West 0 Darlington 42

By Dave Picken - February 24 2003
West 0 Darlington 42
Out Of Sorts
It was a lack lustre sort of game and a lack lustre result. The fowards shone in patches and we had some decent possession but Darlington were sharper and our only complaint can be that we should have got on the scoresheet - we said that when we played at Blackwell Meadows.

Our best chances came in the opening 15 minutes wheh Davy Tighe, fighting off a bad cold, missed two easy penalties.

We kept Darlington at bay until the 25 minute when Rob Andrew's scrum half brother Dave nipped round a gaping blindside and ran in from 20 metres.

A couple of minutes later former West man Mark Butler galloped in for the first of his tries. The big winger caused us problems all afternoon and gave young Durham University student Tom Rance a hard baptism into league rugby. He did well and showed he could kick as far as Micky Walton when he got the odd chance - but it may have been more kind to put big Tommy Barff up against Butler.

The other winger, Paul Beattie, scored the third try just on the break with an angled run and the 20-0 half time score was a little harsh cosnidering the territory and hard tackling we had put in in the first 20 minutes.

We contained the visitors for the opening 20 minuites of the second half as well. Gareth Kerr, at centre for the injured Allan Milne, had a couple of good runs but we couldn't get on the scoresheet

Then came our usual capitulation in the final quarter when we realised there was no way back and after Stu Bennett had gone to the bin for throwing a punch. Dilworth and McIntee went over and then Dave Sawyer added a good seven or eight minuites of injury time [didn't ask him why - he's a nice fellah and didn't have a bad game]But Darlington ran in two more tries in the dying moments through Miller and Butler.

We could have done without those last two tries but it has to be said that if Keiran Thompson had had his kicking boots on the score would have been bigger anyway.

West Darren Thomas, Tom Rance, Gareth Kerr, Jamie Connolly, Tommy Barff [Glynn Dono 57[, John Stabler, Davy Tighe, John Painter [capt], Brett Cullinane, Carl Robinson, Mark Baggs [Ed Britton 57], Andrew Davies, Paul Rudd, Stuart Bennett, Tim Sawyer [Phil Gilbraith 65]4.

Reps Tom Rance, Glynn Dono, Phil Gilbraith.

Darlington Keiran Thompson, Mark Butler, Dave Haswell, Craig Lee [Rob Goddary 65], Paul Beattie, Paul Lee [capt], David Andrew, Dan Miller, Dan Oselton, Joe Oselton, Matt Dilworth, Richard Snowball, Del Lewis, Martin Howe, Brian Dixon. Reps: Phil Lancaster, Rob Goddard Tosh Mcintee.