Bolton win muddy encounter

There we were treated to a waterlogged pitch, with driving rain, hail, sleet and freezing temperatures.  Definitely a day to be a substitute.

Colne started strongly with a break from their scrum-half which split the Bolton defence wide open, but the dependable centre pairing of Jack Dickinson and Gaz Flounders soon halted their progress. As Bolton settled, their busy pack soon turned the ball over and progressed upfield toward the Colne 22.  Ian Mcauley made the break and then jinked his way over the line to open the scoring.  Captain Howie added the conversion.  From the restart Bolton again pushed down the field and camped just outside the opposition 22.  Scrum half for the day, Mick Sambrook, making yet another comeback, saw his chance as the ball rolled out from the back of a set piece, and sprinted for the line, narrowly beating a prop to score.  This exertion was to prove his undoing as soon after he began looking at the substitute bench for a replacement.  The subs, wrapped up in their waterproofs, failed to notice.  Further tries followed for centres Dickinson and Flounders to make the half-time score a healthy 26 - 0.

The second half saw the introduction of Andrew "this is my first game in 13 years, aren't these shirts tight" Rimmer. And the removal of the once again, broken, Sambrook.   Only then did Bolton realise what a difference playing into the wind was making to the game as they found themselves pinned back in their own 22.  A powerful run by the Colne number 8 at short range took him over the line to give the home team a glimmer of hope.  But Bolton responded in the best way possible by driving the ball back up the pitch to take play all the way to the Colne line.  Stand in winger, James Gisborn, relegated from his normal front row position took the short pop ball to power over the whitewash to touch down.  Shortly after, Flounders added his second of the day.  Colne added a further try for the home side shortly before the end of the game. 

Colne 2nds 12 - Bolton 4ths 36