Revenge win pleases Gareth after sticky run
Calderdale’s National Conference sides Siddal, Ovenden and Elland can put their feet up on Challenge Cup final weekend before heading into the finishing straight.
Siddal remain one point behind Lock Lane at the top of the National Conference League after an excellent 204 home win over fourth-placed Leigh Miners Rangers last Saturday.
They were avenging a 2417 away defeat, much to the delight of head coach Gareth Greenwood.
“It was good to get the result,” he said, after a run of only one win in five games.
Two tries from centre Billy Hammond and one each from in-form prop George Ambler and replacement Joel McFarlane, plus two goals from Chris Brooke, earned Siddal victory.
Rangers managed only a try from winger Gareth Paine in reply.
Greenwood said he didn’t like to single out individuals for special praise but he thought Emmerson Newburn and Ambler were outstanding.
Siddal are next in action away to sixth-placed Thatto Heath Crusaders tomorrow week.
Siddal had to overturn a 13 point deficit in the second half to secure victory when the two sides met earlier in the season.
Thatto Heath beat Siddal twice last season but Greenwood has high hopes of his men turning the tables this year.
Ovenden bounced back from a home derby defeat by Elland with a 52-16 win at Waterhead in Division Two last Saturday.
It was plain sailing for Gareth English’s side, who led the next-to-bottom team by 22-6 at half time.
Long- serving Chris Geoghegan capped a man of the match display at loose forward with three tries and Arran Varley, Nathan Smith, Shaun Smith, Dean Robertshaw, English, Reece Ogden and Luke O’Mara also touched down.
Nathan Smith kicked six goals.
Elland will return after a two-week break with a crunch home game against promotion rivals Dudley Hill in eight
days’ time. The Pennine League season is only three weeks away but officials are yet to settle on which teams are playing in which divisions.
A second set-up was released early this week but fixture secretary Matthew Barraclough confirmed that a third was on the way prior to the opening day on Saturday, September 6.
He said this was due to a combination of teams transferring to the summer league and the entry of new teams.
Barraclough confirmed that Boothtown Terriers would field a second team. It could play in the seventh division. Sheffield ran in nine tries from eight different scorers as they thumped Rochdale 48-0 in their midweek Kingstone Press Championship match.
Tom Ashton scored twice following Dwane Straughier’s fourth-minute opener, with James Davey, Loto Tagaloa, Menzie Yere, Scott Turner, Cory Aston and Quentin Lauulu-Togagae also crossing the whitewash.
Pat Walker kicked four conversions while Kyle Briggs added two in the onesided rout which saw Sheffield edge above Dewsbury into fifth place in the overall standings while Rochdale remain in 12th. Hull KR have completed the re-construction of their new threequarter line with the signing of England Knights winger Kieran Dixon on a three-year contract from London Broncos.
Dixon has been recognised as one of the most promising talents in Super League since bursting onto the scene two years ago but a move to bigspending Salford fell through at the end of last season when he sustained a major knee injury playing for the Knights against Samoa.
Dixon, who made his Super League comeback in the Broncos’ shock 40- 36 win over Leeds on Sunday, when he took his try tally to 38 in 52 appearances, is the Robins’ fifth new recruit for 2015 and will join Ken Sio, Josh Mantellato and Darrell Goulding in a new-look back line.
“I wanted a new challenge and when I had the opportunity to come here I was very honoured,” said Dixon.