The game was put back to Sunday because so many West players had accepted wedding invitations. Davy Tighe is wishing he hadn't accepted his. He was leaving the Spotted Cow in Elwick whe he managed to miss the brass plate on the door and put his arm through the glass panel.

He naturally took some ribbing after undergoing a minor operation on Sunday morning but insists: "It was only 7.30 and drink was not a factor! I just didn't look where I was going."

Davy will be out for the rest of the league season but has ambition to make it back for the County matches in May when Brett Cullinane should finally get the honour he so richly deserves. Jamie Connolly, Chris Webb and Chocky Davies have also been given the nod.

Peter Hodgson will be back sooner than Tighe. Stabler made him sit on the bench during the game before letting him get off to hospital to have his finger x-rayed.

There was also plenty of action on the pitch. Once again we put up a battling home performance against a mature, and expensive, side which contained more than a sprinkling of former England and England A players in coach Derek Eves, full back John Liley and prop Gavin Baldwin.

A pattern is beginning to emerge in West matches. We start with great spirit, go ahead, but then eventually succumb to pushover tries and end up conceding 40-odd points.

It was the same against Donnie who started the game knowing that four more points from six remaining games would see them promoted.

But it was West who mounted the early pressure with young Darren Thomas relishing the chance to play in his mormal position of scrum half. He looks like he has been quietly working on speeding up his delivery.

Unfortunately all we had to show for our first 15 minutes of pressure was a Connolly penalty. He just missed another two from close to the half line but Doncaster eventually made some ground and, as so often happens this season, drove over in the corner from a line out.

The conversion was missed and Jamie then got a second penalty on 25 minutes to give us the lead again but that was the end of our scoring.

Doncaster added three more tries before the break including two more pushovers to go in at a flattering 24-6 advantage.

By this time our jinx had struck again with Allan Milne struggling from the tenth minute with a leg injury - not to mention the toe tap to the head he received from Matthew Brain after narrowly faily to stop the Doncaster centre from going over. Lucky for Mr Brain that the officials didn't spot it.

West again came at Doncaster at the start of the second half. They are a competerent, powerful and well organised side but lots of West playersd won their personal battles. Brett Cullinane was tremndous, as ever, Jamie Connolly was the classieest back on the pitch while Gareth Kerr had the beating of a much more experienced Matthew Brain.

Phil Cuff was also looking very solid at full back which may be something to fo woith the fact that his day was the Boro goalie for such a long time.

Chocky Davies also worked his socks and produced the tackle of the match to bring down breakaway winger Matt Donkin.

Doncaster certainly didn't have an easy ride with coach Derek Eves going to the sin-bin on 55 minutes for persistent offside. We couldn't take advantage, and it was Doncaster who got the score when a grubber kick from Connolly bounced off their No 10's shins and they won the chase for the line.

Donnie scrum half Simon Greenslade also earned himself a yellow as the game remained competitive to the end.

Mark Baggs who was 40 last week eventually came on for Allan Milne to ensure that the game always had a competitive edge, and Gez Geritz made his comeback from his torn thumb injury.

The problem now is finding some fit backs for the visit of Mowden Park this Saturday. At the moment we only have Thomas, Connolly, Kerr, Cuff and Barff as recognised backs.

West Cuff, Tones, Kerr, Milne [Baggs 45], Barff, Connolly [capt] Thomas, Cholmondeley, Robinson [Geritz 60], Wright, Davies, Sawyer, Rudd, Bennett.

Reps: Hodgson, Baggs, Geritz, Ince.

Doncaster 15 John Liley 14 Matt Donkin 13 Matthew Brain 12 James Mortimer 11 Chris Conway [capt] 10 Richard Poskit 9 Simon Greenslade 1 Gavin Baldwin 2 Robert Ward 3 Andrew Fish 4 James Morris 5 Richard White 6 Geoff Jones 7 David Senior 8 Derek Eves Reps 16 Justin Martin 17 Scott Plevey 18 Laelfe Filipo 19 Jon Storey