LOSTOCK put up a spirited performance to bounce back from their defeat to Thornton and Cleveleys with a hard-fought victory over Preston Grasshoppers, although they had their nerves tested in a grandstand finish.

Leading by six points with five minutes to play, they gave away a penalty and needed a magnificent tackle by hat-trick hero Lee Worgan to deny the visitors what would have been the match-winning try.

Forced to make a number of personnel changes, Lostock started the game brightly and raced into a 6-0 lead with two Stuart Paul penalties.

Preston came to life and the game developed into a scrap between the packs.

Pressure told on the Lostock defence as the visitors forced their way over for a try to take the lead. But the Bolton side came back strongly, retaking the lead through another Paul penalty before Worgan scored the first of his three impressive tries with a wonderful 60 metre solo run.

Preston grabbed a lifeline when they cashed in on some indiscipline to land two penalties – the second of which saw Lostock’s Jason Cheetham sin-binned.

Down to 14 men at the start of the second half, Lostock’s 14-11 interval lead was soon pegged back and Grasshoppers stormed into a six-point lead.

The pendulum swung again, however, when Lostock won a scrum against the head and strong running from Cheetham and John Stryker paved the way for Worgan to cross for his second try.

Still trailing going ino the last 10 minutes Cheetham and Stryker were again involved, creating the opening for Shaun Worrall to send Worgan over to complete his hat-trick. With Paul converting, Lostock led 26-20 but there was still more drama to come before victory was assured.

Lostock are always looking for new players, experienced or not, to bolster their squad. Anyone interested should contact John Stryker on 07815143988 or visit the website lostockrugbyclub@live.co.uk for more information.