Bare 14, not bad at all...

Bolton 24 Glossop 45

Bolton had to travel to Manchester University’s Sports Complex to play Glossop because Glossop’s ground was unfit; both sides had to settle to play on a 4G surface. Glossop had won the corresponding match at The Avenue the previous week, so we're very firm favourites to win this next encounter.

Bolton started the game with fourteen men due to two late cry-offs in the morning. Glossop took the advantage and scored two tries within the first seven minutes. Bolton was up to full strength after these two tries and started to put Glossop under some pressure in the scrums. In the sixteenth minute, Glossop scored their third try of the afternoon. Bolton was playing well both in attack and defence and was awarded a five-metre scrum in the twentieth minute. Bolton drove the Glossop pack backwards; Niall Murphy, starting at No 8, picked up the ball and went over to score. Rhys Pritchard added the conversion. In the twenty-seventh minute, Glossop had a scrum near their ten-metre line, the ball was passed to their flyhalf who passed it down the line only for Kieran Shacklock to make a brilliant interception and run twenty-five metres to score. Rhys Pritchard added the conversion. The final score of the first half went to Glossop when their centre crashed through to score.

Half-time score: Bolton 14 Glossop 24

The second half started with Bolton having only fourteen men as a result of a yellow card. During this ten- minute period Bolton was very much on top. In the fiftieth minute, a good run by Will Bate saw Niall Murphy score his second try of the afternoon and Rhys Pritchard added the conversion. Glossop at this stage was leading by three points. An injury to Chris Lane meant that Bolton went down to fourteen players again for the last twenty minutes. In a space of ten minutes, Bolton conceded three tries. The last five minutes of the half saw Bolton putting tremendous pressure on Glossop’s try-line. The referee gave two yellow cards in this period to Glossop and Niall Murphy almost got his hat-trick but he was held up over the line.

Final Score: Bolton 21 Glossop 45

Bolton’s team should be very proud of the effort they produced on the field. The defence and the attacking play were effective. Glossop played well and their big, hard running forwards created space for their backs. Our thanks must go to Glossop for delaying the kick-off time so one of Bolton’s players could get to the ground. If Bolton takes this kind of ‘form’ into their next match, then they are sure to succeed.

Men of the Match: All the team!!!