Michael Turner has confirmed that the Oldham RL Heritage Trust will again choose and present the Heritage Trust Trophy to the Roughyeds’ man of the match in Sunday’s Law Cup game at Rochdale (3pm kick-off).
The trophy, first presented in 2004, has been won by 11 players — seven backs and four forwards.
The first winner was scrum-half Ian Watson, now doing fabulously well as head coach of Salford Red Devils, whom he guided to Old Trafford as Super League Grand Finalists against mighty St Helens at the end of last season.
Other winners were Andy Isherwood (2005), James Kirkland (2006), James Coyle (2008), Gary Sykes (2010), Ben Wood (2011), Jamie Dallimore (2013), Josh Crowley (2016), Scott Leatherbarrow (2017), Matt Reid (2018) and Ritchie Hawkyard (2019).
Hawkyard’s successor in the Oldham side, new signing Dan Abram, scored two tries from full-back in Roughyeds’ 22-18 win at Barrow last Sunday and he will fancy his chances of lifting the man-of-the-match trophy if he can find the same form at the Crown Oil Arena.
John Hutchings also gave a stand-out performance, coming off the bench for two spells and suitably impressing coach Matt Diskin as a “middles” forward, driving and carrying the ball forward with strength and determination.
In his first game at this level, the 19-years-old former St Helens forward looked a very bright prospect.
