It was always going to be a difficult task for the Heughers against a West team
which had only been beaten once all season and had already secured the CANDY
Division One title.
The Heughers did start brightly and a number of early penalties eventually presented a
kickable opportunity which they took for a 3-0 lead.
The Stags came back with a
pushover try in the right corner after 12 minutes, well converted by Stu Waites
and the fly-half then laid on a nice pass for Andy Robson to score in the same
corner three minutes later following a fine counter attack.
The lively Scott Butcher cut through for the first of his
two tries on 17 minutes and with three scores in five minutes any hopes of an
upset were quickly evaporating.
The experience and leadership of skipper Davy Tighe epitomised the difference
between the sides and the veteran scrum-half was instrumental in West's next
two scores. The first, with 26 minutes played, was scored by flanker Chris
Young after Tighe's tap penalty had started the attack and just four minutes
later Tighe himself slipped up the blind-side of a maul for a well taken try.
Second-row Joe Rafferty continued the one way traffic with a try on 32 minutes
before Rovers enjoyed their best period of attacking pressure in the match.
Camped in the West 22 for the rest of the half they seemed destined for a try
on more than one occasion, but the Stags held firm and despite losing
Young to the sin-bin they eventually turned the ball over and cleared to bring
the half-time whistle.
As the game became increasingly broken in the second half West's back three of
Darren Thomas, Butcher and Ryan Painter looked threatening with every touch and
it was Thomas who scored the first try of the half after 52 minutes. A familiar
Tighe break from a scrum saw him combine with the winger who finished well in
the left corner.
Butcher got his second with a mazy run, picking up the ball inside his own half
and somehow weaving his way through the defenders and shaking off a few tackles
for a superb individual try. Try as they might Rovers didn't seem to be having
any luck and a rare foray into the West 22 ended in another try conceded when
Greg Edwards intercepted a pass and despite being tackled short of the line
Thomas was on hand to finish off the score. Robson also got his second with a
little over 10 minutes to play, popping up on the right wing again and cutting
inside the last defender to touch down.
Waites, who had controlled things well in partnership with Tighe, topped a
great performance with a solo try worthy of any cup final. Picking up the ball
on half-way he spotted a gap and raced through, leaving the defence standing
for a well deserved score to add to his eight conversions.
With time ticking down replacement prop Adam Coates had the final say as he
made a good run from the 22 and touched down under the posts leaving Waites'
conversion to complete an entertaining, if one-sided game.
Stags: : Ryan Painter, Darren Thomas,
Greg Edwards, Paul Moss, Scott Butcher, Stu Waites, Davy Tighe [capt],
Ross Wood, Andrew Dixon, Andy Palmer, Andy Robson, Joe Rafferty, Chris
Young, Alex Barker, Carl Miller. Reps: Paul Dove, Adam Coates, Martin
Todd, Jon Cole, John Boyd, Luke Mills.
Tries: Robson 2, Butcher 2, Young 2, Tighe, Rafferty, Thomas 2, Waites, Coates
Cons: Waites 8
Rovers:
Pen: Fawcett
Referee: Carl Hall [Durham Society]