TRAFFORD MV battled hard but lost out 22-17 on home soil to Bolton in the North Lancs/Cumbria Division at the weekend.

Both sides opened strongly with MV pressurising deep in the Bolton 22.

A high kick was fielded by MV's captain Andy Quigley who slipped an early ball to supporting Danny Burke.

He thwarted the oncoming rush defence with a neatly threaded ball to Gaz Bevan, who scythed through the remaining defence from near the halfway line.

Bolton's pack brought them back into the game with increased effort and a good driving maul saw them power over from close range.

At this point in the game the visitors were getting the upper hand thanks to their forwards and they forced another score despite a great defensive effort, particularly from John Gillam, who put in three try-saving tackles before the defence finally cracked.

Never out of it, MV kept probing and with good linkage between the half-backs some good interplay saw MV's player coach Stuart Crampton use excellent footwork to beat loose defence and cross the line.

Shortly before half time, Bolton were able to work the ball out wide on the left for a good attack in open spaces which brought their third try to give them a 17-10 lead at the break.

In the early stages of the second half, MV looked the better side with good forward momentum from the pack combined with decent handling and running from the back line causing Bolton to defend desperately.

MV were looking to get the ball to wide runner Jamie Kingdon, who took a good inside ball, breaking to the line only to be tackled by the full-back.

MV brought on the pacy Zac Crabb for Dominic West and this extra zip brought a further threat to the Bolton defence. Again a poor kick out of defence was fielded well by Crabb whose mazy run beat three defenders before releasing Kingdon who scored after committing the full-back in a two-on-one situation, Pat Eccles converting to level things at 17-17.

With the game on a knife edge and both teams seeking the points things got a little heated.

MV were looking strong but as they pressed strongly an unexpected loose ball was collected by Bolton and it was moved quickly to their right winger who raced the length of the field down the touchline to score.

The resulting conversion attempt was missed but the try was enough to secure a bonus point for Bolton.

Despite the defeat, MV continue to see huge positives with good games from the forwards, especially Gaz Bevan and Danny Burke and from prop Jack Gobbet for his solid defence.

The MV backs also showed some positive performances with newcomer John Gillam, Sale Grammar teacher Stuart Crampton and man-of-the-match Jamie Kingdon showing what the team is capable of.

This weekend MV make the short journey to Salford to face De La Salle.