U15s have lots to build on

Bolton Under 15s made the long and arduous trip to Eccles for a training game to start the season and unfortunately on their first game were struggling for players due to many players with other commitments, illness and injuries.
Thankfully Nathan and Joel both stepped up and joined the regulars and without their help the game wouldn’t have been able to go ahead.

Unfortunately the indecision over places and players before the kick off didn’t help the lads preparation and so though there were 15 bodies out on the field their minds didn’t follow them out from the changing rooms until 5 minutes after the first whistle and by then Eccles were 12-0 to the good.

In previous seasons this could have been a difficult start but the guys are far more mentally tough than in past seasons and so socks were metaphorically pulled up and the guys started to play some excellent rugby from numbers 1 to 16. Wills Brindle and Tom McCormick were instrumental in getting the ball rolling and the Eccles runners to the decks and in the open spaces centres Ryan McClusky and Michael Latham began to cut their opposite numbers down. Slowly the tide changed and the defensive wall became strong once more and from that confidence grew. More ball was turned over from Eccles and Harry Stocks got some more possession with which to release both Adam Kazmi and Ryan for a series of strong runs.

In the second third of the game there was really only one team in the hunt and good kicks from both Joey Gore and Harry Stocks drove Eccles back and Wills Brindle and Wills McCambridge ran the ball with determination and no little skill and both were rewarded with tries as Bolton came out on top 10-7 in the middle period of the game.

Joseph Partington, Tom McCormick and Joel Thompson were immense in the front row and had their bigger opposite numbers going in reverse on several occasions in the scrum. Tom also pulled off the tackle of the game when the Eccles Number 8 tied to run through a McCormick special; he’ll not try that again in a hurry.
In the second row it was great to see Tom Hill back after serious injury and his partnership with Wills McCambridge looked secure and strong. In the back row wing forwards Jordan Ashton and Firth Lord covered every blade of grass and scythed down many an Eccles runner time after time. Behind them Wills Brindle was immense at Number 8 and deservedly received the Man of the Match award from the players.

In the backs Joey Gore and Harry Stocks worked well together at half back after Harry reminded Joey that he isn’t 8 feet tall and it was promising to see them combining well to get their runners into space. In the centres Michael Latham played his best game ever in Bolton shirt and looked certain with ball in hand and when in defence his tackling was a joy to watch; his performance was recognised by the parents who named him as their man of the match. Alongside Michael, Ryan McClusky was a revelation at centre and certainly caught the eye of several of the Eccles coaches with his lung busting runs and sure defence. Outside Levi Walsh, David Warren and Nathan all played very well and though they didn’t get much opportunity to show their paces they had Eccles scurrying in cover each time they had ball in hand. At the back Adam Kazmi played extremely well and covered every break, knocked down each runner and when he had chance to turn defence into attack glided through the smallest of gaps and round the biggest of defenders with aplomb.

At 19-10 in the final period of play only a last ditch tackle by the Eccles full back prevented Ryan from registering his first score of the season and when the home side recycled the loose ball and broke to the other end of the field to score under the posts the 14 point swing was the turning point of the game. Adam had to limp from the field and despite gallant defence across the field Eccles ran in a further 3 tries to make the final score a flattering 43-10.

The home side were worthy winners and Bolton should learn from the way they recycled ball in both attach and defence and were usually the first to the breakdown. However, Bolton need not be down hearted and played some excellent rugby in a game that was far more equal than the final score suggested.

The teams are due to meet it other several more times during the season and if today’s encounter is anything to go by the dates of the other games should be ones to add to your diary as they should be worth watching.

The coaches had the final say with the award of their man of the match trophy to Joel Thompson who played a superb game throughout and just narrowly pipped Tom McCormick, Firth Lord, Ryan McClusky and Wills McCambridge to the award whilst Nathan was also very much in the coaches’ minds after a great first game - with superb defence and good running Nathan looks as he could be a real find.