A Well-Deserved Draw

Bolton travelled to Glossop for their first encounter between the two sides for many years; previously, Bolton played in the Lancashire/ Cumbria league whilst Glossop were in the Cheshire league. It was an eagerly awaited encounter as Bolton are currently third in the league and Glossop are fourth.
Bolton played into the wind in the first half. Glossop started the game very well and from the kick-off they scored and converted the try in the third minute. Bolton hadn’t really touched the ball before Glossop were given a penalty which they converted in the tenth minute to lead 10 – 0. Bolton had made errors to start the game but all credit to Bolton, they came back in the eleventh minute to score. Slick handling by Will Bate, James Singleton put Alex Waddicar over for a try. Mike Mills added the conversion. In the thirteenth minute Glossop were awarded a penalty and they missed the conversion. Bolton were starting to get back into the game and dominated the ruck area. After some great work by the forwards, Will Bate stepped inside his opposite number and scored a very good individual try. In the thirty-eighth minute, Bolton had a scrum just inside the Glossop half. The ball was won cleanly. It was passed down the back line in text book style and this created a small gap for Josh Holmes. He kicked ahead from the touch-line towards the centre of the field and three Bolton players were in support. Rhys Pritchard gathered the ball to score.
Half-time score: Glossop 10 Bolton 17
Bolton had the wind on their backs in the second half and Glossop conceded an early penalty which Mike Mills converted. Glossop were very much on top using their big forwards to make ground into the wind. Bolton had one or two forays into the Glossop half without scoring. On two occasions Glossop intercepted the ball and ran towards the Bolton line. Superb cover tackles from Ryan McClusky and Josh Holmes saved certain tries. Bolton had a couple of attempts at goal from penalties, but they were not converted. In the seventy- sixth minute the Glossop winger made a good break down the wing beating three defenders to score. Glossop’s fly half added the conversion. Both sides were trying very hard to win the match, but good defences thwarted these various attacks.
Final score: Glossop 20 Bolton 20
The result was fair. Both sides played much better against the wind rather than with it. Considering the blustery conditions, the game was played at a fast pace and both sides showed some excellent handling skills.
Men of the Match: Gaz Pritchard and Will Bate