Oldham overpower neighbours Rochdale Mayfield

OLDHAM 60 ROCHDALE MAYFIELD 10
IAN WILSON, Boundary Park, Sunday

OLDHAM’S third game of the week proved rather less challenging than the first two, with a comfortable victory over neighbours Rochdale Mayfield setting up a Challenge Cup third round tie against Barrow.

But Mayfield never gave up and certainly cemented the reputation of the National Conference for decent quality Rugby League.

There was never likely to be a real contest, of course, with an Oldham side reinforced from last season with a sprinkling of experienced former Super League players up against an amateur side, even though it was admittedly a top-level one.

And when simple passing to the right by the home side on their first set of the game allowed Mo Agoro to go over in the corner, the pattern was set.

A further eleven tries followed, at regular intervals, most similarly wide out after powerful Oldham forward drives had sucked in enough of the committed Mayfield defence to allow overlaps to be created by their efficient halfbacks, Josh Drinkwater and Danny Craven.

Agoro was the main beneficiary of the link play, with Iain Thornley providing him with the final passes for four more scores after the first one. Thornley himself went in for two as well, with his second, in the 47th minute, being the classiest down that wing, when he dummied to his winger and cut back against the grain very cleverly.

On the other side of the field, there were not quite the same rich pickings for Kieran Dixon, only one first-half overlap try enabling him to contribute to his total points tally of 20.

However, a 71st minute run-in from 90 metres was the one that got the crowd to its feet, when he picked up a loose ball close to his own line and just managed to outpace the commendable Mayfield effort to cut him off in the far corner.

Other Oldham try-scorers were Jumah Sambou in the first half, when a long run out of defence by Jack Johnson enabled him just to push off two final tackle attempts, Josh Drinkwater and, representing the hard-grafting pack, Ted Chapelhow from close range in the 66th minute.

Mayfield were not to be denied some reward for their efforts, however. A superb grubber by Jack Wright in the 28th minute allowed the supporting Ben Metcalfe to touch down, and then a class 40/20 kick in the final minute by Wright led to Ieuan Higgs crashing over in the right hand corner on the end of a width-of-the-field passing movement.

Quality indeed!

GAMESTAR: Mo Agoro, whose five tries qualify him, though he would be the first to admit he relied on others too.

GAMEBREAKER: A genuine Agoro hat-trick inside the first 16 minutes established the scene pretty clearly.

MATCHFACTS
OLDHAM
20 Jack Johnson
5 Mo Agoro
4 Iain Thornley
18 Jumah Sambou
2 Kieran Dixon
6 Danny Craven
23 Josh Drinkwater
8 Gil Dudson
9 Matty Wildie
15 Jay Chapelhow
11 Matty Ashurst
17 Elijah Taylor
13 Adam Milner
Subs (all used)
14 Bailey Aldridge
16 Pat Moran
19 Ted Chapelhow
10 Owen Farnworth

Tries: Agoro (2, 12, 17, 53, 62), Dixon (21, 71), Sambou (38), Thornley (42, 47), T Chapelhow (50), Drinkwater (66)
Goals: Dixon 6/12

MAYFIELD
1 Harry Sheridan
20 Ieuan Higgs
3 Max Riseham
4 Isaac Reid
5 Mason Riley
6 Jack Wright
7 Devlin Long
17 Noah Lawton
19 Dec Sheridan
10 Harrison Chappell
11 Connor Ratcliffe
18 Ben Metcalfe
13 Cole Connolly
Subs (all used)
14 Jacob Andrews-Smith
15 Nick Hargreaves
8 Billy Pirouzan
16 Joe Taira