Oldham 14 Featherstone Rovers 32: Top-four spot secured with Featherstone win

FEATHERSTONE Rovers have booked their place in the Middle 8s Qualifiers for a second successive year.

They are guaranteed a Kingstone Press Championship top-four finish with two matches of the regular season remaining after Sunday’s six-try victory at Bower Fold.

Rovers are five points clear of fifth-placed Toulouse three points ahead of Halifax, the team below them in the table.

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Rovers, with new signing Daniel Igbinedion making his debut from the bench, led 16-4 at the break on their way to completing a hat-trick of wins over Oldham this year.

They broke the deadlock in the 13th minute when Josh Hardcastle went over for his 15th touchdown this season and Ian Hardman added the first of his four goals from six kicks. Rovers quickly struck again when Michael Knowles put in Chris Ulugia at the corner.

Featherstone’s domination continued when James Lockwood powered over. Oldham’s only first-half points came when Matthew Wilkinson scored, but fell further behind when Scott Turner scooped up a loose ball.

Rovers sealed victory when Luke Briscoe marked his return from injury by diving over from Hardman’s neat pass.

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Anthony Thackeray darted over for Featherstone’s sixth try three minutes from time.

Oldham’s second-half try scorers were Sadiq Adebiyi and George Tyson, with Dave Hewitt adding one conversion.

Oldham: Nield; Clay, Tyson, Pearce-Paul, Williams; Wood, Hewitt; Mason, Hughes, Burke, Thompson, Langtree, Adamson. Substitutes: Ward, Wilkinson, Davies, Adebiyi.

Featherstone Rovers: Hardman; Turner, Ulugia, Hardcastle, Briscoe; Thackeray, Wildie; Bostock, Carlile, Griffin, Davies, Knowles, Lockwood. Substitutes: Moore, Igbindion, Baldwinson, Ormondroyd.

Referee: N Bennett (RFL).