BOLTON RUFC Under 16's Shirt Sponsor - SALADS TO GO
Sunday 24th February 2008
Fleetwood U16s 28 v 12 Bolton U16s
Bolton travelled to the Fylde coast confident of gaining revenge against a Fleetwood side who had beaten them
convincingly earlier in the season. However, despite performing particularly well for prolonged periods,
Bolton’s poor finishing, and lack of aggression at the breakdown, allowed an inferior Fleetwood team to runaway
with the spoils. An excellent first half try from Captain Bobby Bolton was the high point for Bolton, who continually
allowed their territorial superiority to slip away. The skipper rounded off a well worked move after quick ruck ball
gave the three quarters a good platform to score under the post. But, this quick ball wasn’t produced consistently
enough by Bolton, who allowed their hosts back into the game.
Fleetwood scored two runaway tries in the first half, to give them a 14-7 lead at half time, although behind at the
break, Bolton had shown enough in the first period to be confident of coming back into the contest. A fractious first
half had resulted in two sin bins following a brief fracas on the touch line.
This incident seemed to lead to an increasing ill disciplined second half, with Bolton getting frustrated by
Fleetwood’s consistent infringement in the rucks. With feelings of injustice running throughout the away side,
Fleetwood scored two more unlikely tries to give the score line an unfair look. Bolton did get one try back late on in
the match, but a comeback was never really on the cards. It was a performance full of passion, but with all too few
incidences of the skilful play Bolton are capable of.
Bolton travel to Liverpool next week to take on Liverpool Collegiate in the quarter finals of the cup.
Sunday 10th February 2008
Blackburn U16s 17 v 10 Bolton U16s
Bolton will be wondering how they lost a match in which they were clearly the better side throughout an exciting
encounter.
The away side deservedly took the lead on ten minutes, after a kick through from Adam Greenwood was well
gathered by Stuart Evans, who duly flopped over the line to score.
Bolton were very much on top throughout the first half and were unlucky not to build on their lead.
George Wass thought he had scored Bolton’s second try after a superb handling move involving Captain Rees
Pritchard released Wass down the wing, only for the try to be disallowed for a forward pass.
Blackburn did improve as the half went on and scored an unlikely try in the last play before half time. This was
harsh on Bolton, who completely controlled the match up to that point.
The second half was littered with some strange refereeing decisions, which seemed to affect Bolton, allowing
Blackburn to gain the lead with a well taken try in the corner.
Soon after, Bolton were reduced to fourteen men, after John Gaskell was harshly sent off for foul play.
This incident triggered a number of questionable decisions from the referee, who seemed determined to prevent the
better rugby team winning the match.
To their credit Bolton kept playing rugby and tied the scores with a well finished try scored by Matt Trist, after
some mazy running from Rees Pritchard.
Despite being a player down in the pack, Bolton miraculously won one scrum against the head, a feat that summed
up Bolton’s determined performance.
Victory wasn’t to be however, with Blackburn capitalising on their extra man to score under the posts with less than
five minutes remaining.
Even though they lost the game, Bolton did not lose any pride on a day when they were effectively refereed off the
pitch. It was certainly a day when the better team did not win.
Sunday 27th January 2008
Eccles U16s 3 v 7 Bolton U16s
Bolton made the short trip to local rivals Eccles and produced a strong performance against a much
improved side.
Bolton defeated Eccles 27-5 in the previous meeting this season, but it was clear Eccles were a different
proposition this time around.
The home side took the lead with an early penalty, but it was clear from the kick off that despite
Eccles’s improvement, they didn’t have the skill to breach Bolton’s defence.
As a result, Bolton spent the majority of the first half camped in the home side’s 22, but came up against
a determined and organised Eccles defence.
The closest Bolton came to scoring was just before half time, when Seb Stevens crossed the white wash
only for the try to be disallowed for a forward pass.
The second period continued in much the same fashion, with Bolton dominating possession and
territory.
Captain Bobby Bolton and Rees Pritchard provided strong runs in the backline, with powerful
performances also coming from forwards Ollie Pritchard and Nick Grimshaw.
