Bolton Mets 26 Cadishead 4 BOLTON Mets completed their most successful ever season with a comfortable victory over Cadishead.

Bolton made heavy work of the first-half despite taking the lead after 10 minutes when James Harper finished off a well worked passing move. He added the conversion himself.

Harper set up the next try, skilfully putting winger Ian Grounds through a gap to score in the corner.

A malaise then descended upon the Mets as their fluency was lost in a spate of knock-ons and missed tackles.

Full-back Pierce Sherrington pulled off a crunching try-saving tackle to deny Cadishead, but the visitors achieved the inevitable when poor defence allowed them to crash over for a try from dummy- half to leave the score 10-4 at half time.

Coaches Chris Brown and Rick Brookes then tore a strip off the players at the break, and this had the desired effect. Centre Stuart Rogers strolled over the try line soon after the restart.

Bolton played to their strengths, with evergreen forwards Ralph Sherrington, Stuart Cooke and Dave Edmundson making valuable yards and punishing the visiting defence. Grounds crossed for his second try, completing a well worked move in the corner.

John Atherton, Gary Cartwright and half-back pairing Paul Willocks and Darryl Leech tackled heroically to deny Cadishead any chance of getting back into the game.

Despite being reduced to 12 men following Leech's sin-binning, Bolton's attack was not blunted. Pierce Sherrington romped away with a long range try as Bolton managed to exploit an overlap, Harper converting his third goal of the game.

Bolton are now fifth in NW Counties Division Four, their highest ever placing.