Rugby league: Powergen Challenge Cup: Oldham 24 - 4 Sharlston Rovers
Oldham eventually wore down Sharlston's highly impressive resistance here last night to earn a lucrative fifth-round home Challenge Cup tie against Warrington, but not before the Yorkshire amateurs had produced a perfomance to be proud of.
Fresh from their defeat of Dewsbury, Sharlston spied another professional scalp with their player-coach Martyn Wood, a star of Sheffield's Wembley success over Wigan in 1998, marshalling his forces expertly.
The former pit village, situated deep in rugby league territory halfway between Featherstone and Wakefield, has produced a rich seam of playing talent over the years, including the RL Hall of Fame members Jonty Parkin and Neil Fox, but it was not difficult to see why officials rate the current crop as the best team in the club's 123-year history.
Wood, who had recovered from shingles in time for the rearranged tie, saw his side defend superbly in the first half to blunt Oldham's best attacking efforts, the substitute Gordon Long typifying their resistance with a candidate for the tackle of the season on the rampaging Oldham captain Lee Doran.
Simon Svabic's two early penalties gave Oldham the lead but Lee Lingard restored parity with two similar efforts before Sharlston were shorthanded when their second-row James Ward was sinbinned for obstruction. The Welsh international Ian Watson took advantage, sending Iain Marsh over on the right for the breakthrough try five minutes before the interval.
Watson and Neil Roden cut the Sharlston defence open down the middle within three minutes of the resumption to send the supporting Lee Marsh over, but it was a measure of the Roughyeds' respect for their opponents that Svabic elected not to run a penalty award minutes later in favour of kicking the goal.
Iain Marsh, who lives in the same street in St Helens as his namesake in the Oldham side but is unrelated, burst over for his second try down the right but the large following from Sharlston, bedecked in blue and white favours, had plenty to keep them warm.
Oldham virtually laid siege to the Sharlston line in the final quarter but Rovers' defence was remarkably well organised and their tireless hooker Lee Bettinson was a popular choice as man of the match.
Nick Johnson wrapped up Oldham's hard-earned victory four minutes from the end.
Oldham: Dodd; Cowell, Bunyan, Goddard, Johnson; Svabic, Watson; Molloy, Brennan, Morgan, Doran, I Marsh, L Marsh. Subs: Barber, Roden, McLoughlin, Southern.
Sharlston: Taylor; Lingard, Davies, Brooke, Martin; Wood, Grimshaw; Sayer, Bettinson, Booth, Leake, Ward, Smith. Subs: Long, Cox, Potter, Kelly.
Referee: J Leahy (Dewsbury).