Scrappy start begets a scrappy game

Match or training game? **
Difficult to write a match report about this as it resembles more a Shakespearean comedy or tragedy, it was hard to tell.
Bolton had been asked to provide as many players as possible for todays game and if we wouldn’t mind playing another mini game as Heaton has a large squad of players. We obliged by bringing 27 players to find that Heaton had sent some of their players to play elsewhere so only the standard 2 halves would be possible. The referee found broken glass on the pitch and as all the glass couldn’t be removed, he refused to play the match at the ground. So a decamp to another ground 1/2 a mile away ensued. Reaching the new pitch we then discovered that the ref had gone home, so it would be a mixture of coaches from Heaton to ref the game.
Finally the game got underway ( although the ref didn’t have a whistle for the first 15 minutes, so had to shout "stop stop stop" a lot )
Heaton scored first from a breakaway with strong running from their 13 and this put some spark into the Bolton team. Strong running from the forwards including Joe McHugh and Darren Robinson and excellent work from Brandon Booth put flanker Jordan Griffiths in for Boltons opening try.
Following on from this Bolton went through phases keeping and recycling the ball well, Jos Winstanley linking with the backs of Jimmy Holland, Dom Hardy created a scoring opportunity for Nat May but he was bundled into touch inches short of the line. Bolton kept pressuring and it was the other Bolton flanker Jake Ryan to cross the try line to take the lead.

The second half saw wholesale changes to the Bolton team and also a change of ref. Gifting Heaton easy possession and territory the Cherry and Whites make hard work of the second half. Not helped by a charge down try not given and another judged to have been held up over the line and more 50/50 decisions going the way of the home team the final score 20-10 to Heaton really didn’t reflect on the positive attitude and effort the Bolton team put into the game.

http://www.markbyrne.co.uk/bolton-u15-vs-heaton-moor