West are clearly trying to adopt an expansive style but at times it bordered on insane, regularly running balls from their own line and tapping penalties rather than taking kicks to touch or for goal. It was a risky strategy and had them in hot water in the first half until a try in injury time gave them the lead.

With lively players like Young, Gav Painter and Chris Lambert behind the scrum there's certainly grounds for wanting to move the ball wide but there is still place in the game-plan for the odd clearance kick and against better sides the cavalier attitude will be more fiercely punished.

Sheffield winger Tom Gray was the only scorer in the opening half hour, landing two penalties on 5 and 29 minutes. West lost Carl Robinson to a neck injury, thankfully not looking too serious after a long stoppage in play, and ill-discipline was making it difficult to gain any territorial advantage.

There was plenty for the referee to keep his eye on, and, after an earlier talking to, visiting scrum half Matt Poste was sin-binned for what can only be described as “mountaineering” away from the ball at the back of the ruck. He was soon joined on the sidelines by Sheffield's Nick King and West's Dan Boatman as the official lost patience with the countless penalties being awarded to both sides.

With fourteen against thirteen West got their first try, Chris Lambert scoring after Andrew Hare ran back a clearing kick, and good hands moved the ball wide to put the wing man in plenty of space. Tom Dixon missed the conversion to leave the visitors still leading 6-5.

With the first half elongated due to the earlier injury break, 45 minutes were on the watch when Gray missed another shot at goal before Gav Painter grabbed a try for West. A penalty was awarded in front of the posts, around 30 metres out, and despite the ease of three points and the lead on offer, Davy Tighe opted for a scrum and he was justified when Mikey Young broke away, beating several tacklers before feeding Painter to finish off the score. Dixon added the conversion for a 12-6 half-time lead.

Paul Rudd got a trademark try 15 minutes into the second half, running a nice line in the outside centre channel to go in untouched under the posts. Tom King became the third Sheffield player to see yellow after a very high tackle on Dan Boatman and other players could well have joined him as every stoppage in play seemed to see the referee calling out a player for a “calm-down” chat.

Despite this Sheffield got back into the game with 10 minutes to play thanks to a try from captain Ryan Amos. He crashed in from a few metres out after some good running on the right flank had created the attacking position. The crucial conversion to bring the scores within a converted try sailed wide so West still had an 8-point cushion.

Tighe made the game safe with an excellent try just a few minutes later though. A turnover left Sheffield short handed in defence and Tom Dixon made excellent ground before keeping the ball alive well and when it looked like Tighe would be easily stopped short he wriggled free and scored the game winning try. Dixon converted.

Confrontation was never far away in this game and Young seemed to bear the brunt of Sheffield's frustrations. When he was felled by a huge punch just after the try, replacement Martin Balshaw was shown a straight red. The scrum half had probably played his best game at senior level for West and was certainly in the thick of the action all afternoon causing endless problems with his pace and showing excellent tackling abilities.

Sheffield added a late try through prop Matt Cooper after a long run down the line from number eight Nick Pearson but West had the final say with Tom Dixon going in after good work from replacement wing Martin Todd.

Next week sees West travel to local neighbours Horden in what promises to be another fiery encounter. West can still move the ball wide and use their attacking players but please not from your own line or it really will be a mountain to climb!!



West: Hare, Lambert, Edwards, Howe, Painter (Todd), Tighe, Young, Cullinane, A Dixon, Robinson (Norris), Rudd, T Dixon, D Boatman, Myers, J Boatman (Miller)

Tries: Lambert, Painter, Rudd, Tighe, T Dixon
Cons: T Dixon 3

Sinbin: D Boatman

Sheffield: Allat, T King, N King, Amos, Gray, Moroney, Poste, Cooper, Pritchard, Ramzey, Hayes, Ellis, Kelly, Atkinson, Pearson.
Reps: Balshaw, Poe, Soden

Tries: Amos, Cooper
Pens: Gray 2

Sinbin: Poste, Amos, T King
Sent-off: Balshaw

Referee: John Meredith [Durham Society]