BOLTON produced a five try bonus point performance, including a suburb solo effort from Alex Waddicar to seal a convincing victory against old adversaries Tarleton. The win sees Bolton remain in second place, three points ahead of Eccles and only one point behind early leaders Hawcoat Park.

Without Coach Nick Holmes at the helm for the match, it was vital Bolton started well and thanks to a Louis Critchlow try after only eight minutes, the Cherry and Whites had a solid foothold in the game.

Tarleton were struggling to contain Bolton's fast flowing game and with the pack and three quarters all consistently crossing the gain line, it seemed only a matter of time before the Tarleton line was breached again. The forwards were once again the grateful recipients, as Man of the Match Alex Youngman burrowed over from close range after a training ground move from the lineout, Mark Doherty added the conversion and Bolton had a 12-0 lead after only sixteen minutes.

The inevitable Tarleton backlash began soon after, and only strong tackling and organisation from skipper Chris Cockton and Will Bate prevented further scores for the home side. However, following an attacking scrum, the Tarleton flanker, who was dangerous throughout, sauntered over the line to remind Bolton they wouldn't have it all their own way. This try left the score at 12-7 at half time.

During the break, Bolton realised that they had taken their foot off the gas after their two early tries and were at times, guilty of over playing in difficult conditions. The instructions to tighten up and play the percentages, which gave them their early lead were passed out and followed to perfection as winger Mike Richardson scored Bolton's third try ten minutes after the re-start. Despite the conversion being missed, Bolton's lead started to look comfortable again at 17-7.

The next twenty minutes were very tight, with Bolton's scrum dominance shining through, with Ben Stubbs and Simon Frost coming off the bench and continuing the strong work of Sam Hilton and Tony McLaughlin. It was from such a strong set price platform that Gaz Pritchard managed to score to cap off another impressive outing. Doherty converted and Bolton had secured their four try bonus point with ten minutes still to play.

To their credit, Tarleton posed a threat throughout the match and thanks to some lacklustre Bolton tackling, the Tarleton outside centre ran straight across the pitch almost untouched to score. The conversion was successful and with the score standing at 24-14, the final ten minutes were made to be more uncomfortable than they needed to be. Only a fantastic last ditch tackle form Doherty stopped Tarleton scoring again.

Continued failure to clear their lines meant that Bolton put themselves under pressure for the final minutes and only a moment of magic from Alex Waddicar gave the scoreline the gloss Bolton deserved. Waddicar's moment of inspiration came during the last play of the match, as he gained possession twenty yards from the Tarleton try line, and with a number of defenders in front of him, he delicately chipped the ball over their heads, regathered and dived over for a remarkable individual effort. Doherty converted to complete the scoring at 31-14.

Whilst being happy with the result, and there being some superb individual performances, in particular Alex Youngman who appeared to be at every breakdown, Bolton again failed to produce an eighty minute performance. This kind of complete performance will certainly be needed next week, as Bolton take on sixth place Aldwinians at Avenue Street in this season's first 2:15 kick off.