Page 33 - Oldham Evening Chronicle - October 2022

OCTOBER 2022 www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk 33

Sport

Talented Oonagh is Two awards for rugby

Oldham’s golden girl Dean has won the National
Ciaran
WATERHEAD’S
Conference League’s division
TALENTED young Greenfield athlete Oonagh three Player-Of-The-Year
McManus secured two brilliant medals at the award following his excellent
European Biathle Championships in Athens, season in the Warriors’
Greece. promotion charge.
Crompton House School pupil Oonagh, who A centre, Dean was a model
is 12 and was competing in the under 15 age of consistency, scoring 14
category, was representing Great Britain and won tries and 48 goals over the
an individual bronze and team gold medals in the course of the division three
Championships showpiece. campaign, in which he also
Oonagh swims for Oldham Aquatics and Orca win five man-of-the-match
(Oldham, Royton and Crompton) swimming awards.
clubs. He faced strong competition
The Biathle is a continuous run-swim-run event and just edged out Nathan
and consists of an 800m run directly followed by Conroy of East Leeds and
a 100m swim and finishes with another 800m run. Dan Johnson of Eastmooor
It’s a sport that is part of UIPM World Pentathlon
and Pentathlon GB. Dragons.
Oonagh’s proud dad Barry said: “In an Proud Oonagh McManus shows off her medals Another local winner was
incredibly exciting race Oonagh finished third, draw level in a pack of four GB girls, who all Peter Townsend, secretary
collecting individual bronze and team gold crossed the line together. of Saddleworth Rangers,
medals for Great Britain. “It was a nervous wait for the final results, but who was presented with the
“Oonagh took the race out fast, separating the thankfully Oonagh was confirmed third with just Alfreida Kindon secretary-
field with a solid first run. over one second separating first and fourth place. of-the-year prize for an
“Entering the water in second place, a fantastic “Oonagh was dreaming of a top 10 finish, so to outstanding season of Left to Right: Joe Fitzsimmons, Peter Townsend, Peter Moran.
swim saw her come out of the sea holding her come away with a place on the podium and two administration on behalf of Picture courtesy of Ainsley Bennett, secretary of Hunslet Warriors.
position going into the final run. medals is incredible. Rangers.
“The last 800 metres was a tense affair with the “She’s obviously over the moon and we’re all He is pictured with Joe management committee (left) at the NCL Grand Final
lead changing hands and Oonagh slipping into incredibly proud of her achievement. Fitzsimmons, secretary and Peter Moran (right), at Featherstone in which
fourth place. “It’s been an amazing experience and I’m sure of Wigan St Jude’s and a president of the NCL. Hunslet Club Parkside beat
“One final push in the last 10 metres saw her this will stand her in good stead for the future.” leading member of the NCL This presentation was made West Hull 18-14.
World Cup warm-up day out for Limehurst

