Sharks topple leaders after terrific display

Sam Ottewell added to his impressive scoring tally with a brace of tries as Shaw Cross Sharks overcame leaders Oulton Raiders last Saturday.

A great all round performance from Shaw Cross saw them win their third match in a row as they sent out a statement to the rest of the division.

Shaw Cross have put their poor start to the season behind them to move up to 10th in the table.

Sharks opened the scoring after 10 minutes as Brandan French offloaded to John Rourke who found the gap to score.

Will Gledhill then burst through the defensive line and ran 40 metres before passing to Sam Ottewell to race between the posts.

Flowers added both conversions and the Sharks led 12-0 inside 20 minutes.

Ross Roebuck and Ottewell made a great tackle in the corner to force an Oulton attacker into touch and moments later Joe Halloran prevented a certain try with a brilliant catch from a cross field kick.

Another great set of passing from Cross saw French offload to put Ottewell over for his second try to add to his impressive individual tally for the season.

Five minutes before half-time Matthew Collett went down with a dislocated knee and there was a lengthy stoppage in play as the Sharks man waited for the ambulance to arrive.

Oulton almost got the second half off to a perfect start but French made a superb tackle inches before the line to preserve his side’s 18-0 lead.

Moments later Roebuck intercepted brilliantly to relieve the pressure on the Sharks and after venturing to the other end, they kicked a penalty goal to stretch their lead.

Brilliant runs from Rourke and Ottewell created space for Roebuck to score at the corner and the touchline goal put the Sharks 26-0 ahead.

Oulton hit back and scored two tries in four minutes. The first came from an interception and the Raiders centre ran 50 metres to score.

The opposition player showed good pace as he went between the posts.

Immediately after the restart Oulton added their second try as a quick passing move found the full-back who burst through to reduce the deficit to 16 points.

The conversion cannoned off the post leaving Sharks with a healthy advantage.

Shaw Cross had several chances to seal victory but Ottewell and Halloran were unable to take the opportunities that came their way.

Rourke eventually put the Sharks out of sight with five minutes remaining.

A great offload from Gledhill drew the tacklers which gave Rourke the space to score.

Coach Brett Turner was delighted with his side’s display and the Sharks go in search of a fourth straight win when they host Myton Warriors on Saturday.