ROUGHYEDS 48 CORNWALL 22

MARTYN Ridyard might be the wrong side of 30, but he can still play a bit and he can still kick goals.

The Roughyeds’ stand-off, captain and elder statesman won 50 per cent of the fans’ vote for man of the match in Oldham’s big win against the latest club to fancy its chances outside the traditional rugby league heartlands.

Stu Littler’s men scored eight tries and Ridyard converted all eight, including three off the touchlines - two from the left, one from the right.

“With ‘Riddy’ kicking, you know there’s always a good chance that four points will become six,” said club chairman Chris Hamilton. “But there’s more to his game than kicking goals. He’s the consummate professional.”

With 29 goals in five Betfred League One games - a quarter of the season - Ridyard is joint third in the league list, having hit his 1,000th career two-pointer in the 22-22 draw at Hunslet.

Oddly, the next best performer in this one, according to the 600 or so who were there, was one of the youngest guys on the Vestacare Stadium’s plastic pitch, 18 years old hooker Tom Forber.

On loan from Wigan, he scored his first Oldham try in his third game and impressed throughout to receive 37.5 per cent of the fan’s poll.

The eight Oldham tries were scored by centre Kian Morgan, prop Luke Nelmes, full-back Owen Restall (2), Dave Hewitt, Forber and two by the versatile Logan Astley, one from scrum-half, the other from full-back.

The changes were forced on coach Stu Littler when, with his side 24-0 ahead, in-form right-wing Liam Copland had to go off injured.

To replace him, Littler juggled with his resources, switching full-back Owen Restall to the wing, moving on-loan teenager Astley from half-back to full-back and introducing Dave Hewitt off the bench to work the scrum.

Oldham led 30-6 at half-time. but the expected second-half avalanche never came as resolute Cornwall seemed to be inspired by a long-range interception try from former Oldham player Harry Aaronson.

The new kids on the rugby league street were no mugs. Led by Irish international and former Super League star Anthony Mullally, they fielded three dual-reg lads from Bradford

and, like Oldham, two teenage loanees from Wigan.

They never seriously threatened Oldham’s all-round dominance, but both Ridyard and Littler were quick to point out afterwards that it wouldn’t be long before they registered their first win.

OLDHAM: Restall; Copland, Carr, Morgan, Cooke; Ridyard, Astley; Nelmes, Forber, Spencer, Windrow, Ferry, Whittel. Subs; Jinks, Andrade, Thornton, Hewitt.