Not the prettiest of wins – but still the 8th win in a row for the undefeated U17s!

A cold day saw Bolton’s opposition, Eccles, arrive without a full squad, so Bolton did the right thing and lent some players to even things out. The kick off saw Eccles win the ball, but a massive tackle by Adam Hackin and some great supporting play saw the ball back in Bolton’s hands. There was a great pass by Hackin to Matthew Bateman who was unfortunately driven into touch. The next 10 minutes saw mistakes being made by both teams, and there were 5 scrums and 4 lineouts during this time, as the advantage moved from Eccles to Bolton back to Eccles. At last a penalty by Eccles saw David Price do a superb kick which took Bolton well into Eccles’ half. The line-out was won by Will Hinchcliffe and swiftly passed out to Seth Fairclough who drove over the line for the first try of the match. David Price converted it with ease and the score was 7-0 to Bolton. From the kick off Harvey Banks did a tremendous drive, but a scrum soon after saw Harvey take a bad knock.

Eccles won the ball, but during play Ciaran Bach won the ball from his opposition in a determined and fine style – Ciaran’s play was strong throughout the match. Eccles had a couple of periods when they were passing the ball well, but Tom Evans was incredibly consistent in his tackling and stopped Eccles in their tracks on more than one occasion. On the wing George Lilleywhite also defended well, putting in some tackles which clearly unnerved Eccles. The last 10 minutes of the half were a bit scrappy, and Paddy Hargreaves’ skills as captain were called on several times, as he kept the team focussed and strong, but the first half ended with Bolton in front.

The second half saw Eccles put in some more crunching tackles on Harvey Banks, whose efforts in the front row had been a crucial part of Bolton’s strength. His shoulder, already weak from the first half, became too bad and he had to leave the field, to a resounding round of applause from players and spectators alike. David Price’s kicking continued to be incredibly consistent, gaining Bolton some good ground. Will Hinchcliffe was excellent in the line-outs, and won the ball often even when Eccles had the throw in. George Lilleywhite and Matthew Bateman put in some good runs, and then eventually Bolton’s hard work paid off as a pass to Adam Hackin saw him drive over the line, and the score was 12-0. Unfortunately injuries meant that the scrums were now uncontested, which benefited Eccles more. A scrum close to the 5 yard try saw Eccles drive over for the try, and the score was 12-5.

The last 10 minutes were not the most enjoyable to watch, but Bolton managed to hold firm, and the game ended with an 8th win in a row for Bolton with the score 12 Bolton, 5 Eccles. Special thanks must go to Ross Denvir, Eddie Southcombe, Callum Naylor and Tom Evans who spent time playing for Eccles and kept the match a very competitive one.

Bolton R.U.F.C.

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