Results for Season 2007/08 League North Lancs 1
Pos'n 6/12 Played 22 W 11 D 0 L 11 F 484 A 332 Points 22.
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3rd May 2008
Bolton 19 Old Bedians 12
Bolton’s final match of the season was to play host to the team immediately below them in the league. A win for the opposition would see them leapfrog to 6th place. The visitors opened strongly and were the first to put points on the board, with a fairly simple try after some missed tackles. Bolton responded with a try of their own, with Alex Youngman barging over from close range after good Bolton pressure. Mike Singleton converted. After half time Bolton pressure again told, as Alex Sugden bounded over in the corner with an exuberant display. The kick was missed. Bolton’s final try was a classic, after Danny Joseph made the break in the centre, with captain James Brodie racing in after some excellent support play from the forwards. Singleton again converted. Bedians scored a late consolation try but the game was already lost by then.
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Wed 30th April 2008
Bolton 5 Eccles 13 Lancs Plate Semi Final
Bolton lost out in the semi-final of the Lancs Plate competition. A closely contested match just swung the way of the visitors. Danny Joseph was the Bolton try scorer.
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26th April 2008
Bolton 1st XV 26 Bay Horse 24
BOLTON sealed a place in the semi-finals of the Lancashire Plate after a hard fought victory over a determined Bay horse outfit.
The visitors are an invitational side, so Bolton didn’t know what to expect, what they did get was skilful opposition who made up for any lack of cohesion, with resolute defending and pacy back play.
Two tries each from Andy Leigh and Joe Baker were just enough to see Bolton through, but the home side made hard work of their victory. Despite being 14-5 up at half time, Bolton seemed to take their foot off the gas in the second period allowing the visiting team to enjoy large periods of time in Bolton’s 22. Whenever Bolton did venture near the Bay Horse line, they invariably scored. Their best try came from full-back Baker, who rounded off some good hands in the backs, to score in the corner, after equally impressive ruck ball had given the three quarters an excellent platform. Another strong performance from the Bolton pack was the foundation of Bolton’s win, with Bolton’s back row of Sutcliff, Brodie and Youngman putting in excellent displays, with Cockton and Knibb also linking well in the linouts. This good play was however sporadic in the second half from the home side, who defended valiantly, but only had themselves to blame for a series of defensive and handling errors, which fuelled Bay Horse’s ambitions. Bolton did well to hold out for the win, but it was the visitors who had the final say, racing away from their own line to score a length of the field try in the last play of the match.
Bolton now play Eccles on Wednesday 30th April at home for the right to play Heaton Moor in the Final on Bank Holiday Monday at Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Club.
The club welcomes as much support as possible on Wednesday night at Avenue Street, Kick off is at 18.30.
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19th April 2008
Ashton-under-Lyne 1st XV 20 Bolton 1st XV 8
BOLTON succumbed to a disappointing defeat in their final league game of the season away at Ashton. With the league campaign now over, Bolton find themselves in seventh position in North Lancs Division 1, which shows progress from last year, but is below par, given their strong start to the season. The Lancashire Plate is Bolton’s final chance of success this season, with the quarter final due to be played on Saturday at home against Bay Horse.
The Cherry and Whites began positively against a determined Ashton outfit, and deservedly took the lead within fifteen minutes with winger Alex Sugden finishing well in the corner, the conversion was missed, but Bolton were good value for their early 5-0 lead. This early success however seemed to spur on the home side who scored two tries against the run of play before half time. Mike Singleton kicked a penalty to bring the scores closer, and it was 12-8 to Ashton at half time.
Bolton’s second half performance was very poor, which could be partially attributed to the strong wind in their faces, but a combination of poor organisation and weak tackling allowed Ashton to extend their lead, and ultimately achieve an easy victory. If Bolton could have taken their chances in the match, it might have been a different story. Their best two chances came either side of half time with the Bolton pack pummelling the Ashton line on both occasions, only to see their efforts either held up over the line, or defiantly stopped by a strong Ashton defence. Ultimately, Bolton didn’t do enough to win the game, but there were many good periods of play, with the set pieces performing particularly well, but Bolton lacked the cutting edge to put their attacking platforms to good use.
Bolton now look forward to a winning cup campaign, and a successful pre-season before next year’s league campaign.
