St Anne’s return to the fray

RUGBY: FOLLOWING a fraught couple of weeks, Oldham St Anne’s can at least do their talking on the pitch tomorrow.

The Higginshaw Road club plays host to Castleford Panthers, able to field a team against their fellow Kingstone Press National Conference League Division Two strugglers.

That hasn’t been the case recently: due to visit Millom two weeks ago, Saints were granted a postponement because of player unavailability. Rearranged for seven days later, club officials again failed to put together a side capable of competing against the Cumbrians.

League rules mean Saints will be relegated to Division Three at the end of the season, and issued a fine.

A meeting this week found the club resolving to get through the remaining seven games, then regroup to lay plans for next season.

Cch Mick Worrall has been hit hard by injuries to key players: Carl Sneyd, Greg Worrall, Dominic Igoe, Jordan White and Dane English have all been sidelined for the majority of 2015.

“They are what I call strike players and would be the first names on the teamsheet,” said Worrall.

“It will be a mixed bag again tomorrow of first-team regulars, second teamers and under-18s, but that’s been the case all season. Cancelling games is something I don’t enjoy doing.”

Worrall has endured other problems: “I think I had 32 players unavailable for the first Millom game.

“I can understand it if players have the chance to work - the work is there and they have families to provide for. There are holidays to contend with too. But some have an attitude problem: They wouldn’t miss games if we were in the top three or four.”



SECOND-bottom SADDLEWORTH Rangers visit mid-table Shaw Cross Sharks in Division One of the NCL tomorrow, while WATERHEAD Warriors hit the road to Crosfields in NCL Division Three.