South Shields Westoe 38 Hartlepool Rovers 3

The Whites have Horden and Peterlee up next and with home advantage will be looking to use the Friarage factor but the Collierymen aren’t going to just roll over and concede defeat.

Saturday’s game at Wood Terrace saw Rovers up against, arguably, the Durham Northumberland One form team and, to their credit, they competed well over the 80 minutes but succumbed to a more clinical home side.

Rovers enjoyed almost unbroken pressure in the early stages but fell behind from Westoe’s first attack on 12 minutes when right wing Jamie Preston crossed from an attacking scrum, Andy Sutherland converting.

Daz Fawcett pulled three points back three minutes later with a well-judged 41 metre penalty.

Play continued to be even and largely between the two 22’s and Sutherland kicked an 18 metre penalty after 36 minutes, Westoe having failed to batter their way through a determined away defence.

The Friaragemen started the second half well but couldn’t break the Westoe defensive line, the visitors now playing up the slope.

Sutherland, for a very tall man, was proving to be a good stand off and he alternated the kicking game downfield and bringing his backline into play.

After a lengthy stoppage following a brawl, Westoe’s pack played their way through the phases with Andrew Kirton finding a way over the line, Sutherland’s extra points making for a 17-3 lead.

Rovers conceded again on 67 minutes but could point to a blatant knock on and a crooked lineout throw in the lead up to Kirton barging over from the lineout, Sutherland was again on target and the lead had grown to 24-3.

Using the slope to good effect, the Tynesiders added a further two tries with Haydn Richards showing some neat footwork for a hooker and Kirton again crossing from close range. Sutherland’s 100% afternoon continued with both conversions for a 13 points’ personal haul.

South Shields Westoe: Hughes, Preston, McKenzie, Judson, Tate, Sutherland, Seymour, Lamb, Richards, Kellett, Younghusband, Kirton (c), Ramsay, Wylie, Gaff (sin bin 60) Subs used: Scorer, White, Robinson

Rovers: Stephenson, S Railton, Austwicke, Armstrong, A Smith, Fawcett, Pelser, I Flounders, T Stead, Lloyd, S Smith (c), Rayner, Jeffery, Dring (sin bin 22), Charters. Subs used: Swallow, D Smith, Ryan