Still Unbeaten At Home In The League

Despite the continuous rain over the past week, Bolton entertained Tarleton at The Avenue last Saturday. The pitches were soft but playable because of all the hard work done by Ian Hart and his ground staff.
The game started with Bolton putting Tarleton under pressure in both the scrums and the lineouts. Tarleton ran the ball very well, but good defence kept them at bay. In the seventeenth minute, Jack Robinson scampered in for a try around the side of the ruck. He also added the conversion. Tarleton camped on Bolton’s line for about four minutes and a great defence by Bolton denied them a try. Bolton came back and were awarded a penalty in front of the posts for off-side and Jack Robinson kicked the penalty.
Half time score: Bolton 10 Tarleton 0
In the second half, Bolton had the wind on their backs, which helped them to gain territory. They were again dominant in the scrums and great throwing in by Niall Murphy enabled Ben Cottam to ‘soar like a salmon’ to secure Bolton’s ball. In the forty-fourth minute, Paul Leigh drove over for a try from a line out. When Bolton kicked, Tarleton effectively ran the ball back through their fullback, but lack of support from his players lead to a gain for Bolton. Tarleton tried hard to puncture Bolton’s defence and had some time in Bolton’s twenty-two, but great defence kept their score tally to nil. In the seventy-sixth minute, Bolton had a lineout just inside Tarleton’s twenty-two. The ball was caught, Bolton formed a driving maul and drove towards Tarleton’s line with an eventual score by captain Niall Murphy.
Final Score: Bolton 22 Tarleton 0
Bolton played much better this week, and everyone worked hard in both attack and defence to secure this win before the Christmas break. Tarleton played their part in the game by trying to play running rugby. Rory Biggins came on as a ‘Finisher’ at half-time, and as usual played his heart out. This was his last game for the club, having played since being in the Junior Section. He leaves us with some great memories. We wish him well as he begins a new chapter of life in rainy Wellington, New Zealand. As they say in Maori: Haere Haere me te pai to wa kei roto i te rohe pai o te rangi.

Man of the Match: Kyle Anderson