New Oldham deal for Brocklehurst

Mark Brocklehurst, Oldham RL Club’s top try scorer in the season just ended, will be back at Whitebank in 2012.

Oldham-born, 24-year-old Brocklehurst has signed a new one-year contract to cover a third season with his hometown club.

In 2010, his first year, he scored six tries in nine appearances, but this season he has played in nearly every match, mainly on the wing, and has topped the try-scoring list with 17 —three more than second-placed Ben Heaton.

He will be involved in 2012 pre-season training with Roughyeds, which normally starts in late October or early November, but he will also play for Oldham RU Club until February when he will rejoin Roughyeds, as he did last year.

“Hopefully, I’ll have another good season for Roughyeds because, as I’ve said before, it does mean a lot to me to be playing for my home town,” said Brocklehurst, a head of year at Hathershaw Academy.

Referring to Sunday’s play-off defeat at Rochdale, which brought the season to an end, he said: “It was just one of those days. But we will kick on and learn from it, and who knows what next season might bring.”

A product of the Waterhead club, he had several years in the Wigan Warriors‘ academy before arriving at Oldham via stints with Swinton Lions and Rochdale Hornets.

“We are delighted Broccy has re-signed,” said coach Tony Benson. “He is a versatile lad who can play equally well at wing, centre and full-back, and he certainly knows how to score tries when he is playing on the wing.”

The club has now announced eight signings for next year — Mick Fogerty, Jamie Dallimore, Danny Langtree, David Cookson, Shaun Robinson, Alex Thompson, Matthew Fogarty and Brocklehurst.