The Cumbrians had taken the lead in the dying minutes with a penalty of their own which seemed to have sealed the victory but West battled on and when a penalty was awarded Moss stepped up and despite the distance struck it superbly to send players and spectators into raptures.

It was billed as a real clash of the heavyweights, both teams being unbeaten before the game and both setting the pace for the other teams to follow. But something had to give and the tight finish reflected the fact there was not much between the two teams. If the rematch in January proves to be as enthralling an encounter as this, make sure you make the trip cross country in the New Year. Although West top the table again tonight and deservedly so, no laurels can be rested on just yet, there is a lot of rugby still to be played between now and April. Promotion candidates have typically lost only one or two games in a full campaign so there is no room for complacency in any upcoming fixture.

West had the better of the opening stages, with Davy Tighe being held up over the line only a few minutes in, but it was Aspatria who stuck the first blow as far as the scoreboard was concerned. Playing with a stiff breeze the boots of centre Stephen Davidson and fly-half Mike Scott moved play into the West 22 from where Scott scored the opening try, supporting well after a crash ball had broken the home defensive line. He added the conversion himself to stretch the early lead.

West bounced back with a try after 20 minutes, finished superbly by winger Rob Thorn. Moving the ball wide on half way, Gav Painter released Thorn who, with some space on the outside, rounded the first man and then beat two others to score an excellent try. Moss was wide with the conversion so the visitors remained in the lead and nudged further in-front with a Scott drop goal on 24 minutes.

Scott completed his full house of scoring efforts with a well-struck penalty from 45 metres out and with the half drawing to a close the visitors had kept the scoreboard ticking nicely without being totally dominant. The outlook of both teams at half-time was to change a minute before the break though. West were awarded a penalty 5 metres from the Aspatria line – the visiting pack accused of wheeling the scrum after coming under immense pressure from the home eight, a feature all afternoon – and as Tighe attempted a quick tap and dart for the line he was tackled by a defender who hadn't retreated and referee Paul Mackings awarded a penalty try. Moss closed the gap to a point with the conversion.

The second half was very much a war of attrition. Neither side could gain territorial or possessional dominance with much of the play taking place between the 22's and neither line really being threatened. Defence was strong on both sides and proved tough to break down. A West rolling maul set up a good attacking position just after the hour mark and this was rewarded with a penalty from which Moss made no mistake and gave West their first lead of the game, 15-12.

On a rare foray into the visitors 22 West could have closed the game out, but Andrew Hare was bundled into touch in the corner before he could ground the ball, the break coming after a move on the short side of a 5 metre scrum. From then on it all looked to have gone wrong for the hosts. Lack of discipline gave away two needless penalties and Aspatria moved the ball well, running with purpose and gaining good ground right up to the West 22. A last ditch tackle from Hare seemed to save the day as the ball went forward but totally against the run of play as far as the scrums were concerned, the Cumbrians turned one over and were had another chance. Scott shaped a drop at goal which drifted wide but in the effort to charge down the kick the referee spotted an offside and awarded a penalty, the simplest of chances, on the 22 and directly beneath the posts.
With 80 minutes ticking onto the clock Scott made no mistake and the poor discipline shown at a crucial time looked like being a costly mistake.

But credit to West they continued to play until the final whistle and were rewarded with the penalty which Moss couldn't have struck any better if it was a bit of kicking practice on a quiet Sunday afternoon. A cool customer indeed and if this win does prove to be important come the end of the season there might be one or two people toasting Sir Moss, the man with the golden boot!



West: Painter, Thorn, Howe, Hodgson, Hare, Moss, Tighe, Carr (Cullinane), A Dixon, Robinson, T Dixon, Davies (Tones), D Boatman, J Boatman, Garside
Rep not used: Thomas

Tries: Thorn, Penalty
Con: Moss
Pen: Moss 2


Aspatria: Miller, Bowes, Davidson, Askew, Tinnion, Scott, Spires, Andrews, MacDowell, Irving, Bateson, Docherty, Beverley, Ferguson, Hodson.
Reps: Lister, Tweddle, Benson

Try: Scott
Con: Scott
Pen: Scott
DG: Scott

Referee: Paul Mackings [Durham Society]