West always looked dangerous when running the ball from deep and attacked with pace and power out wide which caused the visitors problems all afternoon. The forwards won plenty of clean ball, causing particular problems at the line-out, and for once we managed to turn most of our opportunities into tries with some good finishing.

The game started with a bang as, right from the kickoff, Paul Vinnicombe burst through the Cleckheaton backline and although he eventually lost the ball in the 22, West were awarded a penalty and Paul Moss made no mistake with barely 60 seconds on the watch.

Despite that explosive start it was the visitors who got the opening try. A turnover on half way looked like producing a score but when the overlap was wasted Cleckheaton were left to rely on their forwards who didn't disappoint. They opted for a scrum from a penalty and drove West back towards the line through several phases, prop Rick Piper eventually getting the touch-down.

Moss was just wide with a long range penalty attempt on 21 minutes but West regained the lead with a try two minutes later. Iain Dixon slipped a nice inside pass to Gareth Kerr who made the break before feeding Peter Hodgson who finished off well.

West failed to build on the lead though and once again Cleckheaton bounced back with 7 minutes left in the half. A chip through from Mike Piper looked like it would be tidied up by Andrew Cheslin but the ball bobbled away from him leaving Piper to collect the ball himself and score under the posts. Ross Hayden added the conversion for a 12-8 lead.

Fortunately for West the response wasn't far away. Just 3 minutes later Hodgson got his second, making an initial break in the 22 and then popping up in support to finish off the move, Moss converting.

The first score of the second half was going to be crucial and so it proved. West got the try through Chris Stewart and after that Cleckheaton always looked out of the game, never really threatening the home try line.

When skipper Craig Rika was shown a red-card for an ugly looking stamp on Darren Thomas any chance the visitors did have looked to leave the field with him. In the final 10 minutes West made the game safe with first a try from Jamie Connolly, supporting well after a break from Andrew Cheslin, and then replacement Colin Cheslin finishing off a move started with a brilliant turnover by Aaron Myers.

This was an important win for West as Cleckheaton would have leapfrogged us in the table had they won and was also a good performance ahead of the cup quarter final against Hartpury College next week. The finishing was the biggest plus, something that will need to be replicated in Gloucestershire as chances may well be few and far between and points will have to be taken when the opportunities come.


West: I Dixon, A Cheslin, Hodgson (C Cheslin), Moss, Kerr, Connolly, Thomas, Carr, Sawyer (A Dixon), Stewart (Robinson), T Dixon, Robinson, D Boatman, Myers, Vinnicombe.

Tries: Hodgson 2, Stewart, Connolly, C Cheslin
Cons: Moss 2
Pen: Moss

Sin-bin: Hodgson, Carr


Cleckheaton: Duckett, Blackburn, Hayden, Lauriston, M Piper, Evans, DePledge, R Piper, Chappelow, A Piper, Rika, Gressier, , Hanekom, Hamilton, Wade
Reps: Gillan, Clayton, Waite

Tries: R Piper, M Piper
Con: Hayden

Sin-bin: Rika, Wade
Sent-off: Rika

Referee: Peter Ashman