Eccles U15s vs Bolton U15s

6 January 2019

Eccles U15’s v Bolton U15’s
Away

Weather: Mild

Final Score Eccles 21 Bolton 10

Tries: Hodson, McDermott
Conversions: None

Team:
Atherton, Sam
Davies, Luke
Glynn, Mark
Griffiths, Blake
Hodson, Leon
Holt-Gregson, Fred
Jenkinson, Tom
Keogh Oliver ,
Malevialle Benjamin
McDermott, Harry
Moore, Josh
Price Ben
Singleton, Logan
Webster, Peter

AKA The one where Derek lost his boots.

Ahead of next week’s challenge cup match Bolton U15’s warmed up with a narrow defeat in a friendly at higher league Eccles.

Having been dispatched by Eccles in short order last year, Bolton restarted their season after the seasonal break with only 14 players available for selection. However , a measure of how far this team has progressed was that they not only kept Eccles in check but that for long periods of the match they were the better side and a win would not have been an unfair result.

In a makeshift team sheet Fred Holt Gregson impressed filling in at scrum half and Peter Webster went to flanker while Blake Griffiths moved to the front row. The backs were almost at full strength with the powerful pairing of Sam Atherton and Josh Moore on the wings.

Soon after kick off, Bolton showed the Eccles defence that their back line meant business with a strong opening attack, only for the Eccles full back to pick up a loose ball and find the space for a long solo run before opening the scoring. Far from being disheartened, Bolton dug deep and not only held Eccles at bay, but had an opportunity to score when Holt-Gregson had the ball knocked from his grasp on the try line with the last play of the half.

The scoreline began to better reflect the performances early in the second half when captain Ben Price sidestepped two tackles to lay off to Harry McDermott running a great line to dive over and reduce the deficit. Three minutes later, Bolton took the lead when Mark Glynn caught a high ball and laid it off to Leon Hodson who ran three quarters of the pitch to score in the left hand corner.

Bolton looked on course to cause an upset, but Eccles’s blushes were spared with two late tries, one a carbon copy of the first try from the Eccles full back and the last a lucky interception.

In the end , a defeat by two tries to three was the result on paper but Bolton will take heart from this spirited showing against a quality opposition and will renter the cup competition next Sunday against Sedgley Park with confidence on a high.

Final score Eccles 21 Bolton 10