Oldham mount pressure on leaders Whitehaven

Betfred League One: Oldham 40-14 Doncaster

Ritchie Hawkyard may be 33 and weighing-up retirement at the end of this season, but he's still playing with the energy and the enthusiasm of a youngster.

One thing's for sure . . . if this season is his final fling it's one he won't forget in a hurry.

He always wanted to sign off at Oldham, the club for which his uncle Colin starred at Watersheddings when he was a starry-eyed young boy, and he got his wish when he joined Roughyeds from Keighley at the start of this season after previously spending ten long years at Swinton Lions.

For the umpteenth time this season he carried off the man-of-the-match award at the Vestacare Stadium on Sunday and the way Roughyeds are playing he and his team mates can start seriously thinking of sudden-death play-offs with promotion as the ultimate prize.

This was their seventh win in the last eight outings since they were walloped 31-0 at the Keepmoat Stadium by Doncaster in early June.

And club chairman Chris Hamilton said jokingly of Hawkyard: "If his career wasn't coming to a close we'd teach him how to run around an opponent rather than through him." --- a comical reference to the full-back's bravery and courage in shirking nothing when clearing his lines and facing the biggest and toughest opposing forwards.

On a more serious note he added: "In yardage sets 'Titch' showed an enormous appetite for the challenge and his willingness to lead from the front was an example that rubbed off on everybody else."

Roughyeds certainly seem to be hitting top form at the right time and if they can win their two remaining games at Coventry on September 1 and Hunslet on September 8 they will be guaranteed at least a second-place finish in Betfred League 1.

Doncaster scored first and last in the first half but in between those scores, Roughyeds chalked up tries by Liam Bent, Hawkyard and Danny Langtree , all converted by Paul Crook, for an 18-8 interval lead.

Donny knew they had to score first on the resumption to stay in the game, but Roughyeds contained everything the Yorkshiremen threw at them before adding further tries by Crook, Cameron Leeming, Matty Wilkinson and Gareth Owen.

Russ Spiers pulled a try back for the visitors, but they were well beaten by an Oldham side that no one will relish taking on in a play-off at the Vestacare Stadium.

Teamwork was the key in this one allied to top-class individual shows by full-back Hawkyard, centre Leeming, hooker Owen, and the two Danny boys in the second-row, Langtree and Bridge.

Oldham are indeed fortunate to have wide-operating forwards like these two, Langtree on the right and Bridge on the left.

They, and Oldham, have the presence and the ability to take the play-offs by storm. But first things first. There shouldn't be too much of a problem at Coventry but Hunslet at the South Leeds Stadium on the last day of the regular season will be an absolute humdinger and one which may well decide whether Scott Naylor's men finish second or third. 

Scorers (v Doncaster): goals, Crook 6/7; tries, Bent, Hawkyard, Langtree, Crook, Leeming, Wilkinson, Owen.

Team: Hawkyard; Kay, McComb, Leeming, Johnson; Crook, Hewitt; Joy, Owen, Law, Bridge, Langtree, Bent. Subs: Smith, Wilkinson, Whittel, Beckett.

Referee: J McMullen; Att: 745.