West Norfolk dig in for A47 derby victory at Wisbech

Wisbech 24 West Norfolk 26West Norfolk maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a hard-fought victory against Wisbech at Harecroft Road.In a passionate local derby, West Norfolk started strongly and surprised Wisbech with their physicality.Despite punishing crash balls from Dobbler, Chapman and Miles, West couldn’t capitalise on their early dominance.Handling errors allowed Wisbech to kick into West territory where they utilised their big runners well, scoring off the back of a lineout on the West five-meter line but failing to convert.Taking that momentum, Wisbech scored a second try after a spell of sustained pressure on attack and a momentary lapse in concentration on the part of the West Norfolk defence but again failed to convert for maximum points.However, a strong West Norfolk response came shortly after with some efficient phases and swift hands culminating in a lineout close to the Wisbech line and ultimately Wicks ducked through two tacklers to ground the first try for the visitors, also converting his score. The early pressure from Wisbech and some unnecessary penalties led to the home team choosing to use their considerable weight advantage in the scrum with two pushover try attempts being called back. After a brief respite due to Wicks’ boot, Wisbech were back in the visitors’ 22-yard zone once again implementing their physical yet extremely effective game plan, breaking down the West Norfolk defence to crash in under the posts and taking the extra two points.The visitors regained their presence on the pitch and with some solid runs supported by the reliability of Wicks’ boot, continued to take points through penalties although the home team weren’t done yet, going back to their tried and tested attacking game plan that saw another seven points made.A quick break from the base of the scrum saw Wicks offload to winger Layton Toll, masterfully gathering the ball off his bootlaces and popping the ball to Dobbler who plunged over the line to see seven points made for West. With West finishing strong, Wisbech conceded a final penalty, once more expertly converted by the golden boot of Wicks.West will now welcome Fakenham to Gatehouse Lane on Saturday for another derby clash.Man of the match: Tim Bateman.Defensive player of the match: Jacob Chapman, sponsored by Wicks’ Garage.