BOLTON Rugby Union Club juniors suffered a double defeat to Tarleton at the weekend.

The junior colts lost 20-10 to their top-of-the-league hosts while the Under-15s lost 27-19 at home.

In the clash of the colts, impressive prop Josh Aspinwall stopped a certain try before Bolton drew first blood.

The ball was built impressively through the phases, Tom Didlock crashed through two defenders before being brought down, and quick ball allowed the Cherry and Whites to drive deep into the 22 where half-backs Sam Howie and James Harris combined to send Lewis Picton over.

The two sides' game plans saw Bolton look to move the ball wide at every opportunity and play a quick offloading game, and Tarleton aim to exploit the strong running forwards and the kicking skills of their fly-half, who regularly sent long probing kicks deep into Bolton territory.

Tarleton got the next try and followed up with a successful penalty kick to go in 10-5 up at the break.

The second half could not have started worse for Bolton as a deep kick went straight to the home fly-half who scored a stunning individual try.

Didlock's second try, following strong carries from Dan Smith and Josh Padmore, reduced the deficit to seven points, but Bolton pressure was resisted by the home defence before Tarleton scored a penalty with the last play of the match.

The U15s, who had inflicted a drubbing on Tarleton earlier in the season, could not complete the double.

After going behind to a penalty kick on six minutes after some ill discipline in the defence, Bolton took the lead on 12 minutes when regular try scorer Oliver Keogh picked up a loose ball at speed and used his momentum to twist out of a last-ditch tackle and touch over.

The lead changed hands again three minutes later with a Tarleton try, but Bolton regained the advantage again on 23 minutes when good work from Alistair Harris – making his debut for the u15s and filling in ably at scrum-half – saw him link up well with captain Ben Price. The ball was fed out to Sam Atherton who scored, and Price converted to put the home side 14-8 up.

It was now Tarleton's turn to restore the lead with two tries to put them 20-14 up at the break.

Bolton stand-in flanker Peter Webster drove over for only his second try of the season before a tightly-contested affair was eventually settled with a late Tarleton try.