A new club record was established in the victory over Hunslet in the 1895 cup on Sunday April 19th.
Eleven different try scorers in the same match occurred for the first time in the history of the club. There has been ten different try scorers on six occasions (all of them this century) but this was the first time for eleven. Matty Ashurst, Jaron Purcell, Cole Geyer, Jake Bibby, Jack Walker, Bayley Liu, Riley Dean, Ben Davies, Owen Farnworth, Luke Thomas and Ryan Lannon all crossing the whitewash with Bibby ending the sequence when scoring his second which was the final try in the 78th minute of the match.
Riley Dean – 12 conversions from 12 attempts against Hunslet at Bower Fold. Photo by Dave Murgatroyd.
Riley Dean also joined an elite list of players who have kicked twelve goals or more in a single match for the club with his impressive 100%, ’12-from-12′ effort yesterday. The others who have achieved this are: Bernard Ganley (4 times), Abe Johnson, Martyn Ridyard, Andy Ballard, Steve Roper, Adam Brook and Kieran Dixon.
To mark the 150th anniversary of Oldham Rugby League Club, world renowned sports illustrator Matthew J Wood has created three stunning illustrations of Watersheddings, capturing the spirit and history of the iconic ground.
One of these special pieces was presented to Bill Quinn during the Good Friday match against Rochdale, a moment that celebrated both heritage and community. Fans can now purchase prints of all three artworks. Every sale supports the club.
Fans can explore and order from the collection by visiting Matthew’s website at
On a history making day at Bower Fold Australian forward, Jaron Purcell was awarded the Heritage Trust Trophy after a fine all-round performance in the Law Cup match against Rochdale.
Jaron Purcell receives the Heritage Trust Trophy from Alfie Riley and Maddie Kov, the grand-children of trustee Steve Brown. ( Photo by Dave Murgatroyd).
It was the first time that the match, which is traditionally a pre-season fixture, has been linked to a league game. This coming after the match was postponed on the eve of the current season.
It is also the first time the award has gone to a player from ‘down under’. Regardless of the score (36 – 10) this was a tough match against a determined Rochdale outfit. Two-try Jack Walker and stand in marksman Riley Dean, who kicked six goals from six attempts, were also in the running but Purcell who played most of the match in the thick of the action just edged it with a tremendous stint on attack and defence and chipped in with the opening try of the match.
The Oldham RLFC 150th Anniversary Exhibition organised by the Heritage Trust closed at Gallery Oldham on Saturday March 7th.
The previous day there was a closing ‘celebration’ event held at the Performance area at the Gallery which was well attended by member of the Oldham RL Players Association among them Hall-of-Famers, Mike Elliott, Phil Larder and Terry Flanagan and other Rugby League notables including the highly regarded historian Tony Collins and local reporting legend Roger Halstead.
Some of the Rugby League personalities who gathered for the Exhibition closing ‘celebration’. Photograph: Dave Murgatroyd.
There was also a great turn-out from Oldham RLFC including chairman Bill Quinn, CEO David Bottomley, coach Alan Kilshaw and other members of staff. The event featured a Presentation surrounding the games Oldham have played against Australia and New Zealand and it was good to see Oldham’s four current Australian players, Josh Drinkwater, Cole Geyer, Jaron Purcell and Ewan Moore in attendance.
The exhibition has received very favourable reviews and was well attended during its eight week run at the Gallery.
The heritage Trust were saddened to hear of the death of ex-Roughyed, Green Vigo (Heritage Number 868), aged 75.
He was born on 21 April 1950 in Saldanha Bay, Cape Province, South Africa and began his career in Rugby Union with Saldanha Tigers before coming to wider attention at representative level. In 1971–72, Green represented the Proteas, a South African representative side for black and coloured players, on their tour of the United Kingdom. A strong and powerful running winger, he was later snapped up by Wigan and made his first team debut in August 1973 and went on to have seven successful years at Central Park before moving on to Swinton in 1980.
A fans favourite at all his clubs, he moved to Watersheddings at the start of the 1982-83 season and went on to play 63 matches for Oldham scoring 20 tries with his last match coming against Castleford in February 1985.
The sincere condolences of the Oldham RL community go out to all of Green’s family and friends.
The re-formed Oldham Ladies team got off to a great start with a resounding win in their first game.
The Oldham Ladies squad and coaching staff after the match against Keighley.(Photo Dave Murgatroyd)
The friendly match against Keighley took place at the Netpar complex on Sunday February 8th with full-back Megan Hobin scoring a hat-trick of tries in the 58 – 0 victory.
It is with regret that the Heritage Trust learned that the death has been announced of the former Oldham player Vince Fawcett (Heritage Number 1048) at the age of 55. He signed for his home town, Leeds on his 17th birthday making his senior debut soon after. Before joining the Roughyeds Vince, a powerfully built centre who played three times for the Great Britain under 21 team, had a successful couple of seasons at Workington and a spell at Parramatta Eels in Australia.
