OLDHAM 72 HUNSLET 24
IAN WILSON, Bower Fold, Stalybridge, Sunday
HAVING lost very disappointingly to Featherstone at the semi-final stage last season, Oldham were very clearly determined to make a convincing start to their 1895 Cup quest in 2026.
Hunslet, who had lost in the Championship by 44 points just three weeks earlier at the same venue, and who were weakened to the extent that they were only able to field a 16-man squad on the day, were duly put to the sword again, this time by a margin of 12 tries to 4.
But few would have predicted such a margin when Ant Walker crashed over from close range in the 52nd minute, to bring the battling Hunslet side to within six points of Oldham at 24-30.
And that was after Hunslet had actually gone ahead 18-12 on the half-hour, when Ethan O’Hanlon followed Joe Butterfield’s almost identical short-range effort three minutes earlier.
Three tries by props shows one impressive area of relative strength the visitors demonstrated from time to time during the 80 minutes.
And another was in the centres, where both Myles Harrop and Billy Jowitt impressed by their committed running in particular – and this was on top of Jowitt’s cheeky interception try in just the second minute of the game, when he ran in unopposed from 65 metres.
Add four successful Jowitt conversions, and the accumulation of 24 points by the Parkside men will no doubt have left Oldham coach Alan Kilshaw less than impressed.
Kilshaw, though, will have been rather happier with Oldham’s display with ball in hand.
Their forwards were powerful and willing runners from 8 to 17, as is shown by the fact that they contributed no fewer than six of the home side’s tries.
All were from inside the Hunslet 20-metre zone, by Ashurst, Purcell and Geyer in the first half, which had the effect of keeping their side in the contest; and then Farnworth, Thomas and Lannon in the final 12 minutes, by which time the visitors’ defence was utterly broken.
But the Roughyed backs got in on the act too, particularly during the third quarter, when the game was still in the balance.
It was Cole Geyer’s superb long break down the centre of the field, supported by Jack Walker, that set proceedings going in the second half, with swift passing left then giving the hard-working Jake Bibby room to go over in the corner in just the 43rd minute.
A marvellous touchline conversion by Riley Dean – his 12 from 12 all told was an impeccable display of the goal-kicker’s art – gave Oldham a 6-point lead that they then never lost.
Clever interpassing, culminating in a clever short kick by Tom Nisbet, gave Jack Walker Oldham’s next score, then a short burst against the grain from Bayley Liu, a close-range dummying effort by Dean, and another via a dummy from close range by Ben Davies, after another long Geyer break, almost completed the home backs’ contribution.
Not quite, though, as more slick right to left passing allowed Bibby to repeat his try in the corner in the 78th minute.
GAMESTAR: While the game was still competitive, Cole Geyer was simply too much for the Yorkshire side’s defence from dummy-half; his sniping created huge gaps for others to pour through.
GAMEBREAKER: It was probably only when the Roughyeds scored twice in three minutes just before the hour that Hunslet’s brave resistance seemed to evaporate.
MATCHFACTS
OLDHAM
1 Jack Walker
21 Tom Nisbet
4 Ben Davies
22 Bayley Liu
5 Jake Bibby
7 Riley Dean
23 Josh Drinkwater
15 Ted Chapelhow
9 Matty Wildie
10 Owen Farnworth
11 Matty Ashurst
16 Ewan Moore
13 Adam Milner
Subs (all used)
12 Ryan Lannon
14 Cole Geyer
18 Jaron Purcell
19 Luke Thomas
Tries: Ashurst (7), Purcell (19), Geyer (37), Bibby (43, 78), Walker (48), Liu (55), Dean (58), Davies (63), Farnworth (68), Thomas (71), Lannon (75)
Goals: Dean 12/12
HUNSLET
43 Brandon Pickersgill
27 Charlie Graham
1 Billy Jowitt
3 Myles Harrop
18 Jimmy Watson
6 Lee Gaskell
21 Jack Ward
8 Harvey Hallas
7 Dan Abram
16 Elijah Simpson
11 Harrison Gilmore
20 Liam Carr
13 Eddie Battye
Subs (only three, all used)
26 Ethan O’Hanlon
40 Joe Butterfield
44 Ant Walker
Tries: Jowitt (2), Butterfield (27), O’Hanlon (30), Walker (52)
Goals: Jowitt 4/4
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 6-6, 12-6, 12-12, 12-18, 18-18; 24-18, 30-18, 30-24, 36-24, 42-24, 48-24, 54-24, 60-24, 66-24, 72-24
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Oldham: Cole Geyer; Hunslet: Billy Jowitt
Penalty count: 4-4
Half-time: 18-18
Referee: Scott Mikalauskas
Attendance: 740