Agonising loss as Oldham wilt

Photo: Tim Bradley

DETERMINATION: Oldham's Adam Clay reaches out to score the second of his hat-trick of tries.

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IT was a toss-up which caused Oldham fans more anguish . . . Roughyeds taking a second-half battering by the Bulldogs or the sight of a dejected Phil Joy being led from the field after another dislocation of his left shoulder.

Either way, it was a grim, grim day for the club and its people as Batley ended a run of five losses in a row by hitting back from 22-10 down to rattle up 38 points without reply at the Manchester Regional Athletics Centre.

Small consolation came with the news that the four clubs underneath Scott Naylor's men in the KP Championship - Rochdale, Swinton, Dewsbury and Bradford - all lost too.

SPLIT

Nearer to home, there was nothing to split the Roughyeds and the Bulldogs in the first half, which ended at 22-22; four tries apiece, three goals apiece and two sides that were full of infringements, errors and an apparent reluctance to man-up in defence.

Adam Clay's hat-trick on the right wing inside 20 minutes was the highlight of the first stanza, in which Oldham scored a quick 10 points; Batley responded with 10 of their own; Roughyeds added another 12; and the visitors drew level a second time with a dozen points in the run-up to half time.

At 22-22 and with the interval fast approaching, there was plenty of last-gasp drama with Scott Leatherbarrow missing a penalty goal and a drop goal from comfortable positions; Batley half-back Dominic Brambani going in the bin for what referee Adam Sweet judged to be a trip on Richard Lepori; and Cain Southernwood also firing wide with a penalty kick to leave it all square at the break.

It all looked promising when Naylor's men went 10-0 up inside six minutes, with Clay crossing in the corner on Leatherbarrow's wide ball before Adam Neal scored a converted try near the posts on a flat pass from dummy-half Kenny Hughes - both these tries on the back of four penalties to Oldham in as many minutes.

After that the pendulum was to swing back and forth as each side took it in turns to make mistakes and incur the wrath of the man in the middle.

Oldham's defence was equally as poor as Batley's when first Danny Cowling swept in at the corner to score the visitors' first try and then Joel Farrell sidestepped three home defenders to score near the posts.

George Tyson, a constant threat in the first half, did well to fashion Clay's second try, which Leatherbarrow improved from wide out.

Clay and Tuoyo Egodo made sparkling breaks out of defence before Clay completed his hat-trick thanks to a money ball from Danny Langtree. Leatherbarrow goaled again from the touchline.

CONTROL

At 22-10, the home side looked to be in control, but they blew it again, first allowing Alistair Leak to squeeze over from dummy half close in and then failing to prevent prop Adam Gledhill powering over on a crash b all near the line.

After half-time, Oldham went from bad to worse defensively and rarely looked like scoring.

The hosts continued to make errors in possession too. And from Joe Burke's lost ball in the first set after half-time, Bulldogs pressed forward and scored an excellent try by winger Wayne Reittie in the corner.

Brambani had only been back on the field for a minute or so when he ghosted through Oldham's crowded, yet suspect, defensive barrier with a dummy and a shimmy which took him behind the posts.

After that, Oldham heads and body language dropped alarmingly and Bulldogs piled on the agony with a Southernwood penalty and further tries for forwards James Harrison and Tom Lillycrop, both improved by Southernwood.

Oldham's only consolation was a late try by Danny Grimshaw, which Leatherbarrow goaled.

On the final hooter Brambani was shown red by referee Sweet for dissent in questioning a decision to penalise the visitors.

There was another major setback for Roughyeds when Joy, playing his first game in three months, was led off with a recurrence of his old shoulder injury to cap off a thoroughly dark and dismal day for the home side.