York Knights had a disappointing start to their Betfred Championship season, losing 50-4 to Oldham at Boundary Park.
The newly promoted club scored eight tries against a Knights side that at times looked out of sorts.
The only York try came from Joe Brown, in a game which could prove costly with captain, Liam Harris helped from the pitch in the final minutes.
Early pressure from Oldham turned into points with just four minutes gone, when Matty Ashurst took a short ball and crashed through for a try, converted by former Knight, Kieran Dixon.
Jesse Dee went close for York, but was deemed to have knocked on as he grounded the ball, and off the back of that, some indiscipline led to Oldham gaining easy metres upfield, and a penalty from Dixon extended the Roughyed’s lead
More points followed for the home side when Ashurst found himself in space, and offloaded to the supporting Phoenix Laulu-Togaga. Dixon again added the goal.
Three consecutive penalties near the Oldham line, followed by a drop out, gave the Knights a spell of pressure in the Oldham 20 metre area. Eventually, York got their rewards as Joe Brown took a looping pass and dived over in the corner, too far out for Dagger to add the goal.
Oldham soon extended the lead again though, when a break from Jumah Sambou in his own half of the field ended with Laulu-Togagae finding Dixon in support. He got around Dagger to score his own converted try to bring up the 20 point mark.
They scored again on the stroke of half time, when Sambou got on the end of a grubber kick near the line which evaded the York defence. Dixon’s goal gave Oldham a 26-4 half time lead.
Sambou scored again in the opening minute of the second half after a 40/20 kick and then a penalty had set Oldham up in good position. Dixon added his sixth goal of the afternoon.
Matty Wildie was next to go in for a try, crashing over to the left of the posts.
With Hingano in the sin bin for a challenge on Riley Dean, Dixon found space to complete his brace to move the score past the 40 point mark, before Ashurst got his second slicing through some poor defending as Hingano returned to the field, for what proved to be the final try of the game.
Oldham: Laulu-Togagae, Johnson, Thornley, Sambou, Dixon, Dean, Drinkwater, Dudson, Wildie, J Chaplehow, Ashurst, Taylor, Milner
Subs (all used): Farnworth, T.Chapelhow, Moran, Hirst
18th Player: O’Keefe
Tries: Ashurst (4, 67), Laulu-Togagae (21), Dixon (35, 60) Sambou (40, 41), Wildie (47)
Goals: Dixon (9/9)
York: Dagger, Brown, Buchanan, Edwards. Harrison, Hingano, Harris, Martin, McShane, Thompson, Dee, Field, Gannon
Subs (all used): Cook, Teanby, Fitzsimmons, Reynolds
18th Player: Pemberton
Tries: Brown (31)
Goals: Dagger (0/1)
Sin Bin: Hingano (55)
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