Bolton RUFC Under 18s 15 v 8 Sedgley Park Under 18s

Over the years as Juniors Bolton RUFC Under 18s can count previous victories against near neighbours Sedgley Park on just a single finger so it was tremendous to double that tally in what is likely our final meeting.
Building on the superb second half performance the previous week Bolton came out “on fire” and fast hands and straight running gave Charlie Hardern a gap and he powered through the final tackle to score wide out in the home team’s first attack. The angle was against Tom Hill but 5-0 in under 2 minutes was just the start the team had hoped for.
Again the power runners in the Bolton forwards set the tone but it was Captain Josh Holmes who doubled the advantage out wide in the 6th minute. Tom was just off target; 10-0.

The Sedgley backs were constantly hunting interceptions and two brought them back into the game and gave them some field position, however, Bolton defended stoutly but unfortunately Adam Kazmi had to leave the field injured after corralling one break. This led to a major reorganisation in the Bolton Eight with Jordan Ashton making a return to front row play after many years in the back row and Harry Kay introducing his power to the pack and allowing George Weston to drop back to the 2nd row but take over the throwing in duties.

Bolton’s speed of play and desire was giving them the advantage and Charlie Aylett, Mason Lockley, Ryan McClusky and Chris Brownlow made some busting runs. One such almost resulted in a third try as the final pass was just forward to Joey Gore out on the left flank.
Bolton seemed to have a slight advantage but Top Spot Sedgley hadn’t recorded a 100% record this season for nothing and they never let the home outfit have too much room and their umbrella defence in the backs had the effect of centralising the play. A series of good runs and supporting play saw the away side deep in the Bolton 22 and resulted in a penalty for a high tackle by Tom Hill. Tom broke his nose in the tackle and as he left the field Sedgley were much more alert and crashed over out wide to make the score at the half 10-5 to Bolton.
The Bolton coaches made some adjustments and gave some sage advice at half time and it definitely worked as Charlie Hardern repeated his first two minutes and scored another try built of quick hands by his centres Joe Partington and Josh Holmes and his own blistering pace. The cover forced Charlie away from the posts and this was to prove decisive as the conversion was made far harder and Chris Brownlow could not convert but Bolton had a 15-5 lead.
James Sykes was running some lovely supporting lines on the left flank but Bolton couldn’t quite execute the final pass to send him through. On the other wing it was great to welcome Elliot Williams back to the team after a layoff due to illness. Elliot rang very strongly but just couldn’t get the last step into green space. This was repeated in the forward pack where Sedgley Park tackled well and Bolton’s runner couldn’t quite make the final step.

Bolton’s close work had carried on from last week’s visit to the Wyre Valley and they competed for everything with George Weston and George Carbery to the fore. Joe Partington tackled and ran strongly at 12 and Harry Stocks and Joe Speakman looked dangerous and composed at Scrum Half and Stand Off respectively. Both half backs bring so much to the team and the timing of their passes and astute kicks were a joy to watch as Bolton made good strides up the field.
Again Sedgley never backed down and as the clock started to tick down it was they who were on the offensive and looking to peg back the Bolton lead. For the last 10 or 15 minutes the visitors hammered away at the Bolton line but their attacks were repulsed. Joe Partington and Josh Holmes were Tigers in defence and Joey Gore may have been giving away several Kg to his opposite number who seemed to be the visitors “go to” runner but he pegged him back every time he received the ball as had James Sykes previously. Conner Orrell and George Carbery also stepped up with a “you will not pass” mentality that was echoed by the whole team.

With just a couple of minutes on the clock Sedgley were awarded a penalty inside the home 22 and they calmly slotted the goal to bring them back to within a score 15-8. Both teams contested the final minutes fiercely but there was no more score. Bolton won 15-8, a well-deserved victory against a powerful side, however, that final penalty may be significant as Sedgley Park have the advantage in the head to head between the two teams should they end the season on equal points. There is a long way yet and we are sure there will be many ups and downs for all the teams in the league before the end of the season and many more tough encounters to enjoy.
Charlie Hardern deserves the plaudits from today’s game though the other 18 Bolton players ran him close. Thanks also to JP Hardman and Mark Doherty for their excellent coaching and Jonathan Hill and Gareth Stocks for building the skills and belief in the Bolton lads.