Bolton 9 De La Salle 30

BOLTON ran out of steam in the last 10 minutes against their Salford opponents, conceding two late tries to give the scoreline an unbalanced look.

The home side were always in the match through the boot of John Hodgekinson, but individual errors and missed tackles allowed De La Salle to get a foothold in the match.

It has been a familiar formula for Bolton this season, who appear to play well in patches, but do not convert their possession and territory into points. The Cherry and Whites were still in the game at half time though at 16-9.

The score remained the same until 10 minutes from time, when a gruelling match eventually took its toll on Bolton, who succumbed to De La Salle’s power and aggressive running.

With some winnable games coming up, Bolton can take pride in their performance against a team well known for its intimidating tactics.

Manchester U17s 36 Bolton U17s 0

BOLTON crashed out of the Lancashire County Cup away against an impressive Manchester side.

The home side’s superior power and physicality showed straight from the kick-off, with their big ball carriers punching holes in the Bolton defensive line.

Three early tries inevitably followed, but to their credit, Bolton responded well with captain Bobby Bolton and Andy Crimmins coming to the fore in the game.

One further try followed for the hosts, but Bolton were now very much playing their part in the match, with their front row of Gaskell, Hughes and Hampson performing admirably in the scrums, winning their own ball comfortably and turning over Manchester ball. With the score 22-0 at half time, Bolton could have been forgiven if they had rolled over, but they controlled proceedings in the second period with Rhys Pritchard running well at the Manchester midfield, and Stuart Evans producing a string of huge tackles.

Bolton certainly deserved a try, but the host’s defence withstood everything Bolton threw at it, and Manchester scored two further breakaway tries against the run of play.

With two league games left, Bolton will be looking to finish on a winning note, starting against Rochdale next week.

Bolton U11s 0 Tyldesley U11s 30

Despite several regulars missing due to illness and injury, the under-11s put in a performance full of character against a large and well-drilled Tyldesley outfit.