A wintry Vestacare Stadium in Oldham was the venue as high-flying Championshp one side the Roughyeds took on lowly North West Mens Premier League side Haydock in the third round of the Coral Challenge Cup.
The two sides met in the fourth round of the competition two seasons ago when the Roughyeds emerged as 40-12 winners with the odds being stacked on a similar outcome from this afternoons game.
The onus was on the visitors to overcome the elements and their lofty opponents.
Oldham opened the scoring on six minutes when winger Harry Maders crossed to punish a Haydock penalty. Adam Brook added the conversion in difficult conditions and the Championship One side had an early lead.
On ten minutes they were in again when Anthony Bowman stepped and threw the dummy to go in by the right upright. Brook was again accurate with the kick and with just twelve minutes on the clock the side from St Helens already had a mountain to climb.
On fifteen Matty Wilkinson went from acting half back to score a short-range try. Bowman added a third conversion and Oldham were in complete control of the game, it was seemingly now just a matter of how many they would run in.
Wilkinson got his second on twenty-three when he waltzed through the Haydock defence to score from twenty metres, Brook used the wind to bend the conversion between the uprights for a 24-0 lead.
Another solo effort, this one from Emmerson Whittel gave Oldham their fifth of the afternoon as Haydock failed to effect any kind of tackle as the second rower went over from twenty-five metres. Brook added his fifth goal for 30-0, Haydocks afternoon already over.
With four minutes remaining Zack McComb again walked through the Haydock defence to score an easy try. Brook made it six out of six for 36-0. And three minutes later McComb was on the end of a flowing passing move to go in unopposed for his second in five minutes and bring up the Oldham forty. When Brook added the conversion the home side were 42-0 ahead having taken full advantage of the wind at their backs.
Two minutes after the restart Brook walked through an ineffective defence to cross by the posts and give himself a simple eighth conversion of the afternoon for a personal points haul of twenty.
KyranJohnson brought up the fifty on forty-five, again running rings around the defence to drop over the line. Brook added the goal for 54-0 it was turning into a rout.
On fifty-one a pinpoint Brook kick to the corner was collected by Maders for a walk in for his second of the afternoon. Brook kicked his tenth goal of the afternoon for 60-0.
Lovely handling down the left wing put Maders over for his hat-trick try as the Haydock defence failed to slide. Brook missed his first conversion attempt of the game but his side were still scoring at more than a point a minute.
A brilliant intercept and eighty metre run by Dingsdale was unlucky to not result in a Haydock try but it did earn a penalty which led to a Scott Johnson tapping to himself and crashing over the line to avoid a nilling. Steve Jones added the conversion for 6-64 after sixty-three minutes.
The resurgance lasted just three minutes before Johnson went in for his second of the afternoon for the Roughyeds, this time going over in the right corner. Brook was unable to add the conversion, Oldham now 68-6 ahead.
Another clean break from Scott Law found Wilkinson in support to take the pass and run twenty five to score under the sticks. Brook added the goal for 74-6.
With the snow driving at their backs Jordan Gibson kicked a brilliant 40-20 for Haydock and in the resulting set of six he went over the Oldham defence to score the second for the visitors. Jones was unable to add the extras but Haydock were into double figures.
McComb made it 78-10 in the last minute as he made it a hat-trick of hat-tricks for the home side, scoring under the uprights and allowing Brook to kick his twelfth of the afternoon for 80-10.
All credit to Haydock for keeping going for the full eighty minutes but in reality they were never at the races as Oldham sailed into the fourth round on the back of an 80-10 win. They will be disappointed that they allowed their visitiors to run up ten points, despite averaging a point a minute themselves. Oldham will be relieved that they have eased themselves into the next round and the hat for Tuesdays draw.
Roughyeds: Johnson (2T), Jones-Bishop, Holmes, McComb (3T), Maders (3T), Brook (T, 12G), Bowman (T), Joy, Wilkinson (3T), Spencer, Whittel (T), Calland, Bent. Subs: Gwaze, Greenwood, Law, Davies.
Haydock: Jones (T, G), Davies, Dollin, Lee, Dingsdale, Gibson, Bacon, Johnson (T), Sexton, Gee, Brown, Frodsham, Sexton. Subs: Travena, Anderton, Braithwaite, Cheetham.
Referee: A. Moore.
Half-Time: 42-0.
Full-Time: 80-10.
Attendance: .