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29th March 2008
Bolton 1st XV 10 Garstang 1st XV 7
SECOND half tries from flankers Alex Youngman and Paul Sutcliffe gave Bolton a hard earned victory against in form Garstang. The game was played in atrocious condition at Avenue Street giving Bolton’s three quarters no chance of playing their running game. As a result the game was a series of scrums and mauls, both of which were dominated by the home side’s powerful pack. Bolton gained a psychological edge in the first half after they prevented Garstang from scoring, despite being camped on their own line for the majority of the period. James Brodie and Kev McGill epitomised Bolton’s heroic defence with a series of bone crunching tackles, preventing the away side from converting their territory into points. Despite being under the kosh, Bolton went in at half time level at 0-0.
The weather conditions got even worse in the second period, with the pitch beginning to resemble a lake. The Cherry and Whites began to get the upper hand, and converted their dominance into points after Alex Youngman slid in at the corner, the conversion was missed, so Bolton led 5-0 with an hour played. Bolton were then reduced to fourteen men after JP Singleton was sent off for abusive language, however the incident seemed to galvanise the side, and Bolton were rarely noticeably stretched. Garstang did eventually capitalise on their numerical advantage when their fly-half somehow picked his way through a number of despairing Bolton tacklers to score, the conversion was made to give the away side a slender 7-5 lead. With less than ten minutes left, Bolton put in a huge effort to re-gain the lead, and duly did so after Paul Sutcliffe powered his way over for a well deserved try which capped an awesome individual performance.
This was a huge result for fourteen man Bolton, bearing in mind recent results coupled with the almost unplayable weather conditions.
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Saturday 8th March 2008
Birchfield 1st XV 29 Bolton 1st XV 16
Bolton slumped to a disappointing defeat away at in form Birchfield.
The visitors started very brightly, capitalising on Birchfield’s slow start to score the opening try of the game. The score came after fly-half Mike Singleton broke from inside his own twenty two and expertly released Phil Caswell, who beat several Birchfield defenders before being hauled down short of the try line. Steve Knibb showed great composure in gathering an offload from Caswell and passed the ball to Danny Joseph, who scored under the posts. M Singleton converted to give Bolton a well deserved 7-0 lead. This promising start was however short lived, after a string of missed tackles and handling errors allowed Birchfield back into the match. This coupled with increasing indiscipline, meant Birchfield took a strangle hold on the match and scored a series of penalty goals and two tries to lead 19-7 at half time.
Bolton rallied in the second half and put the home side under immense pressure, with hooker Chris Cockton performing excellently in the scrums, winning half a dozen against the head. Despite their early second half domination, Bolton could only convert their territory into penalty goals, with M Singleton slotting three to put the cherry and whites within three points at 19-16. At this stage it appeared Bolton would go on and win the game, but the home side counterpunched with a breakaway try and a penalty goal to give a final score line of 29-16.
There are some positives Bolton can take from the match, but their inability to convert possession into points continues to prevent them from getting the wins their performances deserve.
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Saturday 1st March 2008
Bolton 1st 0 Heaton Moor 11
Bolton entertained unbeaten-all-season league leaders Heaton Moor in this tight game at Avenue Street. An early penalty to Moor was all they had to show as Bolton pressured them for long periods. The deadlock was only broken when the referee inadvertently signalled a penalty to Bolton, only to reverse it to Heaton Moor. As the Bolton players relaxed at he decision going their way, they were caught out on the reversal by the Moor scrum half took a quick tap and ran half the length of the pitch to score. A further penalty late in the second half gave Moor a flattering victory. A good forwards performance with the back-row outstanding.
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Saturday 23rd February 2008
Bolton 1st XV 0 Burnley 1st XV 6
Bolton were unfortunate in suffering a narrow loss against a Burnley side who have now won thirteen games in a row.
The home side played well throughout, with only a lack of cutting edge denying them a deserved win. The Bolton back row performed particularly well with both Alex Youngman and Paul Sutcliffe putting in huge performances on the flanks. Despite this solid platform from the pack and well controlled performances from half backs Andy Leigh and Mike Singleton, Bolton were unable to penetrate a particularly miserly Burnley defence. Bolton enjoyed the majority of territory in the first half, with Sam Hilton and Sutcliffe epitomising a battling team performance with excellent work at the breakdown. However this physical presence and some excellent tactical kicking from Singleton wasn’t enough to break the deadlock, with the match ending tied 0-0 at the half.
The second half was an immensely physical battle, with both sides toeing the line after receiving sin bins in the first period. Bolton continued to threaten the Burnley line, but despite strong runs from Gregg Abbott and JP Singleton, they were unable to score the try their performance deserved. Predictably, Bolton’s lack of cutting edge in attack allowed a confident Burnley side back into the match, but they too couldn’t pierce an excellent defensive performance from the cherry and whites. Burnley could only muster two penalties for their efforts, but they were enough to win a tight match, which could have gone either way.
