MAIDENHEAD 20 pts WESTON-S-MARE 24 pts

FIFTY minutes into the match, Weston looked to be heading for defeat.

They were 15 points adrift and any kind off score was a distant thought.

But second-half tries by their back three produced a victory which can only be described as grand larceny.

The first of these arrived when Maidenhead's midfield were launching yet another attack, but when their passing broke down, T J Madamombe's fly-hack was successfully chased down by Paul Sprague, who was returning to the team for the first time since his injury against Cardiff in August.

Mark Armstrong converted to bring the Seasiders back into the game, and there was to be further anguish for the hosts.

Five minutes later, Christopher Crichton fielded a kick inside his own half, returned the ball to vacant space, and a favourable bounce gave him his 13th try of the season.

Then incredibly, with five minutes of normal time remaining, Weston took the crucial lead.

Fast hands near the right touchline by Crichton and skipper Dave Burge sent Harry Warman sprinting 40 metres to the line.

Armstrong's third conversion took the score to 21-15, but the hosts were not finished.

A corner try by Stuart Mackay reduced their arrears to a single point, but Warren Abraham failed with the conversion.

His long-range penalty attempt in stoppage time also fell short, unlike Ben Main's 42-metre shot which sailed between the posts to finish things off.Earlier, Weston looked completely out of sorts.

They arrived late at Braywick Park following a tyre blow-out on the M4 and during those first 50 minutes were fortunate to be only 15 points down.

Their passing and kicking had been sluggish and the turnovers were too numerous to mention.A penalty by Abraham and a brace of tries by Simon Cripps were Maidenhead's just reward.

But among the lethargy was an outstanding performance by Warman.

The 20-year-old full-back made two try-saving tackles which would have put the hosts out of sight and it was entirely appropriate that he should score what proved to be the winning try.

Weston will have to improve their performance for the visit of Oxford Harlequins on Saturday.

They will be without back-rowers George Sparks and Kevin Hobbs, and lock Ashley Russell is unlikely to have recovered from a facial injury which required hospital treatment.

Weston: H Warman; C Crichton, T J Madamombe, B Main, P Sprague; M Armstrong, L Hember; H Smith (N Lavender 51), D Burge, E Hunt, A Richards, A Russell (W Tuitupou 31), D Cook, K Hobbs (R Bennett 76), G Sparks