It felt like Bolton were not going to get the try they deserved, until Scott Knibb pounced on a loose ball
near the Eccles line to dive over, capping off an excellent individual performance.
Despite the narrow score line, Bolton can be happy with their overall game, with good lineout ball from
Gage Rosimus and Josh Coates consistently allowing Andy Crimmins and Adam Greenwood to release
the back line.
Bolton will however hope to be more clinical in future matches, as the amount of chances they created warranted a larger margin of victory.
Sunday 13th January 2008
Ormskirk U16s ‘A’ 29 v 7 Bolton U16s
Bolton travelled to high flying Ormskirk, hoping for a much improved performance after their poor showing against
Liverpool Collegiate.
The signs looked good for Bolton as they enjoyed the majority of early possession and put the home side under
pressure.
This pressure resulted in frequent Ormskirk indiscipline, resulting in a sin bin after seven minutes.
Bolton used their numerical advantage well, with Seb Stevens making a good run after a fine pass from Andy
Crimmins.
Despite their early dominance against a shell-shocked Ormskirk, Bolton failed to convert their dominance into
points.
Ormskirk duly made Bolton pay for their inability to score points and went over for the first score after 25 minutes.
Bolton were not deterred by the set back and continued to put their illustrious opponents under pressure.
However, against the run of play, Ormskirk added to their lead, scoring two breakaway tries before half time, one
of which was converted, to give Ormskirk an unlikely 17-0 lead at half time.
The second half continued in much the same fashion with Bolton dominating territory and possession.
Captain Bobby Bolton went close to Bolton’s opening score, only to be held up over the line.
Bolton remained camped in the Ormskirk 22 for the majority of the second period, but were again unable to
penetrate the home side’s strong defence.
Yet again Ormkirk hit Bolton on the break, scoring two second half scores, Bolton did however get reward for an
excellent performance, with Rhys Pritchard dribbling the ball through the Ormskirk backline and out pacing their
defence to score under the posts, Andy Crimmins converted to register Bolton on the scoreboard.
Tackle of the match goes to Seb Stevens who took man and ball when he flew into the back line to stop the Ormskirk
Stand-off, the sound of the hit echoed round the ground, and summed up an aggressive performance from an
improved Bolton side.
Despite the defeat, Bolton’s performance against an unbeaten Ormskirk side was very impressive, with the home
side commenting that it was their toughest test of the season so far.
Bolton U16s 7 v 31 Liverpool Collegiate U16s
Bolton’s U16s suffered a heavy away defeat against a Liverpool side, who out muscled them both in
contact and at the set piece.
Before the match, both sides observed a minute silence in remembrance of Danny Harrison and Johnny
Sharples, who tragically lost their lives recently.
Bolton certainly look fired up before the match, but seemed to be playing in one’s and two’s rather
than as a unit.
Their fragmented play allowed Collegiate to open the scoring after five minutes with a powerful drive
over the line from close range; the conversion was missed, leaving Bolton 5-0 behind.
The away side did up the intensity of their play with Captain Scott Knibb putting in some big tackles,
but all too often the Collegiate players broke through the Bolton defences all too easily.
This poor defence led to a second Liverpool score before half time, the score was converted to give
Bolton a 12-0 deficit at half time.
The second half saw an improvement in Bolton’s play with Seb Stevens and Bobby Bolton both making
promising runs, this was coupled with some better forward play with Josh Coates and Declan Hampson
both impressing in the pack.
The greater power of the Collegiate pack however was beginning to tell and they added to their lead
soon after the restart. It was now 19-0 to the home side.
Bolton showed excellent fighting spirit as substitute Matt Trist made a well timed pass to put Nick
Grimshaw in for the try under the posts. Andy Crimmins converted and Bolton were back in with a
shout at 19-7 down.
This was however the high point for Bolton, as Collegiate ran in two further tries to give the final
score-line 0f 31-7.
It was a disappointing result for Bolton, who arrived in Liverpool with genuine hopes of a victory, but
too many missed tackles and unforced errors effectively handed the game to their Merseyside
counterparts.