Bolton can take a lot of confidence into their next match at home against runaway leaders Heaton Moor, but will be conscious that without converting their chances, they won’t finish in a league position which will justify their undoubted ability.
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Saturday 16th February 2008
Blackpool 1st XV 7 Bolton 1st XV 91
BOLTON romped to victory against a Blackpool side who haven’t won all season and are destined for relegation. The away side set the tone for the match with a try in the opening five minutes from fly-half Danny Joseph, who ran through a gaping whole in the Blackpool defence to score under the posts, for the first of his two scores. Despite the obvious difference in class between the two sides, Bolton had to earn their tries, which came thick and fast. Winger Phil Caswell finished with six tries, with JP Singleton also scoring a hat-trick, other try scorers included Alex Sugden, Steve Knibb and Dave Evans. The seasiders did manage to stem the tide for a short period in the first half, scoring a try of their own, but they were never in the match and Bolton went in 45-7 in the lead at half time.
The second half saw Bolton make some changes to their side, and they used the excellent weather conditions to their advantage. Some slick hands and impressive interplay were the hallmarks of a dominant second half performance from the cherry and whites, who ran riot against a side clearly low on confidence. Bolton’s players broke through tackles at ease, with only Blackpool’s Number eight providing anything in terms of resistance. The pick of the second half tries saw Bolton run a training ground move in the backline, which split the home side’s defence wide open, allowing Mike Singleton to pass to Caswell who romped in under the posts.
Bolton will certainly face tougher challenges this season, as the campaign draws to a close, but they displayed excellent ruthlessness in attack, coupled with some strong defensive work, which should stand them in good stead for the matches to come.
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Saturday 9th February 2008
Bolton 1st XV 10 Eccles 1st XV 22
Bolton were on the receiving end of a revenge performance from local rivals Eccles, with the away side seemingly determined to gain retribution for Bolton’s 25-8 victory in the corresponding fixture earlier in the season. Eccles started the match at a frantic pace, which seemed to catch Bolton unaware, placing them immediately on the back foot. Bolton defended admirably, but had to sustain long periods of pressure, which inevitably took its toll, with Eccles scoring the opening try of the match. The home side responded strongly and showed many of the battling qualities they displayed in their previous victory away in Windermere. Captain James Brodie was providing his usual abrasive performance up front, but a misfiring back line was unable to build on the strong foundation the pack was providing. The cherry and whites also competed well at the set piece, with hooker Chris Cockton finding his jumpers on a regular basis, and Kev McGill and Dave Evans proving a solid presence in the scrum. Unfortunately Bolton could not use their possession well enough, and the away side scored again before half time, to leave the score 12-0 at the break.
Bolton rallied well in the second period, with the backline providing more precision both with the boot and with ball in hand. However, against the run of play, Eccles scored their third try, leaving the home side with a mountain to climb. Bolton began their comeback almost immediately with JP Singleton scoring in the corner after some excellent hands in midfield. This good play was however far too sporadic in an error ridden performance. Bolton only had themselves to blame as their increasing number of errors allowed Eccles to reassert their dominance on the game with their fourth try ten minutes from the end. Bolton did reply through an excellent solo effort from Singleton for his second of the match. It was too little too late though, as Eccles closed out the match through their strong forward play and long kicking game. Bolton now find themselves looking up at the top of the league from mid-table, when earlier in the season, it looked as though they would be in amongst the front runners.
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Saturday 26th January 2008
Windermere 1st XV 15 vs Bolton 1st XV 24
A try for debut winger Phil Caswell and a double for man of the match Danny Joseph saw Bolton rejoin the top half of the league in North Lancs 1. A potentially tricky fixture away at Windermere started off well for Bolton, as full back JP Singleton scored a fantastic solo try with pretty much his first touch of the ball. His brother, Mike Singleton failed with the conversion. Windermere then went on the attack and were rewarded with a well worked try in the corner. Things went from bad to worse for the visitors, as they continually infringed in the rucks and the Windermere fly half made them pay with 3 points after one such penalty. Bolton hadn’t played a match since the 5th January, due to the inclement weather conditions and their rustiness showed. Gaps were left everywhere in the defensive line and the Windermere backs did not wait to be invited through them. The hosts scored another try just before half time and went into the break feeling confident with a 15 – 5 lead. If there’s one thing that this young Bolton team doesn’t lack it's character when the chips are down.
