FIFTEEN points from the boot of fly-half Guy Lovegreen, including a dramatic penalty with the last kick of the match, earned Bolton RUFC a memorable draw away in Widnes in North Lancashire Division One.

The game was tight throughout, with neither try line being threatened in what became a battle of the set-pieces and breakdowns.

The Cherry and Whites competed well throughout, but were unable to move the ball quickly against the home side’s aggressive defence.

The only break of any note came from scrum-half Danny Ryder, who sniped around the fringes of a ruck, but, after making the initial break, did not have the support to score.

But, even when things were not going Bolton’s way, they continued to battle and always had the belief that they could win the match.

As it was, the visitors had to rely on the heroics of Lovegreen, who showed immense character under pressure to gain a well-deserved point. Bolton’s next match is at home against Ashton-under-Lyne, which will be another stern test in what is proving to be a very tight and competitive league campaign.

The second team went down 9-0 at home to second-placed Littleborough in a fixture which always seems to be a close encounter.

Bolton started brightly with good solid platforms being set up by their forwards, in particular Matt Parrish and Dave Evans, who made ground from what seemed like unlikely chances in a scoreless first half.

The second half started in a similar vein, with both teams exchanging territory but neither taking advantage of the others’ mistakes.

However, as the game progressed, Bolton’s grip started to slip and they began giving too much ball, possession and penalties away.

Littleborough took their chance and converted two attempts at goal to take a 6-0 lead.

Bolton tried to penetrate the visitors’ solid defence through good runs, with Peter Hackin, captain Ash Cooper and Phil Cathy-Caswell all making good yards from clean, quick ball. But they were guilty of wasting too many chances in attack and, combined with poor decision making and lack of discipline, it cost them a match which was there for the taking.

Bolton thirds were looking forward to their first home game for some weeks and were rewarded with a 10-7 victory against high-flying Wigan in a match which had to be ended with around 10 minutes left as tempers threatened to boil over.

Bolton were boosted by players promoted from the fourth team, who were without a game at the weekend, and their presence proved a welcome addition with several sterling performances.

Right from the word go, the home side knew this was going to be a tough game due to the hard-running nature of their opponents.

Bolton adopted a similar style of play as both teams cancelled each other out, especially as the hosts’ defence held solid beating back wave after wave of Wigan attack.

The visitors drew first blood when the Wigan captain, and number eight, chose a perfect running line off the scrum half and found his way through the Bolton defence to score a try. The conversion then brought a further two points.

The game after this developed into a stalemate with neither team being able to push that final yard to get over the line.

But, after a Wigan infringement led to a penalty which Simon Taylor put into the corner for a line out, Bolton won the resulting ball and opted to maul, a tactic which has long been successful for the team.

The whole Bolton pack used every ounce of strength they could summon to get to the line, with the ball eventually being put to the back of the maul and gratefully received by prop Sean Crimmins, who gave it the extra drive that was necessary and placed the ball down for a try. The conversion was missed. After half time, Bolton’s scrum half was replaced because of a long-standing hand injury, disrupting their flow against a Wigan team who have been regularly putting 50-plus points on teams this season.

Frustrations boiled over several times in a few minor, and not so minor, scuffles, which by the end of the game led to the referee handing out two red cards and one yellow.

Bolton then went on the attack, with number eight Jimmy Ramsell crashing over the line for a well-deserved try which the Wigan players thought had been held up, but the referee’s decision was upheld to enable Bolton to take a 10-7 lead.

The Wigan players, still aggrieved at the try being awarded, lost their heads collectively and argued with the referee further. Feeling the game would only escalate into further violence if it were to continue, the referee blew up with around 10 minutes left.