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Roughyeds dazzle in the sun



THE prospects of a play-off decider when Hunslet come to the Vestacare Stadium on September 4 moved a step nearer when Roughyeds caned London Skolars 60-6 while runaway leaders Keighley were beating Alan Kilshaw’s men 60-18.

Stu Littler insists on playing it cool – “We take one game at a time and the only focus right now is on our next opponents Cornwall,” he said – but the fact remains that Hunslet’s lead is now down to four points and Oldham have a slightly better for-and-against figure.

Each have three games to play, including what could be a play-off showdown here in three weeks.

In the meantime, Roughyeds play Cornwall away and Swinton Lions away, while Hunslet also have to go to Swinton and then play Doncaster at home.

It’s all balanced on a knife edge, but Roughyeds did their chances a world of good with a slick, entertaining and highly-promising 80-minute performance that left Skolars well and truly down and out.

Roughyeds scored ten tries in total, including some real beauties, and they revelled in the extraordinarily hot weather, while supporters were wilting in the heat, to defend with aggression and to attack with an exciting brand of football to which Skolars had no answer.

When Roughyeds are in this mood they are as good as most teams in this division.

They went 18-0 up in as many minutes with three converted tries by centre Alex Sutton and forwards Oliver Field and Tom Spencer, all converted beautifully by Martyn Ridyard.

Pick of the three came from a short-side attack in which Field produced his footballing skills to get Sutton away and the Wigan Warriors youngster came up with centre play of the highest order to drag the cover defence wide and then put the ball inside to Field. who finished in style from long range.

It was the start of excellent things to come from the Wigan trio, with Sutton and Logan Astley each scoring a brace, while prop Jack Bibby, a big lad with a strong carry, was named man of the match.

Jack Coventry, a beast of a rampaging forward, won the Magic Moment award for his break and then his use of the ball to fashion the first of two tries for lightning-fast Astley.

Lameck Juma, the Skolars’ best and most dangerous forward, pulled back a try for the visitors on the half hour, but good work by Astley, coming off the bench, set up James Thornton, who sailed in for a try to give us a 24-6 lead at half-time.

The challenge at that stage was to play at least as well as that, if not better, in the second half. Given the intense heat and the side’s tendency to be, in Littler’s words “like rocks and diamonds” fans were happy to see the home side defending furiously at the start of the second half before breaking out to score another classic try.

Sutton went in for his second try wide out on the left after a quick right-to-left shift before the powerful Juma was penalised and sin-binned for obstruction.

When the ball left Ridyard’s boot, Astley looked a good bet for gathering on the first bounce and going clear. Juma had different ideas and he had to pay for pushing his quicker opponent out of the way.

With a man down and the searing heat appearing to get hotter by the minute, Skolars were in big trouble. Astley was ripping them up and it came as no surprise when he sped in for two tries in the next eight minutes.

Roughyeds were breaking easily out of defence now, and the support running was excellent, thus providing Astley with the opportunity to show what good finishing really is.

Carr and Coventry were the main providers and Astley wasn’t the only one to benefit with winger Liam Copland also crossing from long range as Oldham went from strength to strength.

Ridyard’s conversion took the home side out to 48-6, but they weren’t finished yet, Hewitt going over for a cheeky solo and then Morgan wrong-footing his defender on the right-hand touchline with an instinctive, dazzling change of direction to score the tenth try.

Ridyard, the side’s senior citizen, had taken a well-earned breather after converting the eighth try so Hewitt kicked the last two goals to finish the job with aplomb and send supporters home wishing for more of the same.

Scorers: Oldham – goals, Ridyard 8/8, Hewitt 2/2; tries, Sutton (2), Astley (2), Field, Spencer, Thornton, Copland, Hewitt, Morgan.

Skolars – goal, Lyon 1/1; try, Juma.

Teams:

OLDHAM: Morgan; Copland, Carr, Sutton, Restall; Ridyard, Hewitt; Bibby, Butterworth, Spencer, Ferry, Field, Whittel. Subs: Astley, Coventry, Thornton, Slater.

Skolars: Thomas; Ball, Yates, Small, Carter; Lyon, Hutchings; Greenhalgh, Thorman, Gale, Bejanidze, Juma, O’Callaghan. Subs: Ross, Chirnside, Cox, Kaufman.

Ref, Matthew Lynn; HT, 24-6; Att, 481; Pens, 8-5; Yellow Card, 49 mins, Lameck Juma (Skolars, obstruction).

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