With the stirring words of captain, James Brodie, still ringing in their ears from the half time team talk, the cherry & whites started the second half with an increased work ethic. The forwards started to win some quality line out possession and the pace of the game increased a couple of notches. A well worked backs move from one such line out, saw the evergreen Peter Marriott scythe through the smallest of gaps to set up debutant, Phil Caswell to breeze in at the corner. Mike Singleton’s radar was off target again as he attempted the conversion, but the fight back was on. 5 minutes later, Danny Joseph crossed the line after decent build up work by Paul Sutcliffe and Kevin McGill. Mike Singleton added the extras to put Bolton in the lead. The big Windermere forwards were starting to struggle with the pace of the match as they had given their all in the first half. After winning quick ball off the top of a line out, the Bolton scrum half, Andy Leigh fired it into the midfield and JP Singleton, who was a doubt to play in mid week, crashed it up the middle. Danny Joseph supported well and was rewarded with his second try in the space of ten minutes. Once again, Mike Singleton added the extras and the fight back was complete. The Bolton defence stood firm when faced with a late onslaught from the hosts and hung on for well deserved victory, 24-15.
Bolton will be looking for an improved performance next week, as they host league high flyers Burnley at Avenue Street. Kick off 2:15pm.
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Saturday 5th January 2008
Trafford MV 1st XV 20 Bolton 1st XV 3
Bolton’s attempt to start the New Year in winning ways backfired against a rampant Trafford side, who blew Bolton away with three unanswered first half tries. The away side’s sluggish start allowed Trafford too much room, which led to three avoidable scores. Bolton will be particularly disappointed with the miss-tackle count, which must have reached double figures by half time. There was little rest bite for Bolton, who now find themselves in a four way scrap for fourth position in the league, as they were pinned into their own twenty-two for the majority of a one sided first half.
The second half was a vast improvement, with Captain James Brodie making some typically powerful runs, and second row Dave Ormes providing some much needed aggression in defence. When Bolton did provide a solid platform for their back line, and enforced their quick passing game, they made inroads into the Trafford half. However, despite dominating the second period, Bolton’s lacklustre showing in the first half proved too big a deficit to recover, with only a solitary penalty from Rob Weatherhead to show for their efforts. With the game becoming increasingly stretched, Trafford hit Bolton on the counter attack, scoring in the corner to make the score 20-3, shattering any hope of a comeback. Bolton can take a lot of encouragement from a positive second half performance against a Trafford side who are always hard to beat on their home patch. If Bolton can replicate the second half performance for a full eighty minutes, they will certainly be able to rediscover some of their impressive early season form.
All teams held a minutes silence in respect for the tragic death of Daniel Harrison, a member of Bolton Rugby Club who died recently in a car crash.
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15th December 2007
Bolton 1st XV 0 Littleborough 1st XV 20
Bolton’s league challenge took a huge blow at home against Littleborough, as they succumbed to a disappointing 20-0 defeat. The home side were admittedly missing some key players, but the performance wasn’t up to the physicality that Littleborough brought to the fixture. Bolton were under the cosh early on, with only last ditch tackles from Mike singleton and Danny Joseph preventing the away team converting their early pressure into points. The pressure proved too much however and Littleborough eventually crossed the line under the posts, the conversion was missed, but the away side added a penalty later in the half and Bolton were deservedly 8-0 behind. The score did seem to spark Bolton into life, and they had the majority of the next twenty minutes in the Littleborough half, but lacked the penetration and ball retention to break the opposition’s defence. Centre Joe Baker did manage to make some inroads into Littleborough territory, but lacked the support to make the break count. Although Littleborough didn’t add to their lead before half time, they were very much the better side.
After the interval, Bolton attempted to gain some territory, with fly half Rob Weatherhead looking to kick his side into scoring position. Unfortunately, Bolton’s faltering lineout was unable to challenge the Littleborough throw, and rarely won any of their own. It was a similarly error strewn story in the back line, as what little ball the three quarters did get was either knocked on or wasted. It was a matter of time before Bolton conceded another score, which appeared to mark the end of any Bolton comeback. Littleborough ran in three second half tries to put a gloss on a score line, which had looked unlikely before kick off, as Bolton had won the corresponding away fixture and remain five points ahead of them in the league.
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8th December 2007
All games lost to the weather.
