Bolton Fail to Bounce Back on the Road

Unfortunately, the performance was not enough and Bolton came away with just one point…

The game kicked off in good conditions with Bolton playing with the wind. Returning fly-half James Singleton got the game underway with a testing kick that gave the Bolton forwards something to chase. To their credit, Whitehaven retained the ball under pressure and set about making their way up field but were met with stout defence from the red and white wall in front of them. As always, Chris Mee epitomised Bolton’s defensive capabilities with his crunching tackles alongside MOM Ash Cooper. Eventually Bolton earned themselves the ball and Mike Mills stepped up from 13 to give Bolton a strong field position on the Haven 22m line.

A well drilled lineout move saw skipper Chris Cockton break the line before he was dragged down. Strong support from the back row of Cooper, Gaz Pritchard and Alex Youngman gave Mark Doherty, in at scrum half a great platform from which to feed his backline. Further infringements from the home side gave Bolton another opportunity to kick for the corner as they searched for a try scoring opportunity. Yet again the lineout functioned well and Bolton made good ground towards the whitewash. A 3rd penalty just 5m out was set for a scrum and the Bolton forwards packed down knowing what was expected. The boggy conditions did not help the scrum, so Pritchard picked from the base and drove towards the line, where he was eventually penalised for holding on giving Haven the chance to clear their lines.

Bolton continued to put pressure on the home side with Tony McLaughlin and Louis Critchlow prominent for the Cherry & Whites. However, on several occasions they relinquished possession due to knock ons and provided Haven opportunities to relieve the pressure.

The first score of the day came against the run of play when the ball was kicked over the defensive wall, hacked on and dropped on by the speedy Haven winger. The conversion as successful and Bolton stood under the posts a little aggrieved as to how they had conceded a try. They marched back to the try line with intent and yet another chaseable kick from Singleton allowed them to heap the pressure back on the home team.

A penalty was converted late on in the first half to give Haven a 10-0 lead going in to the break. Nick Holmes made just the one change with Spencer Pettitt coming on to the left wing in place of Marcus O’Donohoe.

After a talking to from their coach and captain, Bolton came out of the blocks looking like a different side. Ash Cooper lead from the front with a number of bullocking runs and hard hitting tackles to keep the ball on Bolton’s side. The backline were also functioning better with centres Alex Waddicar and Mills making the most of the front foot ball they were being provided with by Singleton.

With play just 5m out, the forwards took over and eventually broke the deadlock when Ash Cooper crashed over from close range. Mark Doherty duly converted the opportunity and Bolton were back in the game at 10-7.

Bolton maintained the pressure and forced Haven back into their own half. The lineout was working well and Bolton were slowly getting the upper hand. Shortly after, Bolton lost their captain through injury and Ben Stubbs entered the field in the slightly unfamiliar position of hooker. His strength overcame his hooking ability and he even managed to turn one scrum against the head giving Singleton the quick ball he so desperately wanted.

Once again, Bolton found themselves camped on the Haven line and the forwards eventually found their way over the whitewash with Tony McLaughlin the beneficiary. His first try in 19 league appearances this season. Doherty once again added the extras and Bolton were in the lead 10-14.

Haven, now took their turn to attack and eventually were gifted a penalty opportunity in front of the sticks which their kicker put over to take the score back to 13-14 and left it finely in the balance with the clock quickly running down.

Bolton heaped on the pressure, still eyeing up the possibility of two more tries and were unfortunate not to be awarded a 3rd when Louis Critchlow crashed over untouched. The official, who was stood on the opposite side of the previous ruck took his time coming around by which point several Haven players had flopped on top making the official rule that it had been held up. A decision that did not go down well with the travelling Bolton support. Instead, he came back for an earlier offside offence and Bolton kicked for the corner.

The lineout ran smoothly, but good disruptive work from the home pack made life difficult for the Bolton forwards who were now missing Gaz Pritchard due to a suspected concussion. The forwards took to the crash ball game that had worked for them three times before but were penalised for holding on at the ruck. Haven quickly cleared their lines and caught Bolton on the back foot. Indiscipline from Bolton gave away another penalty and they found themselves camped on their own line with the clock dangerously close to running out.

A well taken drop goal from the Haven 10 regained them the lead to the delight of the home crowd, but Bolton were not done yet. Singleton charged down the pitch ball in hand and sent the kick off into the Haven half with the majority of the home team still meandering back. Bolton quickly regained possession and earned a kickable penalty with the last play of the game. Much in the same way as at Eccles, Mark Doherty stepped up with a huge amount of pressure on his shoulders. The kick sailed unfortunately wide and the home side celebrated a win much to the dismay of the Bolton players.