SADDLEWORTH SCHOOL’S year nine footballers have completed a league and cup double.
Having already won the Oldham Schools’ League, they followed up that success with victory in the cup final defeating Bluecoat 4-1 at Oldham Athletic’s SportsDirect.com Park.
It was a perfect end to a memorable season, though it did not begin well as Bluecoat took an early lead.
Team captain Dion McGhee, playing his last game for Saddleworth before leaving for Manchester United’s feeder school at Ashton-on-Mersey, equalised curling in a left-foot shot into the top corner to make it 1-1 at the break.
The second half was excellent with Harrison Jackson putting Saddleworth ahead as he fired in a thunderbolt from the edge of the box.
Cavan Purtill then breezed past two defenders and dummied the Bluecoat keeper to slot home the ball into an empty net to make it 3-1.
Substitutions were made to give as many as possible a taste of the limelight, and it was one of them, Dylan Hey who headed in the fourth goal from a corner.
Dion was taken off just before the end to a standing ovation following a player-of-the-match display.
Meanwhile, the year eight cricket team progressed to the semi finals of the Oldham School’s Cup with a facile victory over Newman Academy on a sunny afternoon at Greenfield CC.
Adam Jones (41 not out) and Zak Pemberton (40 not out) shared an 89 run partnership as the home side established an unassailable total of 121 for the loss of just one wicket.
In reply, Newman was 40 all out. Fielding was at a high standard with Zak Pemberton taking three impressive catches and Kieron O Reilly nearly matching the feat with his two difficult takes both successful at mid-wicket. Connor Linskey, Morgan McDonald and Pryce Howard all had economical stints with ball in hand.
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