a couple of weeks – we got involved in some clunky stuff and got a bit frustrated with things.

“We probably opened the door and invited them back into the game, but full credit to them, they kept going for 80 minutes.

“That’ll only put us in good stead for the battles ahead, though.

"We’ve got a good run of games coming up now and it’s something we’re ready to embrace.”

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