BOLTON Under-17s were in seventh heaven after their impressive form continued this season with a 24-7 against Knutsford.

Knutsford started strongly but Bolton quickly responded and after a line-out the ball went to David Price who dodged a couple of tackles down the blindside and then the ball was offloaded to Matthew Bateman who ran in unopposed from 30 metres,for the first try of the game.

Despite the tight angle, Price made a fantastic conversion making the score 7-0 after 10 minutes.

The next 15 minutes saw possession change hands a number of times, handling was difficult and several scrums ensued.

Then a penalty against Knutsford saw Price send a magnificent kick downfield, with the ball bouncing out of play near the Knutsford 5m line.

The Bolton line-out which followed led to a maul and Harvey Banks broke free getting close to the line.

A penalty against Bolton saw the ball back in Bolton’s half, but some great driving play by Jonny Wallis, who then passed the ball to Adam Hackin who touched down to make the score 12-0.

Matthew Bateman was unlucky not to score another try, but the referee called him back for a forward pass.

Early in the second half, Knutsford took advantage of some weak tackling by Bolton and scored under the posts, converting the try and making the score 12-7. This was a crucial period for Bolton, but the Cherry and Whites did not let their heads drop, and they came back even stronger.

A penalty against Knutsford enabled David Price to make another superb kick, taking them down to the 10 metre line.

A line-out there saw Paddy Hargreaves make a great run, but the ball then went into touch, leading to another line-out.

The ball was won by Bolton and some great rucking work saw the ball in Jonny Wallis’s hands, and with great strength and determination he ran for the line, handing off the opposition to crash over.

Every lad played an important role today, and after some crucial tackling and work in the scrums, Ciaran Bach and Seth Fairclough came off and Ross Denvir and Morgan Skeels-Caldwell came on.

They ensured the Bolton scrum continued to be almost unbeatable, and defended well, as Knutsford never let up at any stage, and were continually dangerous. This was never more so than two minutes later, when the Knutsford winger who had some real pace, went charging down the left wing and was only stopped by a try-saving tackle from Sam Smith, who was outstanding throughout the match.

Another penalty enabled David Price to again gain further ground – his kicks were tremendous throughout the match.

The line-out was won cleanly by Will Hinchcliffe and a perfect maul drove unstoppably onwards to the Knutsford line.

The ball was delivered quickly to Harvey at the back of the maul and as it crossed the line he dropped to the ground.

Price added the conversion, and the whistle blew soon after with the score at 24-7.

A spokesman for the team said: "It was a well-fought match, and the referee praised the behaviour and attitude of the lads.

"Seven wins from seven matches is something to be very proud of, the U17s team demonstrate what genuine, good, hard teamwork and a positive attitude can achieve."