BOLTON built on last week’s impressive victory over Tarleton to overcome a long-running hoodoo with a first run at Birchfield in a fiercely competitive, often ill-disciplined contest featuring six yellow cards and one red.
Technically excellent at set pieces and providing great continuity around the park, Bolton played at a fast pace and with great skills throughout the team, contrasting with the home side’s physical approach.
The backs produced some of their best attacking play of the season and their reward was to post the only tries of the game from man-of-the-match Aspinal and John Keech, who started in the forwards for the first time in his career.
And with the assistance of defensive coach Alex Youngman, they again showed a mean streak by conceding just a single penalty.
Bolton even went down to 13 men at one point during the game with the sin-binning of second row Stryker and back-row terrier Brogan, but Birchfield also handicapped themselves with their ill-discipline.
Playing with rhythm and showing significant signs of improvement, Bolton lie fifth in the table going into Saturday’s home game against Hawcoat Park.
The Seconds produced a solid team effort to beat Fylde fourth 51-0.
There were stand-out performances by scrum half Singleton, the returning Lloyd Green, who scored two of the tries and try-scoring forward Alan Catterall, who claimed a hat-trick.
Other tries were scored by Joe Smith, Tom Lee, Stu Evans, and Dave O’Byrne.
The margin of the third team’s 53-0 defeat at Vale of Lune did not reflect the effort of the Bolton players while, back at Avenue Street, the fourth team beat Preston Grasshoppers 11-5.
A try from JP Hardman and two penalties from Simon Clarke settled the game in Bolton’s favour after impressive performances by J Patel and Charlie Walton.
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