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1st December 2007
Bolton 1st XV 30 Ashton-under-Lyne 0
Bolton romped to a convincing home victory against Ashton, after an explosive second half display blew their opponents away. The game was played in difficult circumstances at Avenue Street, with strong wind and wet conditions underfoot contributing to a tight first quarter. The home side saw off early pressure from the visitors with James Brodie and Paul Tonge leading the charge in defence. Bolton eventually got to grips with Ashton’s physical approach and began to enjoy the majority of possession and territory. As Bolton’s territorial advantage began to tell, Ashton gave away an increasing number of penalties, two of which were converted by Chris Turner, to give Bolton a slim 6-0 advantage at half time.
The tense nature of the first half soon gave way to an open expansive second period, allowing Bolton to run in four unanswered tries. The pick of the tries was an opportunist effort from winger JP Singleton, who collected a pin point cross field kick from Turner and duly touched down in the corner, to score the first of his two touch downs. From this point the home side took control, scoring form everywhere on the pitch, with centre Chris Flanagan and winger Gregg Abbott both finishing excellent moves, which began in their own half. Abbott, whose dynamic performance deserved more than one try, was a constant menace to the Ashton side, and he epitomised the adventure the home side showed. Turner converted two of the second half tries, to give the score-line the gloss Bolton deserved.
With half of the season now gone, Bolton lie in fourth place in North Lancs 1, and need to string some consistent performances together if they are to remain in contention near the top of the table.
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24th November 2007
Old Bedians 1st XV 18 Bolton 1st XV 12
Bolton’s stuttering form continued away in Didsbury, as a resolute display was not enough to beat a dogged Old Bedians side. The aggression of the home team was evident from the kick off, as Bolton were put on the back foot and conceded the first score of the game within ten minutes. Bedians then used their momentum and added to their score soon after to put Bolton 10-0 behind. Bolton began to find their feet and spent long periods in the Bedians twenty two. The pressure finally paid off with Chris Turner scoring at the bottom of a strong driving maul. Turner converted his own try to reduce Bolton’s arrears to 12-7. The home side then rallied to score a third first half try to put Bolton 15-7 behind. Some good handling in the Bolton back-line led to their second try of the match through wing JP Singleton, who after a strong hand off, raced in at the corner. The conversion was missed, and the score at half time was 15-12 to Bedians.
Only three points were added in a tense second half, with Bolton having enough chances to win the game. Continued indiscipline allowed Bedians to convert a penalty and extend their lead to six points, meaning Bolton needed a converted try to take the win. The cherry and Whites thought they had got the try they needed when Paul Sutcliffe powered his way over under the posts, only for the try to be inexplicably disallowed by the referee despite the ball being clearly on the line. This incident seemed to sum up Bolton’s luckless afternoon, and for the final fifteen minutes Bolton hammered the Bedians try line, with strong runs from James Brodie and Phil Houston. Despite all the possession and territory in the second half, it was ultimately Bolton’s poor start to the match that let them down.
With two crucial home games coming up before Christmas, the club’s fate will be much clearer in the New Year.
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17th November 2007
No 1st team game - the squad had a training session
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10th November 2007
Littleborough 1st XV 11 Bolton 1st XV 16
Bolton got back to winning ways with a hard fought victory over Littleborough, to record their first victory in three matches. It is never an easy match away at Littleborough, but it was clear from the kick off that Bolton were up for the match and immediately put their opponents on the back foot, with some strong running from props Sam Hilton and Steve Beasley. When Littleborough did get into the match, they found Bolton’s defence in good form, with flanker Alex Quegan putting in some telling tackles. Despite their strong start, Bolton found themselves behind after the home side converted a penalty opportunity to put them 3-0 in the lead after ten minutes. Bolton rallied, and after some good drives from the forwards, they found themselves in Littleborough territory where they were able to execute the best move of the match. Fly half Rob Weatherhead received quick ball and shipped it on to centre Pete Marriot, whose exquisitely timed pass allowed Full back Joe Baker to storm through under the posts for a deserved score. Chris Turner converted the try to give Bolton a 3-7 lead after 25 minutes played. This lead however did not last, with Littleborough scoring a soft try against the run of play, despite clear obstruction on winger JP Singleton, who was prevented from making a tackle on his opposite number, who fell over the line to score. The conversion was missed, and Bolton were unfortunate to go in 8-7 behind at the break.
It was clear the cherry and whites were determined to snatch the win they deserved in the second half, and they reduced the home side to just more three points, with a dominant second half display. Second row Phil Houston continued to dominate at the breakdown, allowing the backs to receive quick ball, giving a good platform, in the opponents half. Although Bolton were not able to score another try in the match, Chris Turner sealed the victory with three further penalties, to give a final score line of 11-16 to Bolton. This important victory keeps Bolton in the mix near the top of the table, with some similarly steely needed if they are to maintain a promotion challenge.
