Other Sports

Pilkington Recs v Oulton Raiders

Rugby League

National Conference League

Division 1

Saturday 17th June 2023

Kick Off 14.30

Pilkington Recs 10 Oulton Raiders 10, attendance 78

@ Ruskin Drive Sports Ground

Ruskin Drive

Dentons Green

St. Helens

WA10 6RP

£3 Admission, including 16 page Programme.

According to the league table on the BBC website, this was 10th versus 2nd in the league table, but the programme indicated that bottom club Featherstone Lions, who Oulton have beaten twice this season, have withdrawn from the competition and accordingly the subsequent table adjustments mean that Oulton have now dropped to sixth place.

It turned out to be a cracking game. Oulton scored a try after three minutes, but failed to convert and three minutes later Pilks drew level, before adding the kick to lead 6-4. Surprisingly, there were no more points added in the remainder of the half.

The second half remained in the balance and with twelve minutes left Oulton scored their second try of the game and added the two point conversion to lead 6-10. Unfortunately for them, they then had a man sin binned and with a man short were unable to prevent Pilks from finally drawing level two minutes from the end when they scored close to the posts to level it up at 10-10. Somehow a relatively easy conversion was sent wide of the target and we ended up all square.

Home to Pilks is Ruskin Drive Sports Ground, which was very busy today as bowls and a cricket match were also taking place. I had been here twice before to watch football. In December 2000 I saw Pilkington beat Barnton 4-1 in a Mid Cheshire League match, which was played on a grass pitch now partially covered by today’s pitch, whilst in August 2017 I had seen the 0-0 draw between St. Helens Town and Abbey Hulton United (on the other 3G ground that runs in the opposite direction at the near end of the rugby ground) where the game was infamously abandoned seven minutes into stoppage time, due to the floodlights going off just as Abbey Hulton were about to take a penalty, with what would have been the final kick of the match.