Bolton got off to a poor start, gifting Hindley field position, but the Mets defence held firm. As some simple handling errors gave the visitors more possession, the first try of the day came out wide when Hindley spread the ball wide through seven pairs of hands. This was quickly followed by a second try when the big Prop found a gap and raced over to score. This gave Hindley a 10-0 lead.

The Mets finally found their feet and after some strong driving forward by Lee Bennett, Neil Walsh and debutant John Stryker, Hooker Adam Ryan dived over from close range to score. Paul Ashton’s conversion fell just short as it held up in the wind.

The next try saw Captain Mark Dorning roll back the years as he ran and jinxed his way through the Hindley defence to score a great try. Again Paul Ashton’s conversion couldn’t fight its way over against the strong breeze. The gap was now closed to just 2 points at 10-8 to the away side.

Hindley couldn’t find their way through the centre of the Mets defence but they managed to spread the ball wide again to go over in the corner just before half time.

At half time, the Mets regrouped and made some tactical changes. However this worked for only a short while until a well executed cross field kick was claimed by the opposition Centre to score. It was a piece of skill that Bolton couldn’t really do anything about.

The tide had to turn at some point, and with Stand Off Ste Hickey directing the play, he sent Second Row Ross McMahon through with a delicate short pass and he sprinted his way to the line. With Paul Ashton off the field, Winger Jordan Yates stepped up to kick the conversion from in front of the sticks.

With the Mets threatening to score at every opportunity, Hindley were awarded a penalty directly in front, and they opted to take the two points. They followed this up with another try out wide after a breakaway down field and the Mets defence just couldn’t scramble quickly enough. The Hindley kicker was only successful with 2 out of 6 conversions and this made the final score 24-14.

Adam Ryan was awarded the Man of the Match award by the opposition, with Ross McMahon and Lee Bennett 2nd and 3rd respectively.

The next game for Bolton Mets will be on Saturday 12th May, when local rivals Bury Broncos come to New House Farm, 2.30pm KO. We’d love to get as many fans on the sidelines as possible for the local derby. Please come down and show us your support.

Bolton are still looking for a Head Coach to lead them into the new season and also a first aider for match days. If you’re interested in either position, then please get in touch with Chairman Glenn Jones on 07795 007116.