Jonny Leather makes Oxford move

New Championship 1 side Oxford have signed full-back Jonny Leather from Rochdale.

Leather, 23, scored 16 tries in 16 appearances for Hornets last season, and has previously played for Blackpool and Widnes.

Oxford coach Tony Benson said: “Whenever he has been in the opposition for the teams that I have coached in the past he has ripped us up, He is normally top of the try scoring charts and has a lot of experience considering he is still very young, Jonny can also jump into the half’s if needed and he will be a fantastic addition to the team.”

Leather is one of several north-west based players to have made the move to join the new club, who won’t take part in this season’s Northern Rail Cup.

He added: “I’m looking forward to being part of history in our debut season in championship 1, we have some fantastic talent at the club and I believe we will surprise a few teams this season and can make the play offs in our debut season.”