When Brett Cullinane was sent off after just 2 minutes it looked like West’s bad luck against the Norton side was to continue but an early try settled things and just when the second half looked to be winding down a try-fest ensued and gave the score a healthier look.

Apart from three Jeremy Good penalty attempts and a consolation try at the end Stockton created little and even with the score stuck on 19-3 for a long period never really looked like having enough to win the game.

The game’s first incident was unfortunately an unsavoury one. With the ball spitting out of a ruck on the West side Stockton captain Brett Wildridge launched a kick at Jon Boatman who was lying on the ground. Referee Peter Ashman spotted the incident and blew the whistle only for Cullinane to charge into Wildridge from behind by way of retaliation. The charge looked fairly innocuous but caught the Stockton flanker and knocked him out cold for several minutes until the physio’s were able to bring him round. Unable to continue he was despatched to the sin-bin anyway for the kick with Brett seeing red for his reaction. It seemed a little harsh as it was silly but far from the worst incident you’ll see in North 2 East this season.

Anyway West had to soldier on and needed to get as many points as possible while both sides were playing with 14. They did this with a storming try from Paul Rudd, the second row steaming in from half way breaking four or five tackles on the way. Moss added the easy conversion.

Good had missed an early long range penalty after the sending off incident but made one from a similar distance on 29 minutes after West had a period of poor discipline, giving away a series of penalties.

At 7-3 and with a man down West needed more points and wanting a try before half time turned down a simple penalty under the posts as Tighe tapped and moved the ball wide right. After the ball was recycled and moved back left Tim Sawyer picked it up in midfield and found a way over under the posts to give Moss another simple conversion.

Good had another chance to reply after 37 minutes bug again saw a long kick drift wide. With a fair amount of injury time to play due to the early incident there was still time for more points and they came through a Danny Weegram try after a nicely worked scrum move created an overlap to allow the powerful winger over untouched.

With 3 tries scored and a relatively comfortable 19-3 lead at the break the game was almost over but another score was needed to really put the game away. But the second half was a scrappy affair and not pretty to watch given the bitterly cold conditions. The clinching try didn’t come until the 71st minute through Peter Hodgson but the opened the floodgates with more tries from Andrew Hare, Darren Thomas and Carl Robinson in the next 10 minutes. Stockton replied with an injury time consolation try from winger Tom Jeffery but there was still time to play and West had the last say with another try, this time Dan Boatman going over. Wallis managed two of the five conversions in an entertaining end to an otherwise pretty dull game. Superior fitness told by the end and Stockton looked a tired and downhearted bunch at the end. Without a coach and with only 6 points it doesn’t look good for them, hopefully they can re-group and look to bounce back next season, if there turns out to be any relegation.

It was hardly a polished performance from West but when you’re not playing your best and manage to run up nearly fifty points and eight tries you can’t complain too much. A trip to struggling Sandal next week will need no sense of complacency as provided the Wakefield club can field a team they can be dangerous on their own pitch and West cannot afford to lose the game if they are to make ground on the teams above in the table especially with a lack of front rows now that Brett will also be facing a ban with Anth Carr already sidelined after the sending off at Beverley.

West: Thomas, Hare, Edwards, Hodgson, Weegram, Moss (Wallis), Tighe, Cullinane, Sawyer, Robinson, Rudd (Miller), Davies, D Boatman, Tones (Cholmondeley), J Boatman.

Tries: Rudd, Sawyer, Weegram, Hodgson, Hare, Thomas, Robinson, D Boatman
Cons: Moss 2, Wallis 2

Sent-off: Cullinane

Stockton: Jenkins, R Brown, T Armstrong, Thornton, Jeffery, Good, P Armstrong, Muirhead, Delmar, S Brown, Skirving, Etherington, Wildridge, W Brown, Toulson
Subs: Taylor, Moulder, Austen

Try: Jeffery
Pen: Good

Sinbin: Wildridge, W Brown

Referee: Peter Ashman [Durham Society]