Bolton U18s only just beaten by Wilmslow in their first match of the season

Bolton U18s only just beaten by Wilmslow in their first match of the season

Wilmslow were a team Bolton hadn’t played before having been 2 leagues below them last year, but having been promoted after winning their league last year, Bolton have some tough matches ahead of them. Wilmslow arrived clearly expecting an easy win, and early on it was clear that their number 10 had a fantastic kick which he used to full advantage gaining ground quickly. However, strong defence from Bolton saw Wilmslow pushed back time after time, with some crunching tackles by Will Hinchcliffe, before one of these left him injured, and another long kick from their 10 saw Wilmslow secure a try, which he also converted leaving the score at 0-7 to Wilmslow.
From the kick off Bolton were clearly determined to fight back, and a great pass from David Price to Adam Hackin who threw the ball to George Lilleywhite caused Wilmslow to concede a penalty. David Price kicked the ball down the line. Bolton won a penalty from the line-out, Jamie Currie took a quick tap and drove over with three defenders on his back to score. David Price’s kick was unlucky to hit the post, and the score was 5-7.
A punch thrown by a Wilmslow forward in the scrum was seen by the referee and the player was yellow carded. The rest of the first half remained an incredibly close contest, with a great run by Tom Evans, incredible defence from Sam Smith at full back and Bolton beginning to play the ball out wide more often.

The second half saw an early infringement by Bolton give Wilmslow the chance for a penalty kick, and their talented number 10 once again made his mark, kicking the ball well and making the score 5-10 to Wilmslow. However, a scything run by Adam Hackin put the pressure immediately back on Wilmslow causing them to concede a penalty and David Price stepped up and scored for Bolton – 8-10!
The next 5 minutes saw some excellent work from the Bolton pack, with Jonny Wallis driving the ball forward, and Paddy Uzoka making some fantastic runs (and tackles too!). They forced yet more errors to be made by Wilmslow, who once again lost a player to a yellow card. New player Matty Baum and Matthew Chowdhury charged down the field after a long kick enabling Bolton to win the ball. The pack continued to make ground, with repeated drives near the Wilmslow line until the ball was slipped out to Kieran Donnelly , another debutant, who forced himself over for the try and the score was now 13-10 to Bolton!
The kick off saw the ball secured by Bolton and Harvey Banks, Matthew Chowdhury and Callum Naylor kept driving the ball forward. Unfortunately, Wilmslow then stole the ball back, and it was Bolton who conceded a penalty which Wilmslow kicked, the score was now 13-13. Wilmslow were quick to attack and in just a couple of minutes had scored a try as well, ahead once more with the score 13-18.

A third Wilmslow player was yellow carded for persistant off-side. Tom Heatherington and Patrick Hargreaves were tireless in defence, and their tenacity and determination saw Bolton once again win the ball back and gain ground. Adam Hackin, Jamie Currie, Paddy Uzoka, Callum Naylor and Jonny Wallis were tireless in their attack, with Harvey Banks driving forward time and again. Paddy Uzoka was held up very close to the line – a frustrating moment for Bolton. However, although the ball was soon down the opposite end of the field, they kept their heads, and a great run by Jamie Currie was continued by the forwards including a determined effort from Callum Naylor until David Price drove through for Bolton 3rd try, and the score was once again level, 18-18.

Bolton kept defending hard, but an unlucky penalty against them two minutes from the end of the game saw Wilmslow depend on their number 10’s boot once more, he scored to leave the final score at 18-21 to Wilmslow. A fantastic match, and the referee commented that he was very impressed at the standard of play.