He made nine appearances for the Oldham in the second Super League season of 1997 scoring three tries, all of which came in a hat-trick against St Helens but previously he had made his debut and scored a try in the friendly against Swinton in what was the last first team match at Watersheddings. After Oldham he had brief spells at Warrington and Wakefield before retiring in 1999.
The condolences of the Oldham RL community go out to all of Vince’s family and friends.
The Heritage Trust were deeply saddened to hear of the death of former Oldham player, Martin Murphy (Heritage Number 690).
A true legend of the club, Leigh born, Martin signed for Oldham on December 6th 1966 having played three trial games in the ‘A’ team. He made his debut a few weeks later against his hometown club in a 14 – 5 victory at Watersheddings. A full- back with immense courage, he went on to become the leading post war appearance maker for the club and played in every position in the back division. However, it is as a full-back that Martin will be best remembered, especially for copy book defence, taking down the heftiest forwards, tricky half backs or speedy threequarters with the same total thoroughness and efficiency. Surely one of the fastest full backs ever to wear the Oldham colours, he won the BBC try of the season award for a long-range effort against Leigh in the Floodlit trophy semi-final in 1972.
Capped by Lancashire, he also made one appearance for England, scoring a last gasp try to clinch an 11 – 9 victory against the French in Perpignan, on January 19th, 1975. Probably the last of the great clubmen of Oldham RLFC, Martin had the honour to captain the team in the centenary season of 1976-77. He made 462 appearances for the Roughyeds scoring 52 tries and is a member of the ‘Hall of Fame. Anyone who watched the club from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s could not help but have fondness for the ginger haired full-back who always gave one hundred percent.
The sincere condolences of the Oldham Rugby League Heritage Trust are offered to all of Martin’s family and friends and what follows is an eloquent appreciation written by his daughter Martina.
Martin Murphy — The Last Great Club Man
Oldham is a town built on loyalty — to place, to people, to purpose. Few embodied that spirit more completely than Martin Murphy, an Oldham Rugby League legend whose life in the game stands as a testament to commitment, humility, and unwavering service. Martin, who has died aged 77, devoted 16 seasons (1966–1982) to Oldham Rugby League Football Club, making an extraordinary 462 first-team appearances. In an era defined by grit and loyalty, he became a constant — trusted, resilient, and deeply respected. A natural full-back, Murphy was known for his calm authority, fearless defence, and total reliability. He captained Oldham during the club’s centenary season in 1976–77, a role that reflected not just his ability, but his values. His excellence was recognised beyond the club. He represented Lancashire, and in 1975 earned international honours with England, memorably scoring a dramatic last-minute winning try against France in Perpignan — a moment cherished by rugby league supporters.
His contribution is part of the story of Oldham’s rugby heritage. Items linked to him and other greats of the Roughyeds feature in the 150 Years of Oldham Rugby League Football Club exhibition at Gallery Oldham, which celebrates the club’s remarkable history and preserves the legacy of players like Murphy for future generations.
Inducted into the Oldham Rugby League Hall of Fame, Martin Murphy is remembered not simply for records or accolades, but for something rarer: unwavering loyalty. He is widely regarded as the last great club man — a player whose life mirrored the steadfast spirit of the town he served. The family would like to thank friends, former teammates, and the wider Oldham rugby leaguecommunity for their kindness, respect, and messages of support at this time.
The Oldham RL Heritage Trust would like to thank everyone who have sent good wishes to Steve and his family.
Steve, one of the trustees, was taken ill during the match at Salford last night (Friday January 16th) in an incident that was so serious that the match was suspended for 30 minutes. Luckily there was medical assistance provided within seconds and the swift actions of those involved were a vital factor in Steve being able to pull through.
Steve Brown (left) with Kevin Fitzpatrick at the exhibition opening ceremony last Saturday.
The whole of the Salford staff, both medical and administrative, are to be commended for the way they responded to the emergency with personnel from the Oldham club and both sets of supporters all helping the Brown family through a very upsetting situation.
Today Steve has been in contact from hospital and seems to be in good spirits and can’t wait to be following the Roughyeds once more.
It is with great sorrow that the Heritage Trust has learned of the death of the ex-Roughyed, Fred Hall (Heritage Number 759) on January 14th.
Oldham born Fred signed for Oldham from Blackpool Borough making his debut on January 14th 1973 in a 16 – 10 victory over York at Watersheddings. Although at Blackpool he often played at centre, he is best known as a dynamic, strong running, second row forward who soon became a big favourite with the Oldham fans. He played 191 games for Oldham scoring 13 tries, 5 goals and 4 drop goals. He moved into the front row in the latter stages of his Oldham career but was still a threat with ball-in-hand and fearsome in defence.
After playing his last first team match for the Roughyeds against Whitehaven in March 1980, he returned to the amateur game in the town playing for Salem Hornets and Waterhead.
The condolences of the Oldham Rugby League community are extended to all of Fred’s family and friends.
