In the final league game of last season, West and Percy Park racked up 100 points between them and in this, the first game of the Regional 2 North programme, spectators were treated to another 80 points.
The outcome had looked so different in the opening 20 minutes, at Preston Avenue, where West looked well in control after racing into a 17-0 lead.
However, Park took charge and ran in six tries, all converted by fly-half Will Ponton, the son of James, who was part of the back-row when West were last in England’s Premier Division in 1999.
It proved a lively and hard-fought game where the cobwebs of the long hot summer were well and truly blown away.
There are a few things to work on before two home games against newly-promoted Ryton and relegated Penrith.
The start is clearly not an issue given how West emerged from the blocks on Saturday.
Isaac Robinson set the ball rolling after just five minutes by going over from the 22 after taking a neat inside pass from skipper Chris Atkins.
Five minutes later, Knight scored the first of his well-deserved treble when Peter Youll’s astute pass gave the winger the opportunity to outfox two defenders. Jobe Roxby added both conversions before being on target again from a 30-metre drop goal to make it 17-0.
It took the hosts until the half-hour to show what they could do, and they did it in style taking advantage of a couple of poor tackles, which gave scrum-half Jacob German the space to score from just inside the West half.
Roxby responded with a 38-metre penalty, before Park reduced the arrears after another break from distance. West’s defence stopped the initial attack close to the line, but the home forwards had the strength to force their way over through Leo Caulfield.
West began the second half down to 14 men after the influential Jake Linighan was yellow carded and while he was off, the game turned around, with Percy Park scoring three quick tries.
The first, from Reekie, was from close range before an intercept from half-way two minutes later saw centre Matthew Dunn go under the posts to give his side an eight point lead.
Worse was to come as Howard Stock went through as Park made the most of a disorganised West defence to make it 35-20, a scoreline which had looked unlikely in the first half.
It was a helter-skelter second half with West taking their turn to keep the scoreboard operator on his toes when Roxby’s excellent cross kick was well taken by Knight, who dived over in the corner.
Ponton and Roxby then traded a penalty kick each to maintain the 13-point margin but, with a quarter of an hour left on the clock, Park sealed maximum points with prop Dan Shuttleworth forced his way over to make it 45-28.
However, West weren’t finished. Knight completed his hat-trick and try bonus point after Will Hilditch broke into the home 22 and was stopped short
Author: Roy
Author of Sports Life and all sports articles.