Sporting Digest: Rugby League

Shaun Irwin, the former Great Britain centre, has been appointed Featherstone captain after signing a new one-year contract with the First Division club.

Oldham have paid an undisclosed fee to neighbours Rochdale to sign their former captain Neil Flanagan, 27, a scrum-half who also played for Huddersfield.

Long-serving players David Mycoe and Alex Thompson have left Sheffield after failing to agree terms with the club. Mycoe joined the Eagles in 1989 and played 188 times for the club, but further appearances were limited by periods of serious injury. The former Great Britain Under-21 captain Thompson made 47 appearances for the club between spells with Newcastle Knights in Australia. The Sheffield coach, John Kear, said: "We offered them both the same contract as last year, and with the new salary cap we cannot extend it. They felt they could not accept our offer and have left the Eagles."