Six From Six

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This was always going to be a deciding game for Bolton, as Keswick have been doing very well in the League this season. The scene was set for an enthralling encounter at The Avenue.

The conditions were not the best with rain falling throughout the match, which made the pitch quite muddy and handling the ball difficult. Bolton started very spritely and were on top for the first twenty minutes. The tackling in defence was very organised, Keswick found it difficult to cope with this pressure. The deadlock was broken in the twenty-seventh minute when Bolton had a scrum on the half way line. The ball was moved swiftly down the backs and Andy Wood made a good break, he then passed the ball to Alex Waddicar, who in turn passed to Rhys Pritchard. Rhys beat his man on the outside, Keswick full back came across to make the tackle. Rhys drew him and passed back inside for Alex Waddicar to score. Lewis Lockett added the conversion. Bolton applied even more pressure but were not able to add to their score in the remaining minutes to half-time.

Half-time score: Bolton 7 Keswick 0

At the start of the second half Bolton’s defence was dominate again. Keswick found it hard to make ground and were forced into errors. Keswick had a couple of occasions in Bolton’s twenty-two, but Bolton’s co-ordinated defence held them out. In the forty-eighth minute Keswick were awarded a penalty for off-side and it was converted. The conditions worsened as the game progressed and both sides were making handling errors. It was nail biting towards the end, but Bolton held on for a very good win.

Full time: Bolton 7 Keswick 3

It was a hard-fought match and both sides played well in the conditions. Bolton showed a lot of character during the game and it was pleasing that they won. They have now won all their six games in 2018. The Man of the Match was second row, Mark Chapplehow.