The wait goes on, therefore, for the Whites who last won the festive clash in 2008.

On this performance, however, there is no reason why Rovers can’t take the league points on offer when West visit the New Friarage on January 5th.

Rovers probably just shaded the territory and possession statistics but suffered from what looked a harsh penalty count, conceding two to every one for West and they also had to contend with three yellow cards-including two just about simultaneously- to one for West.

As a result, the match was stop-start but it was nevertheless competitive and included more attacking play than normal.

Daz Fawcett put Rovers 3-0 ahead after right minutes with a 27 metre penalty but the lead switched to West four minutes later when Jay Corbett broke up the blindside from a breakdown and put Ryan Painter in the left hand corner, Stu Waites kicking an excellent touchline conversion.

Rovers hit the home 22 from a penalty after 22 minutes and, after Callum Whitehead had been hauled down short, Fawcett fed Mark Burnside to touchdown for an unconverted try and Rovers had closed the gap to 14-8.

The penalty count had steadily increased and Rovers paid the price when Waites kicked two three-pointers on 37 and 40+1 minutes for West to lead 20-8 at the interval.

Some prolonged pressure at the start of the second half paid off for the Friaragemen when Ian Pinchen powered over from a tap penalty move after 48 minutes, Fawcett’s conversion made for a 20-15 scoreline.

Play restarted with a penalty to the visitors for dissent by West but Fawcett, strangely, declined a shot at goal in what were good conditions.

Fawcett did have a go with a 37 metre penalty on 53 minutes but went wide and Rovers then spurned a couple of overlaps by kicking the ball through to chase instead.

Waites kicked his third penalty after 59 minutes with Rovers then reduced to 13 men with yellow cards on 64 and 67 minutes but to their credit their defence not only held but they went on the attack to pen West in their own half.

Rovers maybe ought to have gone for goal with an easy penalty with a couple of minutes to play and then look for a final attack from the restart. Instead, they went for a tap and go and knocked-on.

West: Southern, Johnston, Hilditch, Youll, Tennant, Waites, R Painter (c), Hadwen, Brown, Cookland, Bunter, Linighan, Atkins, Robinson, Corbett. Subs used: Hogan, Siddle, Barker, Hunter, Rafferty

Rovers: Sainty, S Railton, S Barnfield, Armstrong, Gunn, Fawcett, Pelser, I Flounders, T Stead, Lloyd, Rayner, Little, Burnside, Dring, Whitehead (c). Subs used: O’Callaghan, Langley, N Stead, Pinchen

Referee: Mark Harrington (Durham Society)