Liverpool St Helens U14’s v Bolton U14's

Liverpool St Helens U14’s v Bolton U14's
Junior Rugby Challenge Cup
Away
Weather: Sunny , cold
Final Score LSH 32 Bolton 19
Tries: Keogh x 3
Conversions: Keogh x 2
Team:
Atherton, Sam
Chadderton, Oskar
Gillibrand, Shane
Glynn, Mark
Halliday, Cameron
Holt- Gregson, Fred
Jackson, George
Jenkinson, Tom
Keogh, Oliver
Longworth, Tom
Mallavialle, Ben
McDermott, Harry
McDowell, Sam
Waite, Levi
Webster, Peter
Whittle, Connor
Winteringham, Connor
AKA The one with the sloping pitch
Bolton took a seventeen man squad down the East Lancs Road in a fiercely contested fourth group match in the Lancashire Junior Challenge Cup away at Liverpool St Helens.
With half the back line in the treatment room, Bolton were pleased to welcome George Jackson back from injury and moved Levi Waite into the back line from number eight to make up the numbers.
Unbeaten Bolton had not conceded a single point in the cup before today, but that record was lost within the first minute when Bolton lost the ball in confusion after their own lineout. Liverpool took advantage and converted to put them 7 points ahead.
Bolton’s response came from this season’s top scorer Oliver Keogh who scored with a breakaway try before converting to level the scores. Although this should have steadied Bolton, from the kickoff, LSH put the ball into touch, giving Bolton the lineout close to their own try line. Once again, Liverpool took advantage of confusion from the lineout and scored a carbon copy of their first try to go ahead by five points.
Bolton came back almost immediately with a mazy run from Keogh again to touch down and bring the visitors level.
Once again, LSH responded immediately with a try stemming from the kickoff and a strong challenge for the caught ball resulting in them powering over.
An end to end half finished with Bolton on top, as an Oskar Chadderton drive through the centre resulted in a penalty taken quickly and that man Keogh was on hand to complete his hat trick and convert to give Bolton a narrow lead at the break.
Bolton were the stronger team in the first half and had the momentum when half time arrived. This was somehow lost during the changeover and they started the second half sluggishly. LSH scored once again from a set piece lineout to put themselves three points ahead and the next fifteen minutes was an entertaining and combative affair with big tackles going in from Fred Holt Gregson Sam Atherton and Shane Gillibrand and some efficient clearing out in the ruck from Levi Waite.
However, Bolton seemed to run out of steam and tired legs meant that despite periods of possession no further points were to come. LSH then ran in two late tries in the corner of the pitch the slope ran down to in order to deny Bolton the bonus point. This means that Bolton surrendered the top spot in the group and now have to wait until the next round in the new year to take it back.