WATERHEAD Warriors are 80 minutes away from lifting the BARLA National Cup for the first time in the club’s history.
They smashed Myton Warriors of Hull 56-10 in the semi-final on Waterhead Park to book their place in the final at Featherstone Rovers on Sunday, April 10, writes ROGER HALSTEAD.
It will see an Oldham team in the final for the first time in 18 years and only the seventh time in the competition’s 48 years.
Saddleworth Rangers, then an absolute powerhouse of the amateur game, were in the 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994 finals — four in five years — and St Anne’s sampled Cup Final glory in 2003 and 2004.
The National Cup has come back to Oldham on four occasions, Rangers winning it three times and St Anne’s once.
Now, Waterhead are in touching distance of carrying the famous silverware up Cobden Street to their Peach Road HQ and they’ll go into the final full of confidence after putting ten semi-final tries past a side that plays two divisions higher than them in the National Conference.
Seven of them came in the first half as the local side went for the jugular right from the start. By half-time they led 38-4 and the Peach Road faithful were already talking about their trip to Post Office Road.
The best wishes of everyone at Oldham RLFC will go with them on their big day. Well done boys, bring the Cup back to Oldham for the first time since St Anne’s did it in 2003.
Due to the semi-final, ‘Head had to field a second team in their home NCL division 3 game against the Cumbrians of Hensingham and they went down 30-18 with stand-off Terry Fitzgerald scoring a brace and winger Jack Pemberton adding a third try.
Team: Dickinson; Pemberton, Kielty, Houraghan, Hanley; Fitzgerald, Harris; Cunniffe, Thewlis, Mayall, Barbour, Williamson, Makin. Subs: Fallas, Thomas, Burns.
Also in division three, St Anne’s lost 28-16 at Millom despite tries by Callum Fletcher, Craig Basnett and Leo McNally, plus two James Barran goals.
They lined up like this: Cashin; Ainsworth, Basnett, Worrall, McNally; Anthony, Barran; Turner, Fletcher, Shaw, Cooper, Sykes, Akeroyd. Subs: White, Giblin, Bryan, Deakin.
In division one, Saddleworth Rangers were beaten 14-6 at home by Oulton Raiders of Wakefield.
Team: Thackeray; Mills, Dodd, Parry, Avis; McManus, Nield; Holden, England, Wareing, Hart, Molden, Kenway. Subs: Adams, Enziano, Whitehead, Morgan.
