NEVER mind the quality, feel the drama. It lasted until the penultimate whistle of this gripping contest, which was accompanied by the referee's raised arm.

West Hartlepool thought he had awarded them a try, but it was a penalty to Mowden, which they gratefully hoofed into touch to signal the end of the game.

In judging that West had failed to get the ball down, the referee also deemed that they had not released it, so they had to be content with a losing bonus point earned by Stu Waites' four penalties.

There is less meat on the full back than on a butcher's pencil, but he gives the ball a fair whack and had a much better day than Mowden's Grant Connon.

Some at Mowden feel Connon is their best fly half since Kevan Oliphant, now the West coach. But Oliphant had the benefit of experience when he played at Yiewsley Drive and the youngster's lack of it saw him take numerous wrong options.

Having been under the weather all week, he also had an off-day with the boot, missing three penalties before converting the two second half tries.

When West led 9-0 at the break it seemed impossible that they could keep up their ferocious commitment. It was as though they had earmarked this game, rather than the Boxing Day derby against Rovers, for the blood and guts approach.

It took Mowden, the National Three North leaders, until 15 minutes from time to move ahead. But even then West wouldn't lie down and as they camped in the home 22 in injury time they repeatedly drove Mowden backwards in a series of scrums.

That was what took them to the line for the final attempt to get over, but they couldn't quite find a way to match Mowden's brace from close range.

It has always seemed that if the leaders are to stumble it will be on the heavier pitches of mid-winter and although they began both halves with high-speed attacks they were generally knocked out of their stride.

Their early pressure almost had its reward when Connon's fift-minute penalty hit the inside of a post and just stayed out. But West responded with a strong attack up the right, which was halted by a good tackle from teenage flanker Liam Riley.

West kept the pressure on and when Andy Foreman took a quick penalty on the 22 Mowden were penalised again for not retiring and Waites made it 3-0.

Scott Butcher put in his second strong run up West's right wing before Mowden began to get back into it, only for Connon to miss a penalty before Waites landed a more difficult one from 40 metres.

Connon them made a hash of trying to run out of defence when Mowden had such a big overlap that crisp handling should have produced a try. Instead the dithering allowed West to intercept, forcing Mowden to transgress and giving Waites a simple chance to make it 9-0.

After the interval Mowden again came quickly out of the blocks with front row men Danny Dixon and Andy Tonkin charging into the 22. They battered at the line and scrum half Todd Harrison nipped over by the posts.

A yellow card each in the first half had made little difference, but as West came under more pressure they spent 20 minutes down to 14 men.

Skipper Dan Boatman was sin-binned for killing the ball near the line, but Connon missed the penalty and West doggedly battled back for Waites to strike again from 30 metres.

Another powerful charge by Dixon got Mowden back within striking distance and just as Boatman returned fellow back row man Michael Taylor took his place in the bin.

Seconds later Tonkin burrowed over and Connon added the simple conversion. When he kicked a penalty five minutes late it seemed Mowden might ease to victory. But tenacious West were far from finished.