Eccles U16s 5 v 27 Bolton U16s Sunday 11th November 2007
Bolton under 16s recorded an overdue victory against local rivals Eccles, after a dominant first half display blew their opponents away.
The tone was set early on with full-back Seb Stevens scoring two well taken tries in the first ten minutes.
The away side did not take their foot off the gas and some excellent rucking from Gage Rosimus, allowed
Nick Grimshaw to power his way over from close range.
The score was now 0-15 to Bolton with less than twenty minutes played.
A further score was added by Rhys Pritchard who slalomed his way through the Eccles midfield to score
under the posts, Andy Crimmins converted to give Bolton a 0-22 lead.
With Bolton controlling the set pieces and moving the ball well in the backs, Eccles didn’t have an answer,
and it was only a matter of time until the away side added to the score.
Winger Stuart Evans completed the first half scoring with a good diving finish in the corner, after slick
passing from Bobby Bolton and Nathan Lewin.
With the score 0-27 at half time, Bolton’s intensity dropped in the second half, but never looked in trouble
against an inferior Eccles side.
Captian Scott Knibb and Oli Pritchard consistently made significant gains in the second half, with backs
Bolton and Evans also coming close to adding to the scoreline with some strong running.
A strong display at prop from Declan Hampson capped off a dominant display from the pack.
Eccles did get on the scoresheet with a scrappy score, to give a final score of 5-27 to Bolton.
Although they did not score in the second half, Bolton showed enough in the first period to see off
aggressive Eccles outfit, but with tougher challenges to come, Bolton must be able to perform for eighty
minutes.
Orrell U16s 22 v 19 Bolton U16s
Bolton under sixteen’s suffered a narrow 22-19 defeat against Orrell in a match they really should have won.
Orrell opened the scoring, using their greater size in the pack, to score a pushover try. Bolton knew they had to use their superior ball handling skills if they were to defeat a dogged Orrell side, who were determined to ruin Bolton’s game plan.
The breakthrough came for the away side, with Captain Andy Crimmins scoring a well earned try. He converted his own score, to give Bolton a 7-5 lead.
The cherry and whites didn’t perform to their potential in the first period, but still took a narrow lead into the second half.
The second half was a much more open contest, with Bolton looking to play some of their trademark fluent rugby. Orrell constantly looked to spoil Bolton’s passing game, and consistently used a negative kicking game, which frustrated the Bolton side.
Orrell opened the second half scoring with some more powerful forward play leading to a try under the posts. The try was converted to leave the score 12-7 to Orrell.
The cherry and whites replied immediately, with Bobby Bolton powering his way under the sticks, Crimmins converted to give Bolton a 14-12 lead.
The home side continued to frustrate a below-par Bolton side and regained the lead with a try in the corner, the conversion was missed and Bolton found themselves behind 17-14.
Bolton showed good resilience again as they pegged back their opponents immediately with a try from George Wass, the conversion was missed giving Bolton a narrow 19-17 lead with little time left in the match.
Despite some big individual performances from man of the match Gage Rosimus, and Rhys Pritchard, Bolton never really got going, failing to enforce a team game plan.
Orrell won the match in suitably scrappy fashion, bundling over from a line-out, to give a final score of 22-19.
Bolton never reached the high standards they set for themselves, and will be particularly disappointed with their first half display, but the way in which they battled against a frustrating side, showed good team spirit.
Sedgley Park V Bolton U16's
The newly promoted Bolton under 16’s travelled to established premier league side Sedgeley Park, hoping they could build on their impressive victory over Warrington last week.
The match didn’t start well for the cherry and whites, with skipper Scott Knibb suffering concussion, with his first tackle of the contest. To their credit, Bolton rallied and kept Sedgeley at bay until after fifteen minutes, the home side broke through a couple of tackles to score under the posts. The try was converted, and put Sedgeley 7-0 in the lead.
Scrum half Andy Crimmins converted Bolton’s bright start into points when he slotted over a thirty metre penalty after twenty five minutes. Bolton’s arrears were now reduced to 7-3.
