Former Academy players Owen Nugent and Adam Hutchinson are making a major impact in the West pack. (This week's team was completely made up of home grown players).

The victory came against a strong and determined Cumbrian side, who had the expected big lads in their pack and no lack of guile and strength in their backs.

We had the usual selection carry on. Adam Brown discovered during the week that he’d badly dislocated a finger at Ponteland and then, after completing the Great North Run and raising £600,  he went down with a chest infection (not that one, fortunately). Isaac Robinson was away, after doing so well in the first couple of games, while Ben Armstrong wasn’t able to undo his commitment to Her Majesty’s Royal Mail.

Fortunately, Alex Barker was back from his own fund raising challenge in the Lakes and Scott Butcher was able to make his first start of the season. He was immediately back to his best, while we were delighted to see Stu Waites on the bench – the lockdown helping him recover from his shoulder problems.

As a result of the latest upheaval Crazy Craig Hadwen received a rare call-up as front row cover- coming on to great effect in the closing stages. He is twice the age of the likes of Adam Hutchinson and Owen Nugent who are quickly growing into adult rugby and finding it is to their taste.

However, it all meant a late and very regrettable cry-off for the Stags at Consett. We only had ten or so players able to travel. Two of them were over 50 and not likely to be able to play a full 80 minutes. Lots of clubs seem to be having similar issues in getting lads on the pitch, and it really is to be hoped that very soon players get used to Saturday being the day you get your boots on. Having to cry off on a Saturday morning is embarrassing, to say the least.

Aspatria did manage to travel, although they only had two replacements by the time they got to Brinkburn. They’d volunteered to join Durham and Northumberland One to gain access to a better standard of rugby and to avoid having to play fellow Cumbrian clubs six-or seven-times season. Without help from the RFU they’re having to fund every coach trip themselves. Credit to them.

After a tour of the Lakes to pick up various players it was perhaps no surprise that they started off slowly. We took advantage with a bit of class from Ollie Connolly after Will Hilditch and Lewis Scott had opened space with an inside ball just on the visitors’ 22. Ollie, whose influence grows with every game, seized his chance with a grubber kick which he chased down with ease to give us a 5-0 lead.

That woke Aspatria from their slumbers and they came back with a well worked try creating numbers wide on the left to cross and take a 7-5 lead. That was increased to a seven-point margin after 20 minutes thanks to a burst from a line -out.

We were more than holding our own in the scrums with the line-out battle between Jake Linighan, and a even taller and heavier Matt Atkinson for Aspatria,  one of the features of the game.

Referee Revis Phillips has officiated at the professional level and nothing much passed his gaze with Aidan Jackson-Smith taking a yellow on 23 minutes after a number of penalty offences by his teammates. It came at a crucial time, another score for the visitors could have been decisive.

However, we toughed it out with some determined defence, and the next important score came courtesy of Scott Butcher who finished from close range ten minutes before the break.

Zac Southern, who had an immaculate game under the high ball and in defence, narrowly missed with his second conversion attempt and we went into the break 12-10 down.

It stayed close as both sides went at it in the second half. However, Aspatria scored first as their big pack forced its way over from close range to take the score to 19-10 in their favour.

We stayed in it and it was Ryan Painter who seized on his opportunity as the Cumbrian scrum went backwards. Roo’s timing was immaculate - beating the No 8 to the pick-up and sending in Butch for his second of the day (pictured) with Zac converting to reduce the lead to two points. The full back was on target to give us a slender one point lead with a penalty from in front of the posts.

The visitors came straight back with their big No 4 crashing over to set up an easy conversion and we entered the last ten minutes needing a converted try to take the game.

With Stu Waites and Craig Hadwen on – one to use his guile and experience and the other to counter the big visiting forwards- we went for it. A series of attacks forced us closer to the Aspatria line with Jake Linighan making a determined effort to get over. He was stopped short but Ryan Painter was on hand to spot the gap, and he needs no second bidding.

It was an easy conversion - nonetheless a pressure kick and Zac nailed it to give us that vital lead.

We looked comfortable winning a penalty with a minute to go which set us up close to the try-line. Surely game over? Unfortunately, Aspatria hit the resulting ruck with numbers and ball in hand made their way into our half in a desperate and nail-biting attempt to take the game. Fortunately, resolute defence forced a handling error and the five important points were ours.

Percy Park away next week. Who will be available? Who won’t? Who would be a coach?

West: Zac Southern, Owen Westhorp, Lewis Scott, Liam Rutherford, Will Hilditch, Ollie Connolly, Ryan Painter, Adam Coates, Aidan Jackson-Smith, Adam Hutchinson, Jake Linighan, Owen Nugent, Alex Barker, Scott Butcher, Chris Atkins.
Changes: Stu Waites, Craig Hadwen, Tom Robertson.
Tries: Butcher (2), Connolly, Painter.
Cons: Southern (2)
Pens: Southern (1)
Yellow: Jackson-Smith

Aspatria: Joe Beaty, Jonathan Bethwaite, Heinrich Honker, Ryan Scott, Alex Barton, Josh Watson, Jack Clegg, James Ravell, Adam Cavanagh, Jack Gaskell, Greg Dickinson, Matt Atkinson, Phillip Dixon, Jamie Lightfoot, Chris Graham.

Tries: Beaty, Atkinson (2), Jonker.

Cons: Clegg (3)

Changes: Graham Andrews, Ryan Graham.
Referee: Revis Phillips.