West Norfolk return to winning ways

What a difference a month makes as West Norfolk returned to winning ways in Counties 1 Eastern Counties at the weekend.Last month, West Norfolk were on the end of a chastising 94-0 defeat in the reverse fixture as the club suffered one of its heaviest defeats for decades.But it was a completely different story at Gatehouse Lane on Saturday as they turned the recent form book on its head with a 28-12 win.Head coach Darren Clarke said: “Having not played since our 94-0 loss to Cantabs three weeks ago, I’m sure many people gave us little chance of anything in this fixture.”We managed to get together a stronger squad with some key players returning and showed that we can compete in this league.There were many outstanding individual performances but the most pleasing aspect was the attitude, commitment and togetherness of the whole squad despite the tough period we have endured recently.”If we can bring the same unity and mindset into the remaining two games we have every chance of finishing the season on a high.”With several players returning from injury, the home side were able to field one of their strongest sides since the turn of the year.Number eight Jamie Williamson set the tone for the afternoon with a huge hand-off to break into space while West Norfolk played an offload game, which made great entertainment for the spectatorsFantastic handling from JJ Hart, Williamson and Lewis Stewart gained vital meters for the host outfit before Joe Lewis-Mitchell burst through several attempted tackles to open the scoring and scrum-half Hayden Revell converted.Some consistent pressure by West Norfolk saw a one-two between Revell and hooker Lewis Rudd down the wing with Rudd going over in the corner and Revell converting.The home side’s third score came courtesy of JJ Hart after fine carries from Edney Costa, Sam Moses and the returning Dan Nunn.Cantabs replied just before the interval as West Norfolk held a 28-7 lead at the break.Inevitably, the scrum provided the base for West Norfolk’s final score of the afternoon.After a monumental shove by the West forwards, the West backs provided a moment of champagne rugby, which Wicks finished off with a try near the posts.A slight moment of complacency and a soft penalty led to the Cantans centre running through for a final score.Adrian Flux man-of-the-match: Joe Lewis-Mitchell (sponsored by Vertex Architecture).