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3rd November 2007
Bolton 1st XV 0 Trafford MV 1s 33
Bolton’s stutter in the league continued as they lost to Trafford MVAn even contest was predicted but, as with Burnley the week before, Bolton were unable to finish there opportunities and sloppy play gave the opposition the match. With a big match against one of the bottom teams, as they lost 16-9 away at Burnley. The match was always going to be a tight affair, with the sides separated by only two points before kick off. Burnley began well, putting the Bolton line under severe pressure, it appeared only a matter of time until the home side scored, but valiant tackling form the visitors kept the match scoreless. It wasn’t until ten minutes that Burnley broke the Bolton defence, bundling over from close range, the conversion was missed, giving a score of 5-0 to Burnley. Bolton rallied and some strong running from flanker Pete Brogan led to a penalty, which Chris Turner slotted between the posts, to reduce Bolton’s arrears to 5-3. The cherry and whites were beginning to find their feet in the match, and spent long periods in the Burnley half, threatening their line, but it was the boot that gave Bolton a deserved lead, with Turner converting again to give Bolton the lead at 6-5. There were no further scores in a tense first half, and Bolton deservedly went in at the break in the lead.Littleborough, next week Bolton look to keep in contention for the top spots.
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27th October 2007
Burnley 1stXV 16 Bolton 1stXV 9
Bolton suffered their second league defeat of the season, and their first in four matches, Bolton promised much in the second half, but in the end succumbed to a combination of a lack of discipline on their part and some questionable referring decisions. After a slick move from the back line, Pete Marriot appeared to have secured possession with a strong run, only to be penalised for holding on when he was clearly on his feet. The decision was questioned and the referee marched Bolton back ten yards. Burnley sensed Bolton’s growing frustration and regained the lead with two quick penalties, Bolton were now 11-6 behind. The gap was reduced through another Turner penalty, but Bolton spurned many good attacking opportunities and were punished when the home side scored a late try. The match was now beyond Bolton’s reach and the score finished 16-9. In a game that could have gone either way, Bolton will point to their missed opportunities and ill-discipline as reasons for the loss. Despite the setback, Bolton are still second in the league on points difference, but are now in a four way tie with Eccles, Old Bedians and Burnley.
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20th October 2007
Bolton 1st XV 31 Windermere 5
Bolton produced an efficient performance against a physical Windermere side, comfortably beating their Cumbrian opponents 31-5. The result leaves Bolton two points behind league leaders Heaton Moor, and two ahead of third placed Eccles. With the league so tightly congested, Bolton know they must maintain their winning form in the league if they are to remain amongst the front runners. The home side began brightly with scrum half Mike Singleton marshalling the pack, who were consistently making yards in the Windermere half. The opening score came from the good platform given from the pack, which allowed Bolton’s midfield to prosper. Centre’s Danny Joseph and Chris Flanagan ran clever dummy lines sucking in the opposition defence, allowing fly half Rob Weatherhead to feed full back J.P. Singleton who finished under the posts. It was a well deserved try after Bolton’s early dominance. Two further first half scores followed, with second row Kevin McGill galloping under the posts, and winger Andy Dann also crossing the white wash. Bolton did concede just before half time against the run of play, after a loss of concentration in defence allowed the away side to score an unlikely try. Fly half Rob Weatherhead converted all but one of the three first half tries to give Bolton a 19-5 lead at half time.
The cherry and whites knew that only complacency would prevent them from completing the win. As it was their defence stood firm, not allowing Windermere to further add to their score. Hooker Mark Crow consistently provided good ball for flanker Alex Quegan in the line out, which gave the three quarters good, quick ball from which to attack the opposition. Wingers Gregg Abbott and Andy Dann capitalised on the space they were enjoying and both scored second half tries to add extra gloss to the score line. Weatherhead added one conversion to give a final score of 31-5.
Bolton no doubt deserved their win, but will face tougher opposition in the upcoming matches, starting with Burnley away next week.
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13th October 2007
Rossendale 1st XV 24 Bolton 1st XV 3
Bolton travelled to Rossendale in the second round of the EDF Energy Senior Vase, but despite competing well throughout, they came unstuck against a well drilled outfit. With Rossendale riding high in the league above, Bolton knew it was not going to be easy, but with the team showing some good form, there was a sense of belief in the squad. Rossendale dominated the territory in the early exchanges; leaving Bolton camped in their own twenty-two for much of the first half. Despite some heroic defending, the pressure soon told, as the home side ran in two first half tries. The cherry and whites limited the home side to just ten points in a first half that tested Bolton’s defensive resolve to the limit.