With their Captain off the field, forwards Gage Rosimus and Oli Pritchard provided inspiration in the tackle, with centre’s Bobby Bolton and Rhys Pritchard also punching holes in Sedgeley’s midfield. Despite the efforts of a fired-up Bolton team, the home side were able to run in two further tries before half time, both of which were converted to give a half time score of 21-3 to Sedgeley.
Bolton began the second half in determined fashion, with Fly Half Adam Greenwood constantly turning the home defence with some intelligent, probing kicks. Full Back Nathan Lewin also caught the eye, with some composed play under the high ball, coupled with some incisive forward running.
Despite some prolonged periods of Bolton pressure, Sedgeley capitalised on a tiring defence running in two further tries, and one conversion. Bolton were unable to reply on the score board, but battled to the end against a side who have been established in the league for a number of years.
In a match where the score-line doesn’t tell the full story, Bolton can be proud of their efforts, and should fear no-one in the league.
Bolton v Warrington
Bolton under 16s produced a disciplined display against a physical Warrington side, who were intent on spoiling Bolton's quick running game. In a match that threatened to boil over, the cherry and whites kept their heads to run out 22-7 victors.
The match began in a tentative fashion, with the action confined to the middle third of the pitch. As a result much of the first half was a tight forwards battle, with only the evasive running of three quarter Rhys Pritchard providing any rest bite for the Bolton pack.
The first score of the match went to Warrington, who scored a breakaway try just as Bolton were beginning to find their feet. the try was converted, and Bolton found themselves 7-0 down. This galvanised the side, and soon after, the influential Bobby Bolton powered his way over to give Bolton their opening score. Andy Crimmins missed the conversion, to give a score-line of 7-5 at half time.
It appeared that Bolton had blown away any cobwebs in the second half, as they dominated form start to finish, running in three further tries. The first score went to the lively Crimmins, who shrugged of the challenges of a few would-be tacklers to score. He converted the try himself, to give Bolton the lead for the first time at 12-7.
Bolton now began to cut loose against a Warrington side who were increasingly losing their discipline. Slick passing movement gave forward Nick Grimshaw the chance to score, which he took with both hands, the conversion was missed, but Bolton were now in a comfortable 17-7 lead.
Fittingly inspirational Captain Scott Knibb galloped in at the corner to round of a dynamic display, in both attack and defence. The conversion was missed, but a final s
Sunday 23/9/07
Bolton Under 16’s 0 Vs 21 Preston grasshoppers.
Bolton’s season kicked off with not only a new league, but a step up in competition. As always, you have to play the best to be the best and Bolton was prepared for the challenge. However having not played Preston before and finding themselves in the premier league of junior rugby, we knew it was to be a hard game.
Preston started the game and kicked to receiving Bolton who pressured Preston’s line for a good twenty minutes. Bolton's coach was pleased that his teams’ standard of play was by no means inferior to the opposition. The unthinkable happened and in a ruck, a freak accident injured Bolton’s tight head prop breaking his leg in two places. A shuffling of the front row required, Bolton seemed to carry on where they had left off, winning or successfully holding in the scrum. Once Preston settled into the game, followed by a lapse in concentration, Bolton allowed Preston to sneak in a try. Converted by The centre, this left the score 7 – 0 to Preston.
Preston, used to playing to a high intensity, continued to threaten Bolton’s Try line, and a missed tackle on the wing allowed Preston to increase their lead. A fantastic conversion followed and Preston went in at half time 14 – 0 up.
The second half started positively for Bolton and they fought hard for possession, showing desire and motivation to intimidate any team in this league.
Bolton showed off some well trained drills and were unfortunate not to score on a few occasions. Preston continued to work hard, and extended their lead with a try and conversion leaving the final score 21 – 0. Although a new league for Bolton, they weren’t out of their depth, and looked impressive at times.
There is obviously some work to be done for the games to come, but today’s game was a good indicator of the standard to which we are going to become used to playing.
Man of the Match – Bobby Bolton
Tackle of the Game – Gage Rosimus {on his debut game}
Coaches Award – Josh Hughes
