Greenock Wanderers got back to winning ways on Saturday when they comfortably defeated West of Scotland in their RBS Championship League Division A match at Fort Matilda.

For Wanderers it was a competent display and, importantly, the try scoring bonus point was secured late in the match to ensure the locals moved above Ardrossan in the table and into sixth place.

The hosts started and finished the match in fine style but the intervening period produced some error-strewn rugby from both sides in a dour contest that was punctuated with frequent stoppages.

For Greenock, skipper Brendan McGroarty was the star yet again with a hat-trick of tries and he was ably supported throughout by centre partner Kieren Smith, scrum half Andy McDougall, second row Matt Gray and loose forward Callum Robb.

Robb enjoyed another excellent 80 minutes. He was immense in the lineout and contact zone and was at the heart of all the good work done by the local pack.

Wanderers flew out the blocks and a shell-shocked West defence must have wondered what had hit them as the locals raced to a 14 point lead within eight minutes.

Captain McGroarty got the scoreboard ticking over in the fifth minute when he made a break through the centre channel some 40 metres out and outpaced the cover defence to touch down between the posts.

A few moments later he repeated the dose, this time shrugging off two ineffective West tacklers to breeze in from 20 metres. Kieren Smith converted both efforts to give Wanderers a sizeable early advantage.

A record score seemed a distinct possibility but the men from Milngavie battled bravely and ensured that there would be no capitulation and no repeat of some embarrassing results from earlier in the season.

On the half-hour mark Wanderers were hit by a sucker punch. A fine sweeping backs move took the hosts into the West half but a careless pass across the three-quarter line was intercepted by centre Lee Carnegie who sprinted 60 metres to touch down. Full-back Blair Smith struck an excellent angled conversion from wide on the right to reduce the deficit to 14-7.

Thereafter, some unforced errors from both sides contributed to the match becoming bogged down in midfield. Frequent mishandling, poor passing and mediocre ball security at the breakdown meant that neither side held momentum and the game as a spectacle lacked any fluency.

A successful Kieren Smith penalty on 35 minutes, awarded after the visitors were penalised for an offside infringement, sent the locals in at the interval 17-7 ahead.

The second period continued in the same vein but Wanderers eventually clicked into gear in the final quarter.

On 62 minutes Leigh Tyley made an incisive break down the short side of a ruck and when he was stopped close to the line he fed McGroarty. The Wanderers’ centre needed no second invitation to secure his hat-trick and he crashed over the line through two visiting defenders. Smith chipped over the conversion to extend the lead to 24-7.

Wanderers had found their groove and began to go through the phases with good quality, high-tempo play involving both forwards and backs.

On 68 minutes scrum-half Andy McDougall gained added distinction when he scored another trademark solo try. The Wanderers’ link man took possession 20 metres out and, with no support, set off on a mazy run, during which he danced and weaved his way through the entire West back line to dot down between the sticks. Smith’s conversion increased the advantage to 31-7.

Having secured the try-scoring bonus point the locals were hungry for more. On 73 minutes a fine series of mini rucks, co-ordinated by McDougall, took play close to the visitors line.

With West defending desperately McDougall spread the play into centre midfield to skipper McGroarty. Wanderers’ top try-scorer turned provider this time though and his deft inside pass to Kieren Smith gave his centre partner the opportunity to smash his way over the line from five yards out to complete the match’s scoring.

President John McDougall said: “We are always happy to win and get the additional try-scoring bonus point but we did go off the boil a bit after taking the early lead. I give West a lot of credit for that though because they stuck to their task throughout and made it difficult for us.” Wanderers reach the halfway stage in their league campaign next weekend when they travel to Memorial Field for the first west coast derby of the season against Ardrossan Academicals.

l Wanderers are sponsored by Texas Instruments