Profile

Widnes born Ray Ashton came to Oldham from the Widnes Tigers club in 1979 and played a prominent part in the success of the Colts team of the late 70’s / early 80’s, his good form being recognised with Great Britain Colts honours.

A tricky little half back, his appearances for Oldham were more or less evenly split between the stand off and scrum half positions. Effective in both roles, opinion was divided as to which suited him best. His own preference was for the No 7 spot, where his speed around the pack and swift distribution won him many fans. The speed factor also served him well at stand off from where, with the extra space, he would be through a gap in a flash to either score himself, or bring into play the threequarter line with a pin point pass.

Definitely a player of flair and imagination, he was rewarded with a place on the 1984 tour “down under”, only for injury to severely restricted his appearances. He topped the Oldham try list in 1981-82, 82-83, & 83-84. His best total of 26 came in the ’81-2 season. Ray holds the Oldham record for “one point” drop goals with 26.

He left to join Leeds just before the Challenge Cup deadline in 1987.