and-son twosome from Colwyn Dad in Blacko and to head off to long-range try in Lyon earned the
Bay, who were clearly steeped in Queensland with the sole intention boys in red, white and blue a 10-
rugby league -- hardly surprising of making it big with Brisbane 10 draw and ultimately the World
since Dad was born in Oldham and Broncos. Cup because they finished higher
was reared on the fabulous fifties The World Cup, which started than Australia in the earlier league
team at Watersheddings. last Saturday up in Newcastle, is placings.
The night before, only a few miles the pinnacle event in international This year’s groups are as follows:
away at the A J Bell Stadium, we saw rugby league. Like no other form of Group A: England, France,
the community and the professional the game, players compete with the Greece, Samoa
arms of the sport come together as pride of their nation at the heart of Group B: Australia, Fiji, Italy,
one when the amateur lads of the every performance. Scotland
England under-19s squad, including This year, more teams than Group C: Ireland, Jamaica,
Oldham lads Scott Parnaby, Callum ever before will compete for the Lebanon, New Zealand
Murphy and Dylan Turner, paraded World Cup with four groups of Group D: Cook Islands, Papua
the European Championship Trophy four competing in 17 stadia across New Guinea, Wales, Tonga.
they won so gloriously by beating England. Our congratulations go to several
France in the final in Italy. Eight quarter-finalists from the former Oldham players who will be
It happened during half-time at the last World Cup in 2017 qualified competing, including Michael Ward
THE boys and girls of Limehurst all, most of us live on the club’s World Cup warm-up match between automatically and the other (Ireland). Joe Burke (Wales), Aaon
Lions, under the watch of coach Lee doorstep don’t we.” England and Fiji, which England eight nations were decided by a Jones-Bishop and Jordan Andrade
Flaherty, were on duty at the World Coached by the famous Aussie, won 50-0. qualification process based on (Jamaica) and Richard Lepori
Cup warm-up match between Wales Michael Cheika, a 55-year-old who Pre-match and outside the stadium global regions and determined by (Italy).
and Lebanon at Heywood Road, has coached the Wallabies and is we bumped into former Roughyeds international competition. Our congratulations go also to
Sale. now in charge of the Argentina and now Higginshaw player Ben Our World Cup is one of the Tyler Dupree, now of Salford Red
They are pictured here, looking Rugby Union side, Lebanon won Heaton and his family; Lee Turner, longest-running in world sport. It Devils, who is in the England
smart in their club kit, forming a 38-22 and looked a good side. proud dad of Dylan; and, among was first suggested by France in the Knights squad and also to another
guard of honour as the teams leave John Kear’s Welsh squad included other Oldham fans, Derek Tunney 1930s, but it wasn’t until 1953 that member of the Knights squad --
the dressing rooms. two brothers from Australia, James of Cleveleys, who uses public the International RL Board (IRLB) Huddersfield’s Oliver Russell, an
Said Lee: “It was a great trip for and Oliver Olds, the former from transport but who rarely misses a accepted the French proposal. Oldham boy and the son of Richard,
them. They love everything about Valleys and the latter from Souths Roughyeds game home or away. It was first held in 1954 with our former hooker.
rugby league and, with lots of others Logan, both in Queensland. How’s that for loyalty? only four nations -- Great Britain, The State of Mind charity, which
who were not in this World Cup The pulling power of the World Inside the ground we were sitting Australia, New Zealand and France. does wonderful work in the field of
party, they are taking Limehurst Cup was seen by the presence in close to a party from Burnley -- Huddersfield’s Dave Valentine, a mental health, has released a song
Lions from strength to strength. the main stand of their Mum, Liz, family friends of Herbie Farnworth, Scotsman, lifted the trophy after which will be the unofficial anthem
“We now have six different who had travelled from Bridgend to the 22-year-old England centre Britain’s defeat of France in the of the World Cup.
age-group squads and our under- watch her sons play for the country from Blacko, near Burnley, who final. A choir, involving several
10s, who play in the North-West of their birth. was inspired by the Burgess boys Since then, Australia have members of the Challenge Cup choir
Counties youth league, have won “They were in school together to fly to Australia to see if he could dominated the world, winning 11 which sung at the 2016 Challenge
22 games on the run. in Bridgend with two more Welsh fulfil a boyhood dream to play in the of the 15 series with the other four Cup Final at Wembley, among
“Numbers are growing all the players, Ben and Rhys Evans,” NRL. going to GB (three times) and New them Oldham rep Craig Halstead,
time and the kids off the estate said Liz. “Fancy, four lads from the He was once an Academy soccer Zealand (one). Take away the Kiwis will sing it live when England play
love nothing better than watching same class playing for Wales. It’s player at Manchester United, but win in 2008, and the Aussies haven’t Australia in the Physical Disability
Roughyeds at the Vestacare and fantastic.” he gave all that up at the age of been beaten since 1972 when Rugby League (PDRL) World Cup
doing duties like flag-bearing. After Sitting alongside her were a father- 14 to wave goodbye to Mum and Clive Sullivan’s much-televised on October 23.