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Roughyeds lead 24-6 then Hornets mount stirring fightback



IN sizzling hot, near-tropical conditions, Roughyeds led 24-6 at half-time in the derby against Rochdale Hornets and then conceded 44 second-half points without reply to go down 24-50 at the Vestacare Stadium.

Having scored first-half tries by Jordan Andrade, Liam Copland, Calvin Wellington and on-loan Johnny Openshaw, all converted by Martyn Ridyard, Roughyeds looked set fair to bounce back from a 62-0 defeat at Keighley last time out and get the better of a Hornets side sitting joint second in the Betfred League One placings.

It wasn’t to be. Hornets got a firm grip on the game in the second half to run out comfortable winners with second-half tries by Lewis Sheridan, Ben Calland, Fenton Rogers (2), Rangi Chase (2), Ben O’Keefe and Gavin Bennion.

Add Chase’s brace to his solitary Hornets try in the first half and it gave the classy Kiwi a hat-trick on a day when he and substitute hooker Sean Penkywicz were key to how Rochdale fought back from a seemingly impossible deficit to turn the game on its head.

While Oldham’s game lost a lot of its sting, self-belief and resilience in the second half. Hornets were a lot tougher and meaner in defence than they had been hitherto with their forwards winning the rucks and young prop Fenton Rogers, in particular, establishing the platform from which Chase worked his magic.

Once of Saddleworth Rangers, Wes Rogers’s lad gave an epic second-half performance, highlighted by his two tries and defence-busting drives.

Several 50-50 decisions went Hornets way, it has to be said, but one wonders what difference it might have made if Roughyeds had gone for goal and a 26-10 lead early in the second half when they were awarded a penalty in an easy kicking position after a melee in which Joe Taira and Emmerson Whittel were sent to the sin bin.

They chose to go for six points, instead of two, failed in the attempt and within a couple of minutes conceded a try to Ben Calland, whose speed off the mark caught out an Oldham defence that was now starting to tire in the intense heat and wasn’t nearly as sharp into the tackle as it was earlier.

As Hornets went for the jugular, Rogers scored either side of a Chase try and Chase then completed his hat-trick before Ben O’Keefe and Bennion finished the task.

It was a typically intense derby and in the last few minutes Oldham had to defend with 12 men after Luke Nelmes was sin-binned following one of several exciting dummy-half breaks by debutant hooker Johnny Openshaw.

It was all so different in the first half when Andrade and Chase exchanged converted tries before Roughyeds battled hard to keep Hornets at bay before themselves scoring three tries in seven minutes to establish their 24-6 half-time lead.

Right-wing pair Liam Copland and Calvin Wellngton did the damage, the Welshman showing great tenacity in the centre to send his winger clear for one try and then responding sharply to Copland’s kick inside to score another.

Openshaw’s individual brilliance earned him a fourth Oldham try before he broke again and popped up a stunning inside ball which, had he been able to take it, would have put Owen Restall under the posts.

That emphasised how much Oldham were in the ascendancy at that stage in a derby of very contrasting halves. In the second half, they were even pushed off the ball at one of their own scrums !

Oldham: Restall; Copland, Wellington, Carr, Hartley; Ridyard, Slater; Nelmes, Yarrow, Spencer, Windrow, Cameron, Whittel. Subs,
Openshaw, Thornton, Andrade, Newton.

Hornets: McNally; Tyrer, Calland, O’Keefe, Hitchcox; Chase, Sheridan; Rogers, Rush, Bennion, Foster, Baker, Gannon, Subs, Penkywicz, Taira, Killan, Moi Moi.

Ref, J McMullen; Att, 938; Pens, 5-6;

Roughyeds are at home again next Sunday when Doncaster visit.

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