Coventry rattled up sixty points in the second successive home match and fly half Steve Gough finished with a personal total of 34 points as they edged one place up the league to fifth.

Gough scored a hat-trick of tries, kicked five conversions and three penalty goals as Coventry delighted their fans with a brilliant display of attacking rugby.

'Cov' are averaging 49 points a match at Coundon Road which is rapidly becoming one of the most feared grounds in the country by opponents. And their performances are the more remarkable after the dramatic Summer months when the club almost went to the wall with huge financial losses.

But all that is clearly behind them now and Director of Rugby Derek Eves has them playing some tremendous football.

They made their usual hesitant start against the Welsh and fell behind in the 7th minute when Peter Shaw scored a try which Steve Pilgrim converted.

But that was only the goad to prod Coventry into life. Gough kicked a penalty goal and then they battered the London side with three converted tries in 12 minutes. Centre Mick Curtis, Gough and full back Wayne Kilford scored tries, Gough added the points.

The fly half then kicked another penalty goal and converted Lee Crofts' behind the posts touchdown.

Coventry led 34-7 at the change round and they carried on as before when the second period started.

Gough landed his third penalty goal but failed to improve his own try. He was back on the mark however when Kilford crossed for his second try and then Gough completed his hat-trick with a great solo try. He intercepted a London Welsh pass forty metres out and won the chase for the line.

But he was injured in making the score and left the field to allow the Argentinean Luis Criscuolo to convert the try. Criscuolo then converted his own try to take Coventry past sixty points.

The Welsh responded with tries by Whittaker and White one of which was converted by Pearce. But by then Coventry were in cruise control after making a total of seven substitutions - one of which brought his first taste of English rugby for prop forward Simon Kerr who jetted in to join the club from Australia last week.

Scorers - Coventry: Tries - Gough 3, Kilford 2, Curtis, Crofts, Criscuolo.

Conversions - Gough 5, Criscuolo 2.

Penalty goals - Gough 3.

London Welsh: Tries - Shaw, Whittaker, White.

Conversions - Pilgrim 1, Pearce 1.

COVENTRY: Kilford; Minshull, Criscuolo, Curtis, Smallwood (Hyslop 76); Gough (McAdam 66), Dawson (Wallwork 67); Sharp (Morgan 63), Soden (Addleton 54), Crane (Kerr 54), Fountaine (Ayres 67), Whitley, Crofts, Horrobin, Eves.