SEDGLEY PARK 46, LONDON WELSH 27: Sedgley will no doubt remember the first ever visit of London Welsh to Park Lane for all the right reasons - five points and the first double of the season writes PETER COLLINS.

The Exiles, on the other hand will probably wish to forget it.

However, supporters from both sides will remember a thrilling game, with both sides intent on playing exciting, expansive rugby from the first whistle.

Tigers' player-coach Tim Fourie had to reshuffle his side in the wake of injuries to winger Richard Welding, centre Jim Naylor and hooker Richard Oxley.

In came the versatile Danny McGee for his first game, starting at centre alongside Carlos Hassan, the two replacing Naylor and Ian Voortman, with the latter taking broken jaw victim Welding's left wing berth.

In the front row, Paul Keys started at hooker, despite sporting an abscess on his neck.

Welsh began the brighter, making the most of poor Sedgley tackling that resulted in an easy penalty for fullback Mike Whitehead, who put his side 3-0 up after three minutes.

It was the early wake-up call Sedgley needed and strong running and layoffs from McGee and Keys got the Tigers to within 10 metres of the Exiles' line, where Blair Feeney followed up his own grubber kick to grab the first try, which he the duly converted to make it 7-3 to the home side.

On nine minutes the ball was worked across to the right wing where Jon Feeley drew the markers before slipping the ball inside to flanker Richard Senior in support and he crashed over in the corner. Feeney added the conversion to make it 14-3 to Sedgley.

A Voortman interception looked like adding try number three, but a knock-on ruled it out. However, a penalty gave Feeney another shot at goal and he didn't miss from 23 metres to make it 17-3.

Welsh hit back with some powerful running but it was matched by Park, with Fourie, Keys and Skurr in particular combining well. The thing that was to disrupt both sides all afternoon was turnovers, as both packs fought to deny each other possession.

Despite partnering each other for the first time, McGee and Hassan combined well, both in attack and defence, as did fullback Arno De Jager, who joined the line in attack at every available opportunity, while putting in some crunching tackles in defence.

On the half-hour Sedgley improved their score. Following a turnover the all was again swung out to the right and Feeley took a pass before cutting first inside and then back out towards the line, beating his opposite number for pace to race in for his first try of the game to make it 22-3 to Park.

Welsh got back into the game four minutes after the restart when Whitehead slotted over a second penalty to make 22-6.

But four minutes later following a lineout on the Welsh 22, Erik Lund fed Skurr and he barged over from close range to claim his side's fourth try and a bonus point. Feeney then added the conversion to make it 29-6 to Sedgley and end the game as a contest.

De Jager was called upon again to put in a try-saving tackle as Sedgley were pushed onto the back foot, defending their five metre line for a number of phases before they were able to break out and extend their lead.

On 58 minutes Feeley shook off two tackles before wrong-footing Whitehead to go in under the posts for his second try of the day, improved by Feeney to make it 36-6 to Sedgley.

From another successful lineout on the Welsh 22, Lund again showed his dexterity with the ball in hand, laying off to substitute Dave McCormack who forced his way over in the corner to make it 41-6.

But the visitors were not finished.

On 69 minutes substitute Paul Cox pulled a try back for Welsh and Whitehead's conversion put them into double figures, with the score 41-13 after 69 minutes.

But just 60 seconds later a surging charge spearheaded by Huw Thomas and Skurr was rounded off by De Jager, who joined the line once more, running the angle well to go over in the corner to make it 46-13.

With 10 minutes to go further Sedgley scores were seemed inevitable, but to their credit a proud Exiles side refused to give in and claimed two more converted tries from flanker Richard Woods and stand-off Dylan Pugh to ensure Welsh finished the game with 27 points on the board.

SEDGLEY: De Jager, Feeley, McGee, Hassan, Voortman, Feeney, Wilkinson, Du Plessis, Keys, Thomas, Fourie, Lund, Senior, Ponton, Skurr. Replacements: T. Albinson, Collie, Lourens, Hall (for Senior, 67), McCormack (for Wilkinson, 56), Bullough, Holtzhausen (for Fourie, 68).