photo by Ian Lovell

There will be no Super League side at Glan-yr-Afon Park this year. Blackwood Bulldogs played with pride throughout the entire game at Oldham on Sunday and can hold their heads up high for reaching the Third Round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup in the first place.

The Welsh Champions beat Edge Hill and Edinburgh to qualify for this game against the Co-operative Championship One side and will go away with a lot of lessons learnt.

Blackwood impressed everyone present by their attitude and determination, and the Wales Conference Premier competition can also certainly be proud of their representatives’ non-stop commitment, even though the part-time professionals inevitably had too much power and pace for them.

The one Bulldogs try came early in the second half. Lloyd's high restart kick after half-time enabled the Welshmen to regain possession and stand-off Kristian

Perry made an excellent midfield break before sending full-back David James under the posts. Gareth Price added the goal.

James, soon to be joining South Wales Scorpions, pulled off several try-saving tackles as well as scoring his side's only try and coming desperately close to going over again after a length-of-the-field dash.

He was eventually hauled down just short by the chasing Onyango, but this was neither the first nor the last time that James demonstrated why the Scorpions were keen to see him in action for them in Co-operative Championship 1. Without his efforts, the score would have reached treble figures.

With eight minutes to go in the game the score was 56-6, but that was then the difference between a side from Championship 1 and Conference Premier showed, the home side scoring four tries in quick succession as Blackwood, who had to field a number of players who had played rugby union 24 hours earlier, were dead on their feet.

Matty Ashe led the way for Oldham with two tries and ten goals, back-rower Joe Chandler and pacy left-winger Mark Brocklehurst each .....

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