Bolton began the second half looking to put the home side under some overdue pressure, and spent some prolonged periods in the Rossendale half. With the home try lime proving impenetrable, Bolton had to be content with a Chris Turner penalty to show for their efforts. Rossendale scored two further second half tries against the run of play to further compound Bolton’s misery, but the way in which Bolton played in the second period was encouraging. With the game getting increasingly fractious in the forwards, both sets of players lost their discipline, resulting in two sin bin’s, with Bolton’s Pete Marriot spending ten minutes off the field. Rossendale’s loss of discipline, showed that Bolton had them rattled, and were not intimidated by the home side’s reputation or physicality. Some good running from Chris Flanagan, coupled with some solid defensive work from Captain James Brodie, gave Bolton a platform from which to challenge Rossendale, but the home defence stood firm. Despite the defeat, Bolton showed they can compete with a leading side from a league above, which should stand them in good stead for the rest of the league campaign.
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6 October 2007
Eccles 1s 8 Bolton 1st XV 25
Bolton put in a commanding performance over local rivals Eccles, running out 25-8 victors. This result lifts Bolton to second place in the table, with the rest of the league surely standing up and taking notice. The first half was predictably tight, between two teams who have had many close battles over the years. The Bolton pack were providing an excellent platform, dominating in the both the scrum and line-out. The away side used their superior possession and territory to good effect, with back rowers Kevin McGill and Alex Youngman constantly breaking the gain line with some excellent carries. With both defences standing firm, the cherry and whites had to be content with penalties, with Chris Turner slotting over two before half time. Bolton were forced to concede a desperate penalty just before half time, as some superb last ditch tackling denied Eccles the opening try of the match. Eccles converted the opportunity to end a cagey first half 6-3 to Bolton. Bolton knew they had the beating of their opponents and began the second half in positive fashion, intent on enforcing their strong running game in an otherwise forward orientated contest. Substitute Simon Beswick epitomized this game plan as he powered his way through the Eccles midfield to score under the posts. Turner converted to give Bolton a well deserved 13-3 lead. The score did wonders for Bolton’s confidence and with their three quarters becoming increasingly involved in the game, further scores seemed inevitable. The next try did come after an excellent passing move involving Gregg Abbott and JP Singleton, allowed centre Chris Flanagan to romp over the white wash for his first try. Turner converted again, giving Bolton an unassailable 20-3 lead. Bolton reinforced their superiority after some powerful rucks and silky passing allowed Flanagan to slalom through the Eccles defence, to score his second try. The conversion was missed, and it was now 25-3 to a rampant Bolton side. Eccles did reply with a consolation score, to complete a 25-8 win for Bolton. Such a confident away performance should leave Bolton confident of harbouring ambitions of promotion this year.
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29 September 2007
Bolton 1st XV 108 Blackpool 12
A rampant Bolton side dominated against lowly Blackpool, scoring over a hundred points including seventeen tries against vastly inferior opposition. The home side began at a canter, with centre Chris Flanagan running in an early score with barely five minutes gone. This was soon followed by a brace from Captain James Brodie. Bolton ran in four further scores, with Brodie completing his hat-trick. Centre Pete Marriot completed the first half scoring with a leisurely finish under the posts. All but one of Bolton’s eight first half tries were converted to leave the score 54-12 at half time. Despite their supremacy in the half, the cherry and whites will be disappointed with the way they let the seasiders score two tries of their own. Such complacency will surely cost them against stronger opposition later in the season. Bolton’s Coach certainly let the players know at half time that Such lapses in concentration are not acceptable.
Bolton began the second half in lively fashion after their half time team talk, and were able to match their first half points tally, adding another 54 points. The pleasing aspect was the fact the home side did not concede any further points against a hapless Blackpool side. A dominant Bolton side began to enforce their expansive game plan to good effect, with fly-half Rob Weatherhead running in the opening try of the second period, rounding off some crisp midfield passing. He converted his own try to give a score of 61-12. With little in terms of opposition in front of them, it was difficult for the home team to bring any kind of structure to their play. This meant most of their tries occurred in broken play, allowing Bolton's quicker players to exploit the wide open spaces of the pitch. Further tries from John Keech, and hat-tricks for both J.P. Singleton and Gregg Abbott, enforced Bolton's ease of victory in what was proved to be a miss-match of epic proportions. Such a convincing win will undoubtedly do wonders for the side’s confidence, which will be needed for the much sterner test at Eccles next weekend.
