Conditions limit adventure as Moor maintain top spot.

Open, attacking rugby was likely to be at a premium given the very strong wind and wet conditions underfoot. Moor exerted the early pressure forcing Bolton onto the back-foot from the kick-off and the resultant penalty after 2 minutes was converted by Martin Shelley for a 3 point opener. Although Moor were to dominate possession and territory, the difficult conditions and resolute Bolton defence meant that a stalemate situation was the rule for most of the half. Ironically a rare Bolton incursion into Moor’s 22 was to produce the only try of the game as they were penalised and the quickly taken tap penalty saw Felipe Silva make the initial break before feeding Ivan Smetana who sped 70 metres downfield to score in the corner.

Turning around 8 points ahead, a similar pattern of play was to dominate the second half. Moor’s first scoring opportunity came after 20 minutes when Nick Hawke was put away by a Silva break, only to be hauled down by the cover defence a few yards short of the line. A long distance penalty was sweetly struck by Shelley on the half hour to extend the lead to 11 points. In the final minute of the game, a similar Shelley effort was taken just wide by the strong wind.

A gritty performance meant that Moor kept their unbeaten record at the top of the table, but face further strong opposition this Saturday when they host third-placed Trafford MV, k.o. 3:00pm.