The game began in challenging conditions as no sooner had the players emerged from the changing rooms the heavens opened and driving rain and wind made controlling the ball extremely difficult. Despite a few understandable handling errors we still looked the more lively side with ball in hand and were eventually rewarded with a Sam Miller try after 17 minutes. The powerful number eight forced his way over in the left corner after a ruck close to the line.
The visitors were defending well but as the rain cleared up and things started to dry out, we began to look even more threatening with the ball in hand and built sustained pressure of possession if not territory.
Luke Mallinson almost doubled the lead when he was fingertips away from touching down after a Peter Youll chip through. We eventually extended the lead with 5 minutes of the half remaining thanks to some great support play and handling. Adam Coates went close with a burst up the left and then Owen Bennett was stopped a few metres out. The ball was quickly recycled and Gav Painter fed Youll who reached out for a good finish despite being tackled short of the line. Painter’s conversion made it 12-0.
Straight from the restart we were almost in for a third try. Miller caught the ball and headed up-field with Coates and Mallinson continuing the attack. The winger chipped the ball ahead and looked favourite to win the foot race until the final bounce just took the ball away from him and the covering defender got there first.
After a couple of good runs Mallinson was not to be denied and he finished off a lovely backs move a minute from the break. From the back of a solid scrum Gav Painter looped around to send Stu Waites into space and his perfectly timed pass meant nobody was catching Mallinson as he steamed in at the right corner for a well-deserved try.
With the second half underway the Westoe resolve began to fade and aside from a penalty attempt 5 minutes in to the half which slid wide and a brief attack in the closing minutes it was one-way traffic.
Half-time replacement Jack Angus finished off a rolling maul on 51 minutes to clinch the bonus point and when number eight Tom King was yellow-carded 5 minutes later it would only add to Westoe’s misery.
Aaron Myers, also on at half-time in the back-row, showed a touch of class to break through the midfield and his pass sent the ever-willing Coates under the posts for another seven pointer. The prop then continued his excellent afternoon by turning provider for Liam Bailey after a nice break from Gav Painter. The score had quickly raced up to 36-0 and we looked a threat with every attacking play.
Rollins was the next to score, bursting through the tired defence and the visitors were left facing their second consecutive defeat without registering a single point. They reached the home 22 for what seemed like the first time in the final couple of minutes but their afternoon was summed up perfectly when a penalty kick for the corner missed touch and was hammered clear by Waites.
As with last week’s win at Beverley it is always hard to tell the form and relative prospects of teams at this early stage in the season but, if nothing else, two maximum point wins give us a real confidence boost going into harder games ahead.
A final word of thanks should go to the referee, Barrett Aldwinckle, and both front-rows for treating everyone to an afternoon with hardly (if any) a scrum penalty or reset. A pleasant change and a much more entertaining watch!
West: Waites, Mallinson, Edwards, Youll, Southern, G Painter, R Painter, Wood, Rollins, Coates, Bennett, Atkins, Boatman, Bailey, Miller.
Reps: Angus, A Myers, Willis
Tries: Miller, Youll, Mallinson, Angus, Coates, Bailey, Rollins
Cons: G Painter 3
Westoe: Hughes, Irving, Smith, Hagan, Tate, Moffett, Potts, Peel, Sant, Lamb, Younghusband, Kirton, Deacon, Evans, King.
Reps: Yehia, Smith, Reeder
YC: King
Referee: Barrett Aldwinckle [Durham Society]