Oldham thump Hornets to set up Barrow last-eight tie
Oldham defeated Rochdale Hornets 58-6 in the 1895 Cup, setting up a quarter-final match against Barrow. The team showcased a strong performance with ten tries, including two each from Iain Thornley and Danny Craven.
Oldham 58-6 Rochdale Hornets: Roughyeds run in ten tries to book 1895 Cup quarter-final with Barrow
Oldham stormed into the 1895 Cup quarter-finals with a devastating 58-6 demolition of rivals Rochdale Hornets, booking a home tie against Barrow after crossing the whitewash ten times at Boundary Park.
Centre Iain Thornley and half-back Danny Craven both crossed for braces as Sean Long’s side responded to last week’s draw against Batley in emphatic fashion, keeping their Wembley dreams alive with a second-half masterclass that saw 42 unanswered points.
“Our middles laid the platform for the outside backs and really set the tone,” head coach Long told Roughyeds TV. “We just wore them down, starved them of possession and our discipline was a lot better. It was a pretty professional performance in the second half.”
The rout began when Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e finished a fine delayed pass from Craven, though Rochdale briefly led 6-4 when Dan Nixon converted a cross-field kick and Morgan Punchard added the extras. The turning point arrived when Hornets substitute Joe Taira saw yellow for late contact on Riley Dean, with Oldham capitalizing on the extra man through tries from Jumah Sambou and Thornley, the latter bringing up Kieran Dixon’s career milestone of 1500 points.
The floodgates opened after the interval as Owen Farnworth, Craven (twice), Ted Chapelhow, Pat Moran, Dixon and Thornley all crossed, with Dixon converting seven second-half tries to finish with a personal haul of 22 points from one try and nine goals.
“That was getting back to how we want to play,” said captain Matty Wildie. “The second half was a lot more clinical and showed what we were all about. The fans are always noisy and they turned out in number again and were a real help for us.”
Oldham will face Barrow at home in the last eight, repeating last month’s Betfred Challenge Cup fixture which the Roughyeds won at Boundary Park. Featherstone will host London, Bradford welcome Sheffield and York entertain Widnes in the other quarter-final ties.
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