Bradford Salem 39, West Leeds 21

After winning their first four matches and losing four of their next five, Bradford Salem’s first-team coach Phil Nilsen is giving nothing away when it comes to suggesting where the club might finish their SSE Yorkshire Division Two campaign.

“It is a long season and a team at the bottom can beat a team at the top in this division,” said the Leeds Carnegie hooker.

“It is a tight section but what I hope is that we are in the mix at the end of the season.”

Salem’s maximum haul from their sixth win of the term lifted them one position to fifth but to back up Nilsen’s verdict, only five points separate leaders Yarnbury from Hullensians in sixth.

He added: “Credit to West Leeds. They kept going to the end but what is pleasing for us is that we are doing on the field what we have been doing in training, and we scored some great tries.”

The skies looked so filthy about 15 minutes before kick-off that it seemed as if Salem’s floodlights would be needed for the whole match, but the weather dramatically improved, with Salem’s backroom staff and replacements peering into a strong sun for much of the contest.

The home side secured the points within an hour, and the game only became scrappy in the final 20 minutes when Salem were guilty of overplaying and West Leeds’ spirited response brought them two tries.

West Leeds fly half Dale Breakwell showed his prowess off the kicking tee with three penalties in the opening 22 minutes, Salem’s only reply being a fifth-minute Danny Belcher kick.

However, Salem were 22-9 to the good by half-time, their first try coming from a neat short pass by their man of the match Andy Robinson, Belcher going over in the 27th minute and adding the conversion himself.

Three minutes later, the visitors’ defence bought Robinson’s dummy and No 8 Damien Pearson, in the manner of a winger rather than a forward, went outside and then in before scoring a choice try, which Belcher again improved.

In the 37th minute, Salem caught West Leeds napping at a line-out, a quick throw to the front giving replacement hooker Ali Veitch the opportunity to crash over in the visitors’ right corner.

Home winger Connor Malarkey had a strong third quarter and his crossfield run allowed Belcher to put right winger Sam Savage in for a try two minutes after the restart, Belcher’s conversion making it 29-9.

The energetic Pearson scored Salem’s fifth try in the 57th minute after good work by livewire scrum half Jack Mitchell and the superbly balanced Belcher, whose conversion stretched the score to 36-9.

On a day when the pitch was a sea of blue and yellow shirts - both sides had that colour combination - West Leeds finished the match strongly with tries for persevering centre Nathan Browne and winger Danny Booth, Belcher having the last word with a penalty.