Clayton 36

Westgate Redoubt 16

Prop forward John Parkinson posted two tries as Clayton kept their cool to run out worthy winners against a fiery Westgate Redoubt in their last home match of the Pennine League Premier Division campaign at Lidget Green.

The tackles flew in thick and fast from the start, and a confrontation between Clayton stand-off Craig Pickthall and Redoubt loose forward Stuart Moran ended in a flurry of punches, both players escaping with a warning.

The Villagers struck first when hooker Peter Milnes popped up a simple pass from acting half to send Parkinson powering over from short range.

He added the extras but Westgate hit back when prop Gary Smith flicked the ball out of the back-door in the tackle and Moran collected to plant the ball under the uprights, leaving scrum half Mark Hovell a simple conversion.

A deep kick-off caused a knock on and stand-off Pickthall used all of his power and pace to prise open a gap to sprint to the whitewash, Parkinson unfortunately hitting the post with his conversion attempt.

Westgate stand-off Wayne Hirst caught the hosts flat-footed with a simple dummy and then rounded full back Damien Hunter to race to the chalk and Hovell again added the extra two to put Redoubt in front 12-10.

Clayton continued to play positive rugby as the head-high tackle count spiralled in Westgate's favour with one brutal challenge on Pickthall going unpunished, and they gained their just reward when centre Johnny Grogan spun out of a flimsy tackle to scurry over in the corner.

Scrum half Scott Pendlebury, making a surprise early comeback from a broken nose, produced a peach of a cut-out pass to put centre Eddie Harney galloping to the try-line and substitute Mark Schofield slotted over the extras to see Clayton into the sheds 20-12 up.

The Villagers came quickly out of the blocks on the re-start when packman Chris Parkinson, who was the best forward on the field, pounced on a knock-on and stretched full length to touch down.

Schofield added the conversion and slotted over another when he joined in the try feast by cutting inside the cover to race over. Clayton loose forward Richard Cousen was sent to the sin-bin for holding down but it did not deter the Villagers and a Milnes effort was ruled out for no apparent reason.

John Parkinson crowned a superb personal show when he grabbed his second try of the match with another unstoppable drive to the whitewash, and Westgate showed they had the ability to play rugby when they briefly abandoned their 'bully boy' tactics, second-rower Craig Taylor burrowing over.