The visitors arrived in great form having not lost since the second week of the season and as the only team to beat table topping Cleckheaton so far. However we put in one of our best performances of the season and were deserved winners - carrying the ball with pace and power and defending well throughout. Had we not shipped twelve points in three minutes in the second half the winning margin could well have been a lot bigger.

We started the game with ambition, breaking immediately up the left wing and making good ground. This led to a series of three scrums where the pack took the ascendency and drove the visitors back on each occasion. From the third scrum, Ryan Painter broke to the short side and send Luke Mallinson over in the left corner. Stu Waites added the touchline conversion with a great kick and a couple of minutes later coolly slotted a drop goal after the referee played advantage for a YMCA infringement.

We rode out some YMCA pressure but cleared our lines with a penalty kick to touch and looked to be setting up another score after Liam Bailey charged up the left touchline only for the recycled ball to be passed to Waites’ feet and the fly-half knocked-on. He did, however, add three more points from the boot on 28 minutes after a penalty for a shoulder charge.

Despite having been on the back foot at most of the scrums the YMCA pack had no problems with their rolling maul and it brought them their opening try, six minutes before half time. Ed Barber added the conversion to make it 13-7.

If anything we would have been disappointed to not be more than five points ahead at the break but YMCA had looked dangerous when they had the ball and converted one of only two scoring opportunities they had in the first half. Their defence had also looked strong with some big hits coming in, particularly from a back division towering over their opposite numbers.

We stretched our lead early in the second half with a try from Ian Pinchen. Scott Butcher went close with a break up the right wing and when the ball was recycled Waites slipped a nice pass to Pinchen who broke through the defensive line to score under the posts.

Dan Boatman saw yellow after a string of penalties but YMCA couldn’t capitalise as they tapped a kickable penalty in-front of the posts only to be penalised themselves for holding on and allow us to clear. It proved only to be a minor setback though and they came back with two tries in three minutes, thrusting them back into the game. First left wing Bulloch crossed in the corner after another rolling maul was held up just short but the pressure brought an overlap on the left. The restart was called back for not going ten metres and from the scrum an inside pass sent the outside centre away for a well worked try. Barber’s conversion made it a one point game - 20-19.

All the momentum was now with YMCA without looking at the scoreboard you would have thought they were the team in the lead. But in a great display of character we weren’t phased, working the ball upfield and being rewarded with a second penalty goal from Waites.

Going into the final ten minutes this gave us a small amount of breathing space but another try was what we needed to seal the game and it came with eight minutes to go. Liam Bailey made the initial bust and then slipped a lovely pass to full back Colin Cheslin who crossed the line untouched. Waites capped a perfect afternoon’s kicking with a conversion in-off the right post.

Home form is always crucial in any season and if we can reproduce this sort of display when the other top teams visit Brinkburn later in the season there is every chance we can keep pace with the group currently battling out the top five places in North One East.

West: Colin Cheslin, Scott Butcher, Andrew Cheslin, Liam Bailey, Luke Mallinson, Stu Waites, Ryan Painter, Ian Pinchen, Andrew Rollins, Adam Coates, Owen Bennett, Michael Hogan, Dan Boatman [c], Jon Boatman, Sam Miller. Reps: Andrew Dixon, Chris Atkins, Greg Edwards.

Tries: Mallinson, Pinchen, A Cheslin

Cons: Waites 3

Pen: Waites 2

DG: Waites

YC: D Boatman, Pinchen

Huddersfield YMCA: Johnson, Morton, Ryder, Stead, Bulloch, Barber, Willans, Wrafter, Hill, Slater, Bell, Housley, Sharrock, Hodge, Whitehead. Reps: Murphy, Steve Dyke, Stu Dyke.