Report: Oldham 42-4 Barrow Raiders

Barrow Raiders exited the Betfred Challenge Cup on Sunday afternoon after a heavy 42-4 defeat to Oldham at Boundary Park.

A difficult first half saw the Raiders go 18-0 behind, and with the loss of half-back Ryan Johnston under HIA protocols forcing a reshuffle in the backline, Paul Crarey’s side never looked like staging a comeback, against a Roughyeds side tipped to be challenging at the top end of the Betfred Championship table in 2025.

A flurry of points early in the second half – Pat Moran, Riley Dean and Danny Craven all scoring for Oldham in the space of seven minutes – put the game out of reach.

But eventually, with time running out and both sides down to 12 men after Barrow’s Ryan King and Oldham’s Owen Farnworth were sent to the sin-bin, the Raiders found a way through the hosts’ resistance as Andrew Bulman beat his man and found enough space to touch down in the corner.

The final say was Oldham’s, however, with Jumah Sambou scoring an intercept try in the final moments to compound a difficult afternoon for the Raiders.

The Raiders will need to regroup quickly, with the new Betfred Championship season commencing with a home game against newly-promoted Hunslet this coming Sunday, February 16.

Tickets for that fixture are available here.

OLDHAM 42

Tries: Sambou 2, Agoro, Dixon, Thornley, Moran, Dean, Craven

Goals: Dixon 5

BARROW RAIDERS 4

Tries: Bulman

Goals: