A day of celebrations as West Norfolk are crowned league champions

Jamie Williamson praised the players and coaching team around him as West Norfolk Rugby Club bounced back from last season’s relegation at the first attempt.The Gatehouse Lane outfit clinched the Counties 2 Eastern Counties title in fine style with a resounding 66-7 victory against Thurston in front of a bumper crowd.Coach Williamson, who has been involved with the club for more than 37 years, said: “It’s amazing. For me, it feels like it’s been almost a long journey from obviously playing as a youngster through the club and now I’ve done that.”I don’t take all the credit, I take very little credit. We’ve been blessed to have a really good quality side this year.”A lot of young players that have come into their own over the season and the coaches that I’ve got around me, the experience there, I couldn’t have done it without them.”It was a case of getting over last year, which everyone knows was extremely hard on us.”In the off-season I came to the table with a few ideas and said, well I’m happy to do the job if this, this and this happens. I’ve just been very lucky with the supporting cast around me I would say.” What a difference a year makes. This time last year, West Norfolk’s league status was hanging by a very frayed thread following a 54-0 drubbing at A47 rivals Wisbech in what can only be described as an injury-ravaged campaign.Now after a year of hard work, the only way is up.”I don’t want to bang on about last year too much, but last year what happened happened because of a horrendous injury record,” said Williamson. “We played around 55 players in the first team last year and this year we’ve been lucky enough to keep it to less than 30. We’ve kept a core squad together and have been very lucky when it comes to the injuries.”The quality has always been there and it was just a case of pulling everyone together, having a bit of a reset and making them believe that they can do it. “There was no rhyme or reason to it, it was just a very unlucky year. I’ve been involved for an awful long time and I’ve never had a season like it, I’ve never known a season like it.”To be entrenched in that, turning up week in week out, along with the captain Jack (Wicks), trying to scrape a team together every week. “This feels like a little bit of redemption that we managed to keep that squad together and show what we can do.”After the trials and tribulations of last season, Williamson praised the efforts of his skipper.”Jack, especially as a young captain, he certainly wasn’t expecting to take on what he did last year,” he said.”He dealt with it, obviously I supported him through it as a senior player. He’s earned it this year and I’m very proud of him. “I’m hoping he stays with the team and continues to captain because next year is going to be difficult for us as well.”Finlay Wilcox helped himself to a hat-trick of tries with Wicks (2), Morgan Smith, Gethin Hunter and Layton Toll also on the scoresheet along with a penalty try.Hayden Revell kicked five conversions as West Norfolk turned on the style in the second half after going into the break 19-7 in front.”When we look at the quality that we do have, I think one thing that we have been guilty of quite consistently, unfortunately, is just not coming out onto the pitch and hitting our stride quickly enough,” admitted Williamson. “That’s something that we’ll be working on in the off-season because next year we’re not going to be able to afford to let teams get a head start on us.”But eventually, as you’ve seen today, once we wake up and hit our stride then the type of rugby that we play, certainly we were too good for pretty much any team in this league.“Hopefully, that will help us to hold our own next year as well.”