Roughyeds retain Davies

Drew Darbyshire

Ben Davies has become the eighth member of the relegated Oldham Roughyeds squad to sign a new deal with the club.

Davies, 27, had offers from elsewhere in the Championship and League 1, but he has decided to stay with the Roughyeds as they bid to gain promotion back to the second-tier.

The former Wigan Warriors, Widnes Vikings, Halifax and Whitehaven prop will play alongside Adam Neal, Phil Joy, Danny Langtree, Gareth Owen, Craig Briscoe and Jack Spencer, all of whom has signed new deals with Oldham for 2018.

And Davies admitted that strong friendships were the main reason why he decided to stay at Bower Fold.

He said: “I’ve been at a few clubs in my time but Oldham are the tightest group I’ve ever been with – no doubt about that.

“We are all good mates together and I want to be playing with my best mates – that was a big factor in my decision to sign a new contract for 2018.

“Last season I thought we were strong enough to be challenging in the Championship, so it was a bitter disappointment for everybody when we went down.

“Series injuries cut us apart, but if we can keep most of the lads together for next year, we’ll have a good chance of going straight back up.”