Lucky to win at Rochdale and beaten at home by Midlands Hurricanes, Mike Ford’s Oldham came up with their third poor performance in their last four games when hammered 36-0 at Doncaster in the Betfred League One play-off series.
While inept Roughyeds suffered a six-try mauling from the side that finished one place above them in the final league placings, North Wales Crusaders were pulling off a great 26-10 win at Workington to set up a sudden-death clash between Oldham and Crusaders at Boundary Park next Sunday, September 10 (3pm kick-off )with the loser crashing out, like Workington now.
Four teams are still in it, Hunslet, Doncaster, Oldham and North Wales, but on the first day’s evidence it’s looking increasingly likely that the final will be contested by the two Yorkshire clubs.
Ford recalled full-back Gregg McNally, prop Deane Meadows and back-row forwards George Hirst and Emmerson Whittel after the Midlands defeat, and gave a debut off the bench to new half-back signing Jamie Ellis.
Oldham, however, trailed 12-0 after 20 minutes and 24-0 at half-time and had winger Patrick Ah Van and full-back McNally sin-binned for separate offences either side of half-time.
