The home side knew they were in for a hard Saturday afternoon, as this game was the bottom team versus the runaway league leaders.
Weston, as expected, started well and scored an early try in the corner, which they were unable to convert. Settling into the game, Norton started to make some possession tell, putting the visitors’ defence under pressure. Their forwards – Moss, Denning, Swift, Jenner and Button, repeatedly carried the ball into the Weston 22.
This pressure enabled prop, Edgell, to power over in the corner to level the score after fifteen minutes. Norton attacked with every bit of possession they had, with Schuster and Abbott trying to give the home side’s backs, Murphy, Holmwood, Mattick and Jefferies, good attacking ball.
Sawkins and Clark worked tirelessly, providing links between the forwards and backs while Winger, Church, carried the ball well, always making ground.
Norton’s determination to attack was their undoing at times, as this allowed Weston to pounce on mistakes and turn defence into attack and add to their tally of tries, taking the score to 5–33 at the break.
The second half was a very even affair with both sides’ defences nullifying most of the other side’s attacks. Both teams only managed to score an unconverted try apiece, with Edgell replicating his first half score at the other end of the field. In the end, it was Weston’s well-organised aggressive defence that won them the game, as it stopped Norton adding to their score.