Bloomfield’s road to recovery

Dale Bloomfield

DALE Bloomfield, top try scorer in Kingstone Press Championship One, plays for Oldham under-20s at Halifax tonight (7.30pm) in his first game back after injury.

Despite missing the Roughyeds' last two games after suffering a dead leg at York on July 20, the former Rochdale winger still heads the division's try scorers with 18.

Five others, including his fellow Oldham winger Mo Agoro, are hot on his heels with 17.

For most of the season, Bloomfield (right) and Agoro were the only recognised wingers in the senior squad, but Adam Clay's late arrival at Whitebank was timed to perfection, given that Agoro had to miss the game at York with a knee injury.

Clay made his debut at York as Agoro's replacement on the right wing and seven days later had a try-scoring home debut on the left wing in place of the injured Bloomfield.

Clay scored again at London Skolars, where Agoro went in for a hat-trick, completed by a length-of-the-field match-clincher with five minutes left.

Mark Hobson, who hasn't played first-team rugby for three months, had to decline selection in the under-20s tonight because of work commitments.

Back problems and the demands of his full-time job have disrupted his season, although he did manage a second-team game at Leigh two weeks ago.

Oldham: Singleton; Dootson, Ravencroft, Buckley-Mayall, Bloomfield; Dempsey, Flanagan; R Joy, Ball, B Roden, A Joy, Partington, Wareing. Subs: Campbell, Parr, Bickerstaff, Kavanagh.

Hemel Stags, who come to Whitebank on Sunday (3pm), have lost prop James Howitt with a broken hand, but have strengthened by signing Joel Thomas from French club UTC, Keiran Dixon and Mike McMeeken on dual-registration from London Broncos, and Stephen Bannister on loan from North Wales Crusaders.

n OLDHAM chairman Chris Hamilton will be a guest tonight on Radio Manchester's Rugby League Show between 6pm and 8pm.