The Holmes Chapel Second Team travelled to a very blustery Bolton to take on the Lostock home team and conditions started well for a decent game of rugby.

The Chapel lads were set to give everything - given that the majority were playing in unfamiliar positions and not having played together too often, if at all.

Holmes Chapel started the game playing with the wind at their backs, but Lostock immediately put the Chapel defence under pressure. This was to be the pattern for a lot of the first half and Lostock scored a couple of quick converted tries to race into a 14-0 lead, despite dogged defending by Chapel.

Chapel were coming to terms with their positional play and started to put together a numbered of phases, with excellent gains being made by Paddy Murphy, Ian Corrigan, Will P and Ed Chappell. The Lostock defence was strong, and Chapel just could not release the pace of the backs to breakthrough and Lostock managed a further break away try.

No heads dropped in the Chapel team and they kept plugging away and were eventually rewarded with a penalty which Connor Crawford sent through the upright. Chapel were now buoyant and were making territorial grounds at the end of the half. Again, the Lostock defence was defiant and forced a penalty under the sticks and the whistle sounded for half time with the score at 25-3.

Making his debut for the club and playing in an unfamiliar position, Nathan Mitchell was showing his potential, getting stuck in and making some good territorial kicking.

Lostock kicked off the second half with an excellently executed kick off which put the Chapel lads back in their 5m. The weather had deteriorated to the Lancashire horizontal rain which was making slick rugby a thing of the past, but the Chapel defence was resolute making Lostock work with the extra man to score. The pattern of the second half was set with Chapel defending position and struggling to make ground, despite captain Harry Jeanes and Matt Partington crashing the line constantly. Chapel failed to make any real ground or chances in the second half and Lostock ran out easy winners 40-3.

It would be easy to be despondent at the result, but it was evident each and every lad who pulled on a Chapel shirt gave everything they had for the cause. The game was played in an excellent spirt and Holmes Chapel would like to acknowledge the hospitality shown by the Lostock club.