Second bottom Aspatria stormed into a 22-0 lead,  but to their credit West came back to eventually take the lead only to be an undone by a somewhat bizarre turn of events.

Meanwhile, the Stags put in  a creditable display against unbeaten CaNDY league leaders Alnwick eventually going down 5-34, while the Bucks were narrowly beaten 35-31 at Stockton.

Over in Cumbria the Firsts started the game,  against a side desperate for points, as though they were still contemplating the answers to the quiz Peter Youll delivered to help pass the longest coach trip of the season.

The West forwards successfully gathered the Aspatria kick-off only to see prop Arran Sullivan strip the ball and trot through a yawning gap to the line. Thirty seconds gone and West were 7-0 down thanks to Jack Clegg’s conversion.

It quickly got worse. Aspatria had all the energy and attacked up the right wing forcing some desperate tackles from the West defence. It did look as though the visitors had forced a knock on with the ball going forward,  to general agreement in the stand,  from an Aspatria player.

However, the ref was unsighted and winger Alex Barton gratefully touched down. Clegg was unable to add the extras but his side were 12-0 up with less than five minutes played.

Hopes that West would be galvanised into action were not realised. Poor tackling allowing centre Shane Cusack to score in the corner in a move which saw West second row Nick Bennions having to leave the field. Connor McLurg coming on.

West finally got into the home 22 on the 20-minute mark with signs that the pack were also beginning to stop their relentless march backwards at the scrums.

However, it was Aspatria who had their try bonus point in the bag after little more than  a quarter of the game had been played. West held their own at a scrum on the half way,  but it was all too easy for scrum half Mark Watson and winger Alex Barton to combine to run in easy score with Watson finishing to take the score to 22-0. A return of a point  a minute for the home team and their ecstatic support.

The  temptation was to return to the coach to see if any of those challenging  quiz sheets were still lying around.

However, West finally found some possession and with Aspatria starting to  infringe, mainly  with high tackles, West finally got a score. It came from a penalty in the home 22 with Jobe Roxby quick to take a tap and dive over (above). His conversion further easing the embarrassing scoreline.

He went on to win another Man of the Match award as sensible penalty taking saw him take the score to a much more respectable 22-13  - the rising penalty count seeing prop Sullivan off to the bin.

Aspatria were soon down to 13 as winger Dan Weir stopped Max Tennant with a high tackle. The kick to the left corner seeing West take the line-out ball and move the ball quickly right.

Decent hands making the space for Lewis Scott to go in at the opposite corner (above) just too far out for  Roxby’s conversion. However, the 22-18 half time score was a welcome relief after the horrors of the first twenty minutes.

The momentum was with West with Aspatria still down to 13. Then, as soon as the sin-binned was emptied, there was a new occupant in  the shape of home skipper Chris Graham who didn’t allow Matty Baggs to make more than one metre from a quick tap penalty.

Roxby was wide with his 45 metre penalty attempt but , almost unbelievably, his side actually took the lead. Tennant was the scorer in his corner (above) after Ollie Connolly had created the space with a break into the 22.

The kick was again wide,  but West were in front by just one point and looking like they might actually increase that lead. Instead,  it was Clegg who took the score to 25-22 with a penalty on the hour mark.

The game was well set for a nail biting final quarter and so it proved. Unfortunately, Tennant was unable to take any further part as Chris Atkins crashed into him as they both went to make a tackle. Max in some considerable pain with his elbow on the touchline,  although he was able to still use his mobile phone on the way home.

West’s woes had not gone away with Matt Siddle caught in  his 22 and penalised as he went for a dummy instead of a clearing kick to touch. Aspatria made the most of it with a catch and drive which saw No 8 Steve Nelson driven over.

At 30-23 the next score looked to be the most important of the game and it went West’s way to level the score. Matty Baggs was the scorer as he was to go through  a gap as his pack attacked the home try-line(above)

There was a chance for West to regain the lead as Scott and Kieran Scollay linked up the right wing,  but the replacement centre couldn’t take the inside pass.

As the clock ticked down it looked though this dramatic, if scruffy,  game would end all square.  

However, the mistakes and the drama were not over. West knocked on just inside their own half with Aspatria taking  the ball and immediately knocking on themselves. Referee Simon Barker was in the midst of the action and quickly indicated he had been “interfering" in the home side’s  ability to take clean ball. The decision would have been an Aspatria  scrum for the original knock  on,  but Lewis Scott voiced his opinion that Mr Barker had not been too close to make a difference. His choice of words  leading to a penalty to Aspatria who promptly kicked to the corner allowing Nelson to get his second  and match winning score.

It summed up West’s afternoon but all credit to a  spirited  Aspatria for a vital win in their fight to avoid the two relegation play-off places.

Aspatria: Ryan Scott, Dan Weir, Shane Cusack, Regan Tinnion, Alex Barton, Jack Clegg, Mark Watson, Arran Sullivan, Adam Cavanagh, Josh Holmes, Matt Atkinson, Riley Thwaites, Jamie Lightfoot, Chris Graham (capt), Steve Nelson.

Reps (all used): Sam Blair, Michael Stephens, Grant Bethwaite.

Tries: Sullivan, Barton, Cusack, Watson Nelson (2).

Con: Clegg

Pen: Clegg

Yellow: Sullivan, Weir, Graham.

West: Matt Siddle, Lewis Scott, Ollie Connolly, Peter Youll, Max Tennant, Jobe Roxby, Matt Baggs, Andrew Rollins, Hayden Hodgson, Adam Hutchinson, Nick Bennions, Elliott Reed, Aidan Jackson-Smith, Charlie Kay, Chris Atkins(capt).

Reps (all used). Alex Barker, Connor McLurg, Kieran Scollay.

Tries: Roxby, Scott, Tennant, Baggs.

Cons: Roxby (2)

Pens: Roxby (2)

Referee: Simon Barker (Cumbria)