JACK Spencer and Ritchie Hawkyard, who picked up injuries in Oldham’s win at Workington Town last week, are out of Sunday’s home game against West Wales Raiders.
Prop Spencer seriously damaged a finger while full-back Hawkyard, who scored the match-clinching try near the end, damaged a calf muscle.
Given that Kyran Johnson has only just resumed light training after suffering a broken jaw at Keighley on May 25, coach Scott Naylor will be without a recognised full-back so he may go with centre Jack Holmes, who has occasionally played there in the past.
Half-back David Hewitt will be looking for his 100th senior game, having made 86 appearances for Oldham and 13 for Sheffield Eagles.
Despite sharing the goal-kicking duties this year with Paul Crook, Hewitt appears in both goals and points columns in the Betfred League 1 scoring lists.
He is fifth with 33 goals behind Carl Forber of Workington 46, Reece Dean of Hunslet 43, Benn Hardcastle of Keighley Cougars 41 and Neil Thorman of London Skolars 40.
Points: Hardcastle 102, Dean 98, Jake Moore (Whitehaven) 94, Forber 92, Hewitt 86.
Zack McComb is joint fourth in the try-scoring list with nine behind Gareth Potts of Hunslet 16, Ben Heaton of Hunslet 11, Lewis Young of Newcastle Thunder 10.
This weekend’s games in Betfred League 1: Coventry Bears v Doncaster, London Skolars v Whitehaven, Newcastle Thunder v Workington Town, North Wales Crusaders v Keighley
Cougars, OLDHAM v West Wales Raiders.
Oldham Connection
THE Oldham v West Wales Raiders game will be a special one for the Cowburn family of Oldham.
Oldham-born Phil, a West Wales player, was brought up at Watersheddings as the son of a lifelong Oldham fan.
He was an Oldham ball-boy when Roughyeds played Widnes in a final at Spotland in 2001 for the right to go up to Super League.
His father George, said to be ‘an Oldham fan with statistics at his finger tips’ writes a weekly column in Roughyed Review, the club’s match-day magazine.
Phil moved to Gloucester for his higher education and signed for Gloucester All Golds.
Though settled and now working in Gloucester, he signed for Llanelli-based West Wales Raiders when the All Golds folded.
Talking of his son’s love of rugby league, he said:
“He travels more than 100 miles each way to train twice a week so he must like it.
“He’s spending this weekend with us at the family home in Thornham, so it will be quite a change for him, having to travel only a few miles to the Vestacare Stadium.”
Talking of travelling what about this ? Callum Mulkeen, another Raiders player who once turned out in several games for Roughyeds reserves, lives in Bury and regularly drive to Llanelli, plays the game, and then gets back in his car to drive home again!
That’s dedication for you!
