We dominated most of the early play but a few sloppy lineouts close to the visitors line turned over possession. Eventually we opened the scoring with 11 minutes gone when Peter Youll made a typical bust up the middle, drawing in two defenders and getting a nice one-handed pass away to centre partner Will Hilditch to go over under the posts. (Will is pictured picking up his Man of the Match award).
Castle came back into the game well and spent a good 10 minute period camped inside our 22 with a series of 5 metre scrums and players held up over the line. Eventually the pressure told and powerful number eight Rob Stanwix brushed off Rob Thorn to score in the corner after breaking from the base of a scrum. Greg Upton added a fine touchline conversion.
Having just levelled the scores the visitors put themselves under pressure with a poor clearance kick from the restart and then a mix-up between full-back and wing gave us a scrum close to the line. With the front rows collapsing we received the penalty and Ryan Painter almost wriggled his way over from the quick tap but when the ball was recycled Andrew Rollins crashed over to celebrate his return from injury in style. Waites added the conversion to restore the 7 point lead but as the half drew to a close he missed an opportunity to extend it further with a badly miscued penalty attempt.
We had already lost Adam Brown to a leg injury midway through the first half and with the second half barely underway his replacement Scott Butcher required lengthy treatment on the field for a badly cut leg before being carried away on a stretcher and straight to hospital. Moments later the stretcher was needed again as Barnard Castle centre Dean Bainbridge suffered a bad ankle injury and the game was further delayed.
The long break seemed to impact our energy levels and intensity and aside from a penalty from Waites for offside the visitors now looked the bigger threat in attack with Stanwix to the fore in a series of powerful runs. Winger Jack Clarke went over in the corner for their second score and his side sniffed a comeback was on.
With our attack spluttering and seemingly unable to retain possession of the ball it was a moment of skill from Waites which finally gave us breathing space on the scoreboard. First his break through the middle took play deep into the 22 and then a lovely flat pass found Jonny Hunter on the touchline and he finished off by the right corner flag.
Referee Gareth Foreman indicated there were 15 minutes to add on after the injuries and in the gathering gloom Castle continued to hammer away at the now ragged looking West defence. We somehow kept them out until the final minute when Clarke went in again, securing a deserved losing bonus point for the visitors. There was still time for one last restart but neither team threatened a further score and a forward pass brought the final whistle.
It was a workmanlike victory from West without playing anywhere near their best rugby but with Durham City toppling previously unbeaten Northern we have kept ourselves in the mix at the top of Durham Northumberland One, three points now separating the top three sides.
West: Southern, Peacock, Hilditch, Youll, Thorn, Waites, R Painter, Wood, Rollins, Hunter, Rafferty, Linighan, Atkins, Robinson, Brown.
Reps (used) McLurg, Butcher. Not used: G Painter.
Tries: Hilditch, Rollins, Hunter
Cons: Waites 2
Pen: Waites
Barnard Castle: Kicks, Clarke, Bainbridge, G Welsby, Summers, Upton, Doyle, Hughes, Allison, R Welsby, McConnell, Burke, Larder, Riley, Stanwix.
Reps: Brunell, Young, Parry
Tries: Stanwix, Clarke 2
Cons: Upton
Referee: Gareth Foreman [Durham Society]