THANK Evans should be a popular refrain at Billingham, and rarely more so than on Saturday after full back Peter Evans scored all their points.

His admirable efforts could have been in vain, however, when brother, Joe, was harshly sin-binned with ten minutes left and West Hartlepool immediately scored the try which got the gap down to one point.

Given their forward dominance, it seemed West should go on to snatch victory. But Billingham showed they are more streetwise than when they played in National Three North two years ago and they successfully ran down the clock.

They are not going to challenge for promotion, but they should survive comfortably, whereas it looks like being a season of struggle for West.

This was their fourth successive defeat and the only real spark came from replacement Nathan Myers.

Normally a lively flanker like his brother Aaron, who is still with Wharfedale, he was sent on in the second row for the last half hour and scored one try and made the other.

This was not a good advert for rugby at this level, but derby matches are often scrappy affairs and the referee had no intention of allowing this one to flow.

The initial impression was not helped by Billingham wearing shirts with the word “Steelers” on the back (weren’t they a Rugby League team?) with two No 15s in the pack.

The real No 15 wore six and rewarded the team’s early enterprise with a 10-0 lead after 15 minutes. He kicked a penalty then set Elliott Husband away up the left and collected the winger’s chip to race over.

As this stemmed from a scrum which was going backwards it underlined how Billingham can fashion something from an unstable platform.

The chances became fewer as the match progressed, however, and West will feel they should have won.

Their line-out has been faltering in the absence of Tom Dixon, who has had a thumb operation, and new head coach Iain Dixon has enlisted the help of his ex-West, Mowden Park and Westoe teammate Iain Robinson.

Another Robinson, Billingham flanker David, made a nuisance of himself and was sin-binned midway through the first half, allowing West to get into the game.

No 8 Stewart Grazier touched down a pushover try, well converted by Stuart Waites, then came an exchange of penalties.

Just before half-time Peter Evans again broke up the left 40 metres out. He had Husband outside him, but sold a dummy and waltzed through to go round behind the posts.

His conversion made it 20-10 at the break, but when Myers finished off a series of rucks five minutes after going on West were in the ascendancy.

To their credit, Billingham hit back and West fell off-side for Evans to kick the visitors’ only second half points, which proved crucial.

When Joe Evans was sinbinned for what was deemed a high tackle, West kicked the penalty to the corner. They failed to win the line-out but ran back the clearance, with Myers to the fore, and prop Adam Coates went over in the right corner.

With the wind against him, Waites was unable to land his third conversion and West didn’t threaten to score again.