Ashton U15 - 22 Bolton u15 - 22

The U15’s locked horns with Ashton Under Lyne in a very close encounter. The previous match at Ashton was a heavy defeat for Bolton and the team were determined to put that right. Starting the day with 13 players out injured the Cherry and Whites played with pace and commitment.
From the kick off Bolton and Ashton’s packs were evenly matched with some crunching tackles being made, a missed Ashton pass saw Jimmy Holland pounced on a loose ball and race over for the first try.
The pace was high and Ashton started to use their big back row runners to make life difficult for Bolton. Conceding too many penalties and eventually Ashton scored. From the restart Bolton kept possession well and using the electric pace of Joe Brooks scored twice in quick succession.
Ashton kept battering away at Bolton and came back with two tries of there own. The second half saw the pace still as electric as the first but the penalty count started to count against Bolton.
Bolton started to find some continuity and good ball retention,good pressure nearly saw Jos Winstanley over in the corner, from the resulting scrum Ashtons number 9 sliced a kick and Bolton regained possession deep in the opposition 22. Quick ball from the ruck stretched the Ashton defense and forward Harry Round crashed over for another try.
From this point the Cherry and Whites should have been home and dry, but Ashton kept battering away at Bolton and aided by more soft penalties, eventually scored again. At the final whistle Bolton celebrated a narrow victory but controversially the referee score card showed the match ending in a draw. 22-22. Great match and many a debate around the table regarding the winning conversion that wasn’t.