It was one of those days with lots of absentees, lads making their first team debuts and old stagers like Carl Miller coming out of retirement to play 70 minutes in some style. Nevertheless, Cleck looked the part and nobody at West is surprised to see them up at the top of the league.

However, the strengthening of the coaching set up has led to better results in 2020. The last home game saw a win over Malton and Norton, followed by a narrow defeat at Bradford and Bingley, where the home side admitted they had got the rub of several try scoring decisions.

Those games saw West’s former Academy players once again step up to the mark. The form of teenagers Liam Pennick, Aidan Jackson-Smith, Ethan Ledington and James Borthwick in the forwards, together with Ollie Connolly and Harry Mayes in the backs, bodes well for the future.

This week the squad will be reinforced by the return of Chris Atkins, who has been one of the stand-out players so far,  with last season’s top try scorer Will Hilditch jetting in from Australia to take his place in the backs with Lewis Scott unavailable.

Matt Siddle is once again making a more sedate trip up the A1 to continue at full back.

West: Matt Siddle, Harry Mayes, Will Hildicth, Zac Southern, Max Tennant, Ollie Connolly, Ryan Painter (captain), Liam Pennick, Aidan Jackson-Smith, Andrew Rollins, Jake Linighan, James Borthwick, Ben Armstrong, Adam Brown, Chris Atkins.

Changes: Adam Coates, Alex Barker, Callum Johnston.