OLDHAM 34 MIDLANDS HURRICANES 40
KASEY SMITH, Boundary Park, Friday

MIDLANDS overturned a 24-0 deficit in the first 15 minutes to dump Oldham out of the 1895 Cup with a gritty, hard-fought win.

Roughyeds could not have started any better, running riot to earn a four-score lead in the first quarter, but they were left stunned by what followed.

Midlands, attacking wise, exposed huge gaps in the Oldham defence as they clawed back the advantage to draw level at the break.

When the Hurricanes took the lead, they never seemed like letting it go even though Oldham threw everything at the visitors in the remaining stages.

The Roughyeds wasted no time getting on the scoresheet. In their first foray into Midlands territory, Jack Walker broke through. His pass out wide was loose, but it fell kindly for Jake Bibby, who grounded the ball despite Midlands’ desperate attempts to scramble it clear.

Bibby looked certain to score again, but Midlands produced some desperate goal-line defence to hold him up.

Oldham, intent on killing the game early, quickly shifted the ball right in the next move, where Riley Dean’s short drop-off pass sent Jaron Purcell bursting through for their second try.

Choosing the left edge once again paid off for Oldham. A slick one-two between Riley Dean and Tom Nisbet saw the latter tee up Ewan Moore, who left the Hurricanes stunned inside the opening ten minutes.

Oldham continued to assert their dominance, and once they were awarded a penalty after Midlands were caught offside, the outcome already felt inevitable. The fourth try came courtesy of Luke Forber, who produced a sublime acrobatic finish from the tightest of angles in the corner.

The game was completely turned on its head after a moment of complacency from Oldham, and from there Midlands seized control. At their first opportunity, Tyler Dickinson powered through to score, sparking a dominant spell in which they ran riot.

They struck again in style through Lewis Else, who spotted space behind the defensive line and produced a perfectly weighted chip over the top. He gathered cleanly and grounded under the posts himself, cutting Oldham’s lead back to just two scores.

Another handling error from Oldham gifted the Hurricanes another try, completely undoing the Roughyeds’ strong opening 15 minutes. Matty Chrimes caught Dean flat-footed, strolling through untouched from the scrum to score.

Oldham’s fragile defence then allowed Midlands to draw level. Sully Medforth sold a neat dummy, and the gaps opened in front of him; he strolled through untouched to score under the posts.

Midlands’ enthusiasm only grew in the second-half and they took the lead when no Oldham player tracked a Medforth grubber, allowing Luis Roberts to touch down.

Finally, Oldham responded. Given a set restart, Dean had room to dance his way over as Oldham attempted to wrestle back control of the game.

A speculative Medforth kick paid off for the Hurricanes, as Forber inexplicably allowed the ball to bounce, gifting possession to Aidan McGowan, who pounced and strolled in to restore the lead.

More Oldham brain explosions followed. Nisbet was caught flying off his line and Cian Tyrer benefitted, diving over in the corner.

Midlands’ lead was reduced when Bibby pounced on a Smith kick in the corner, but Oldham could not build on it.

There was an air of desperation in the Roughyeds gameplay, whereas Midlands remained calm to secure a spot in the semis.

GAMESTAR: Lewis Else ran riot, and his chip and chase try was sublime.

GAMEBREAKER: Cian Tyrer’s try just after the hour-mark gave Midlands something to hold onto and Oldham had no response.

MATCHFACTS

ROUGHYEDS
1 Jack Walker
21 Tom Nisbet
4 Ben O’Keefe
5 Jake Bibby
29 Luke Forber
7 Riley Dean
23 Josh Drinkwater
15 Ted Chapelhow
9 Matty Wildie
18 Jaron Purcell
11 Matty Ashurst
16 Ewan Moore
13 Adam Milner
Subs (all used)
6 Morgan Smith
12 Ryan Lannon
22 Tom McKinney
27 Bayley Liu

Tries: Bibby (2, 65), Purcell (7), Moore (10), Forber (16), Dean (51)
Goals: Dean 5/6

HURRICANES
23 Aidan McGowan
2 Matty Chrimes
1 Todd Horner
5 Luis Roberts
22 Cian Tyrer
19 Sully Medforth
7 Lewis Else
8 Jon-Luke Kirby
14 Brandon Moore
10 Tyler Dickinson
11 Tom Wilkinson
20 Toby Warren
13 Mikey Wood
Subs (all used)
9 Aiden Roden
28 Isaac Shaw
16 Zeus Silk
15 Elliot Morris

Tries: Dickinson (23), Else (25), Chrimes (28), Medforth (32), Roberts (46), McGowan (58), Tyrer (61)
Goals: Medforth 6/7

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 12-0, 18-0 24-0, 24-6, 24-12, 24-18, 24-24; 24-30, 30-30, 30-36, 30-40, 34-40

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Roughyeds: Ted Chapelhow; Hurricanes: Lewis Else

Penalty count: 2-2
Half-time: 24-24
Referee: Denton Arnold
Attendance: 1,004