So instead with just a few minutes on the clock City raced upfield for a score in which our supporters claimed there was a forward pass.
Chocky Davies’s unwise comments on the lead up to the try earned him a sin-bin, and insult was added to injury just two minutes later when replacement forward Howard Johnson knocked the ball forward as he was tackled on the line. Again Mr Holmes was unsighted and he gave the score which gave City a winning margin which was very hard on West.
We began the game the stronger but failed to get any points on the board so it was City who took the lead with their first venture into our 22. Winger Rubie finishing off a slick backs move to dive over in the corner with Walker adding a superb conversion.
West then spent the next fifteen minutes camped in the City half and the pressure eventually told when prop Mark Cholmondeley finished off a driving maul. Tighe was narrowly wide with the conversion.
City should have extended their lead on 33 minutes when left winger Craig Mattison looked to have finished off another great backs move by diving over in the corner. But Mr Holmes brought play back for a penalty in front of the posts - presumably having ruled that the winger had put a foot in touch after crossing the line. Instead of opting for an easy three points the home side took a very quick tap but an alert Darren Thomas forced centre Nick Howe into touch.
But City weren’t to be denied. Right winger Rubie got his second try, again in the corner, which Walker again converted to make it 19-5 at the break.
West again began the half strongly and looked to be in with a try scoring opportunity after 43 minutes when quick ball from a ruck provided a three man overlap but Mr Holmes brought play back for a penalty to the visitors on the half way line.
West had already had to rearrange the front row, after Anth Carr had gone off with a cut ear, and on 50 minutes fellow prop Mark Cholmondeley limped of with an ankle injury forcing a heavily bandaged Carr to return to the fray.
Five minutes later City looked to have sewn the game up when a hopeful punt into the West 22 wasn’t properly cleared. City’s classy backs were first to the breakdown and fly half Dan Kyle collected to score an easy try to make it 24-7.
From the restart West kept up the pressure in the home 22 and from a tap penalty 10 metres out Carr seized the chance and barrelled his way through the defence to set up an easy conversion for Tighe.
West fly half Phil Wallis eventually succumbed to a heavy knock he took in the first half and his replacement, flying Colts winger Chris Lambert, almost broke through the home defence before Jon Boatman put West right back in the game popping up in the outside centre spot to shake off two tackles.
Tighe's conversion attempt was well wide off the post but managed to hit Alan and Edie Stabler's car cracking the windscreen.
West had pulled back to being just one score behind but then came that unfortunate knock on and City’s two late tries.
Few would have predicted a try feast before the sides with the two best defensive records met at Hollow Drift but supporters were treated to no less than 9. The trouble for West was that they only managed three of them despite having territorial advantage for much of the game.

Durham City: Walker, Rubie, Howe, Knowles, Mattison, Kyle, Stevenson, Davison [ Johnson], Hay, Herbert, Smithson, Showler, Thompson, Roberts, MacKinnon.

West: Hodgson, Thomas, Edwards, Milne, Todd, Wallis [Lambert], Tighe, Cullinae, Carr, Cholmondeley [Robinson], Davies, Henderson, D Boatman, J Boatman, Sawyer.