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Mick’s uphill battle

17/11/2004

Saddleworth Rangers 12
Crosfields 26

SADDLEWORTH Rangers lost 26-12 at home to Crosfields in their first game under the temporary charge of club favourite Mick Coates.

Coates coached the club during the heady days of the early 1990s when they were the country's top amateur side and is now back working alongside a panel of Shane Wilson, Emerson Jackman, Paddy Kirwan and Mick Swift following coach Stewart Smith's departure due to new work commitments.

Rangers - who were also without winger Ryan Knight who has signed for St Anne's - trailed just 8-6 at the break with a Lee Fletcher try and a penalty from stand-off Paul Ashton.

A Greg Rickett try and four points from the boot of Dave Gibbons gave Crosfields a slender advantage which widened after the restart.

Tries from Gibbons, Phil Bannon, Matt Pitt and three further Gibbons goals put the game beyond the hosts whose only reply came when Ashton converted his own try on 68 minutes.

And the result now leaves Rangers second-bottom of the National Conference second division and facing a crucial trip to Huddersfield this weekend.

• SOME tough early defensive spadework laid the foundation for Waterhead's comprehensive 38-18 win at Heworth.

A Carl Potter penalty was all the hosts mustered in the opening period with Waterhead running in tries by Liam Coates, Carlton Campbell and Darren Nixon - all converted by Ryan Collins.

And it was more of the same after the restart with Paul Joyce, Terence Fitzgerald and Michael Fogerty all crossing with good displays from the bench by new players Warren Druggitt and Gavin Jordan.

Two late Gavin Grant tries gave the scoreline a more respectable look for Heworth.