West Norfolk maintains Counties 2 Eastern Counties promotion push with derby win over Wisbech

West Norfolk sent their fans home happy for Christmas with a hard-fought 18-12 derby victory over Wisbech at Gatehouse Lane this afternoon.

The league leaders were pushed every step of the way by their A47 visitors but enter the festive break with a healthy lead at the summit.

Hayden Revell registered the first try after a move down the right, which was kept alive by Louis Jones before converting his own try.

Wisbech responded with a try of their own through Ethan Garford and Sam Anderson levelled the scores by adding the extras.

A mazy 50-yard run from Finlay Wilcox saw him offload to Josh Burgess to restore the home side's side but Revell put his conversion wide to leave West Norfolk with a 12-7 going into the break.

The second half became a real war of attrition as both sides slogged it out in the heavy conditions.

A Revell penalty increased West Norfolk's lead to eight points but Wisbech refused to lie down and Sam Green reduced the arrears with a second try for the Men in Red, although Anderson smashed his conversion attempt against the upright.

An incident involving Wisbech’s Soloman Prestidge on the far touchline sparked a 20-man melee with both sets of players involved before the referee restored order for the final 20 minutes.

Following the heated exchange, the hosts kept their composure the best. A further penalty from Revell gave West Norfolk a six-point advantage, which they maintained until the final whistle.

Next up for West Norfolk is a derby trip to Fakenham on January 4.