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22nd September 2007
Heaton Moor 37 Bolton 1st XV 21
Bolton went to Heaton Moor knowing that this would be the toughest game of the season so far. After two good wins, Bolton had to make some forced changes to the starting lineout and this told as they conceded tries early on. However after the disappointing start Bolton did gather momentum and got back into the game, scoring 3 tries of their own. However, Heaton Moor came back and took control of the game. A good performance just came up short of a 3rd straight win.
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15th September 2007
Bolton 1st XV 21 Birchfield 1st XV 13
A perfect start to the new season saw Bolton defeat Birchfield 21-13 in a hard fought game at Avenue Street. The red & whites ran in 3 tries through Danny Ryder and JP Singleton, who scored a double to take his tally to 5 tries in 2 matches. Birchfield took the early advantage with a drop goal as they exerted early pressure on the Bolton try line. This seemed to spark the home side into life as they crossed for the first try of the match. A good run out of defence from full back JP Singleton, resulted in a well taken try from scrum half Danny Ryder, as he jinked his way over from the ensuing ruck. Chris Turner added the extras. Shortly before half time Birchfield went ahead again with a try from a catch and drive at a line out and the teams went into half time with the scores finely balanced at 8 – 7 to the visitors.
Five minutes after the restart a lovely weighted pass out of the tackle from the evergreen centre Peter Marriott released full back JP Singleton to go over for the first of his tries. Again Chris Turner adding the conversion. The visitors hit back in a rare attack when the Bolton defence was found wanting on the blind side of the ruck and the Birchfield winger found a gap and slipped two defenders to score in the corner. The Birchfield fly half missed the conversion and once again the match was carefully poised at 14-13 to Bolton. Tensions were running high and tempers finally boiled over in what resulted in a 30 man brawl spilling over onto the sidelines. The referee bravely dispatched a player from each side with red cards and managed to get the game under control in what could have turned into an ugly final quarter. Two minutes later full back JP Singleton crossed for his second after good build up work from the forwards to recycle the ball in midfield. Once again Chris Turner added the extra two points to cap a flawless day with the boot. The final score of 21 – 13 crowned an excellent day as Bolton enjoyed their best start to the league for some years. Bolton travel to Heaton Moor next week looking to preserve their 100% winning record for the new season.
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8th September 2007
Garstang 10 Bolton 1st 30
Bolton 1st XV got their league campaign off to a decent start against newly promoted Garstang with tries by JP Singleton, Greg Abbott and Danny Ryder, but further improvement is needed if they are to challenge for a top spot in the table. The red and whites had wanted to send a statement of intent to the rest of the league following a frustrating pre-season build up, but a disjointed performance left the players and coaching staff frustrated despite the eventual victory. Bolton had raced out of the blocks when speedster JP Singleton gathered a loose Garstang kick on the half way line and set off on a mazy run to score a well taken try in the corner. Chris Turner converted the try to add to his penalty kick 5 minutes earlier and these were the only points of note from a rusty first half. This was perhaps excusable, as Bolton's two early cup games had not been played. They have progressed to Round 2 of the Lancashire Trophy by virtue of a Bye and have progressed to Round2 of the RFU National Vase as their opposition failed to show on the day. Garstang scored a try just before half time from a clever chip to the corner to make the score 10 – 5 to Bolton at half time.
The second half saw a marginal improvement as Bolton’s fitness began to pay dividends. The scrums and line outs were providing plenty of possession for the Bolton backs and from one such scrum, Danny Ryder spotted a gaping hole behind the Garstang defence and side stepped half the opposition to score under the posts. Chris Turner once again adding the extras. Garstang showed good spirit to score another try of their own from a catch and drive at a line out on the stroke of 60 minutes, to keep them in touch with the score at 10 – 20. Bolton finished with a final flurry as they scored two late tries, one from Greg Abbott and the last from JP Singleton as he scored his second of the afternoon, both tries remained unconverted to give a final score of 30-10 to Bolton. The league action continues next week as Bolton play host to fellow first day victors Birchfield at Avenue Street.
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1st September 2007
Bolton 1st XV v Blackpool
A late call from Blackpool conceded the fixture 70 minutes before kick off. The cry-off means that Bolton have now progressed to the second round of both the Lancashire Trophy and RFU Senior Vase without playing a game of rugby ! The lack of opposition meant that the 1st team squad were left to kick their heels and run thru an 80 minute training session. Bolton’s first league match is away at newly-promoted Garstang next Saturday.
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