It was similarly tight on the next door pitch where the Stags and Sunderland Shipwrights drew 27 apiece.

The first team game was by no means a feast of running rugby. It was tense throughout, with lots of handling errors and forward passes as the  two sides slugged it out. Where there was any quality on show it was in the way both defended. 

Hence only one try in the game. That came on the half hour as skipper Ryan Painter took a quick tap penalty  in the visiting 22 to send Jay Corbett crashing over between the posts with Matt Siddle converting.

Sidd was the kicker in the absence of Sam Heron, and there was another late change with Will Hilditch still poorly and Zac Southern coming in at full-back and going on to play a major role in securing the victory.

Sunderland arrived with a mix of heavyweight experience in the pack and some youthful backs and they started off well. When West did counter attack Southern came into the line to create space for Max Tennant on his left, however the pass was intercepted with Ollie Connolly forced to race back make a try-saving tackle on his own 22.

West continued to threaten and forcing a series of penalties which saw Sunderland winger Christopher Rochelle sin-binned. With the line-out not really working for either side the scrum option was taken for another penalty in the 22. The ball was quickly moved left with a Davy Heckles looking to have the chance of going through a gap, but in his enthusiasm the pass was dropped. 

Ollie Connolly had already knocked on from an opportunity from a  penalty line-out, and it was starting to look as though it might not be West's day until Painter and Corbett got that vital score.

Sunderland came back  only to waste an opportunity with a knock on of their own after lively fly-half Marc Edmundson made a break through the middle.

However, they finally got on the scoresheet in the last minute of the half with scrum half Ben Hutchinson slotting a penalty after West were judged offside from a clearance kick from Southern.

Hutchinson reduced the arrears to just one point eight minutes after the restart. Nobody expected that to be the final score and both sides did have their chances,  with Southern running a good line on the hour only for the pass to him to be forward.

Max Tennant and Davy Heckles combined up the left with the winger looking dangerous on the rare occasions the ball reached him. This time he made ground with Heckles inside. However, the centre was blocked as he went to take the return pass, but not unfairly ruled referee Mark Harrington.

On the next attack Tennant won a penalty and the kick to the corner looked promising. Tom Robertson had come on for an injured Chris Atkins in the first half and he took over throwing duties. Unfortunately, the line-out problems continued as West knocked on as they went for the catch and drive.

Things were getting ever more tense as the game entered the final ten minutes with any score likely to be the last.

Sunderland had the best chances. They were awarded a scrum penalty just outside the West 22 - with the wind behind him Hutchinson looked odds on to kick his third penalty of the afternoon. There was big sigh of relief from the West faithful outside the clubhouse when his kick went to the left of the posts.

The visitors immediately came back with their top try scorer Adam Barrass making a break up the right wing. The  burly No. 8 had only Southern to beat, but the West full-back not only he stopped him dead he also wrapped him up to prevent the offload. 

West nervously held out to face another tricky game next week as Whitley Bay Rockcliff arrive in third place and buoyed by their 49-5 defeat of Rovers. 

West: Zac Southern, Lewis Scott, Davy Heckles, Ollie Connolly, Max Tennant, Matt Siddle, Ryan Painter (capt), Adam Hutchnson, Aidan Jackson-Smith, Adam Coates, Jake Linighan, Chris Atkins, AlexBarker, Isaac Robinson, Jay Corbett.

Replacements (all used): Tom Robertson, Charlie Kay, Jack Angus.

Tries: Corbett.

Con. Siddle.

Man of the Match: Corbett

Sunderland: Terry Haley, Christopher Rochelle, Louie Groake, Simon Coleman,Tom Asquith-Fox, Marc Edmundson, Ben Hutchinson, Kieron Hanlon, Peter Harrison, Jack Hadlington, Michael Holder, Luke Bryan-Victory, Oliver Beattie, Faral Chikumbirike, Adam Barrass (capt).

Replacements (all used): Devrim Koca, Lee Little, Andrew Pears.

Pens: Hutchinson (3).

Yellow: Rochelle.

Man of the Match: Chikumbirike.

Referee: Mark Harrington (Durham).