A SUPERB first-half performance saw Bolton storm to a 38-17 victory in their last home match of the league season.

Hosting Wigton – the last side to beat them, in early December – the Cherry and Whites racked up 26 unanswered points by half time to virtually secure victory with 40 minutes to go, as well as banking what could be a vital bonus point.

Scrum-half Jack Robinson touched down twice in the first half with tries also coming from winger Danny Joseph and Joe Speakman, playing at full-back.

Speakman’s second try, and one for fly-half James Singleton, took the scoreline to 38-0 before Wigton showed some spirit to grab three late tries.

And no one was more impressed by Bolton than Wigton head coach Mark Lee, who had used their weekend off seven days earlier to watch their hosts beat fellow Cumbrian side Aspatria.

“It was interesting to hear the Wigton coach, who saw the Spats game, say how much better he thought we played this week,” said Bolton coach Dave Crouch. “We had lost to Wigton in December, our last defeat, so we knew they are a good team and they did show that but we played really well.

“Joe [Speakman] was especially good, he went off to Australia a while ago and when he came back he had to work his way back into the team.

“On Saturday he scored two tries and kicked four conversions and it was one of the best games he’s had for us.

“Joe, Josh Holmes and Ryan McClusky are all playing well, I’m really pleased with their progress from playing in the Colts side.

“We were clinical on Saturday, we got the ball out wide quickly and our defence was good, which it usually is.

“It was a hard game but the officials were very good and there was no aggravation. It was our last home game of the season and our former players’ lunch so there was a big crowd watching. I think people are now starting to see what we are trying to achieve, how good our defending is and how good we can be with the ball when we get it wide.

“That’s 13 wins in a row since we lost to Wigton, there are still bits of our game we need to do better – we were probably at 85 to 90 per cent on Saturday – but we’ll keep trying to improve.

“We have to because, after 13 wins in a row, other teams really want to be the ones to end our run.”

With two weeks to go in the North Lancs/Cumbria season Crouch’s men are hanging on to De La Salle’s coat-tails, trailing the leaders by four points.

Third-placed Aspatria are three points behind Bolton but have a game in hand, meaning they have to aim for 10 points from the final two matches and hope Aspatria slip up so they secure a promotion play-off place against the runners-up in the South Lancs/Cheshire division.

“We knew we had to get five points if we are to have a chance of catching De La Salle,” added Crouch. “I don’t really see them dropping enough points for us to catch them but if they do we have to make sure we done our part and give ourselves a chance.

“We’ll have to do it at Tarleton this Saturday without three of our key players, Rhys and Gaz Pritchard, who both have shoulder injuries, and Alex Waddicor, who took a really heavy blow to the ribs.

“We have players ready to come in though, Ben Cottam is back after injury so while we’re not overly concerned about the injuries we know we still have to perform.”