Widnes Vikings 84 Oldham 0

A CROWD of over 3,000 enjoyed some sunshine rugby on a record-breaking day at the Auto Quest Stadium on Sunday.

The score surpassed the previous club record victory; Mark Hewitt set a new mark for goals in a match with 14; and Phil Cantillon equalled the club tries in a match record when he touched won for his fifth score.

From the moment Cantillon touched down for the first try after five minutes, it became obvious that this was going to be an uphill struggle for a weak Oldham team.

The architect of that try, and so much else that was good about the Vikings, was stand-off and mom Paul Mansson who mesmerised the visitors with his silky skills throughout the match.

Within 20 minutes the Vikings had established a 32-0 lead with further tries from Munro, Verbickas, Cantillon and Mansson himself, who sold more dummies in the the first quarter than some people will in a career.

Cantillon completed his hat-trick on 25 minutes and seven minutes later swift passing across the line saw Peter Smith go in at the corner.

Ironic boos greeted Hewitt's missed conversion but it was to be his only miss of the afternoon.

When Simon Verbickas scored his second try just before half-time, there was already a buzz going around about possible record breaking with the score standing at 48-0.

When James Briers raced onto a Mansson pass within four minutes of the restart, it was clear that whatever was said in the Oldham dressing room during the break was going to make no difference whatsoever.

Cantillon notched his fourth from a Savelio break and George Mann waltzed through for a try his efforts richly deserved.

Coach Colin Whitfield took the opportunity to spell some of his senior players and one of their replacements, Danny Myler, was soon on the scoresheet.

Hewitt's 12 successful goal kick surpassed the previous record.

With 72 points on the board and more than 20 minutes to go, a century of points looked possible, but a mixture of fatigue and the fact that the visitors finally managed to hold on to some possession, meant that only two more tries were scored.

The first went to Damian Munro and the last, fittingly, was Cantillon's record equaling fifth.

Widnes have been threatening to give somebody a real hiding when they really clicked and sadly for Oldham there were on the receiving end.

Their Greater Manchester neighbours Leigh Centurions are likely to provide a stiffer test this Sunday in a crucial four-pointer at the Auto Quest.

If the Good Friday game at Hilton Park was anything to go by, this is one game not to be missed.

Widnes: Munro (2t), Smith (1t), Percival, Briers (1t), Verbickas,(2t), Mansson (1t), Hewitt (14g), Hansen, Cantillon (5t), Savelio, Mann (1t), Adams, Hulme.

Subs: Myler (1t), Cassidy, Hassan, Hill.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.