EXHIBIT 10.14.1

            FIRST AMENDMENT TO AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

      This First  Amendment  to Amended  and  Restated  Credit  Agreement  (this
"AMENDMENT") is entered into as of the 1st day of May, 1997, by and among Patina
Oil & Gas Corporation ("BORROWER"), Texas Commerce Bank National Association, as
Administrative Agent  ("ADMINISTRATIVE  AGENT"),  NationsBank of Texas, N.A., as
Documentary Agent ("DOCUMENTARY  AGENT"), Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., CIBC, Inc. and
Credit Lyonnais New York Branch,  as Co-Agents  ("CO-AGENTS")  and the financial
institutions  listed on  Schedule  1 to the  Credit  Agreement  (as  hereinafter
defined) as Banks (individually a "BANK" and collectively "BANKS").

                               W I T N E S E T H:

      WHEREAS, Borrower,  Administrative Agent, Documentary Agent, Co-Agents and
Banks are parties to that certain Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as
of April 1, 1997 (as amended  through the date hereof,  the "CREDIT  AGREEMENT")
(unless  otherwise  defined  herein,  all terms used herein  with their  initial
letter  capitalized  shall  have the  meaning  given  such  terms in the  Credit
Agreement); and

      WHEREAS,  pursuant  to the  Credit  Agreement,  Banks  have made a certain
revolving credit loan to Borrower; and

      WHEREAS,  subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein,  Borrower,
Agents and Banks desire to (i) amend certain provisions of the Credit Agreement,
and (ii) set forth the amount of the  Borrowing  Base to be  effective  from the
date hereof until the next  Determination  Date,  all as more  particularly  set
forth herein.

      NOW  THEREFORE,  for and in  consideration  of the  mutual  covenants  and
agreements  herein  contained  and other good and  valuable  consideration,  the
receipt  and  sufficiency  of  which  are  hereby  acknowledged  and  confessed,
Borrower, each Agent and each Bank hereby agree as follows:

      SECTION 1.  AMENDMENTS.  In reliance on the  representations,  warranties,
covenants and agreements contained in this Amendment, the Credit Agreement shall
be amended effective May 1, 1997 in the manner provided in this Section 1.

          1.1.  AMENDMENT TO DEFINITIONS.  The definitions of "CONSOLIDATED FREE
     CASH FLOW," "LOAN PAPERS" and  "TERMINATION  DATE" contained in Section 1.1
     of the Credit Agreement shall be

amended to read in full as follows:

            "Consolidated  Free Cash Flow"  means,  for Borrower for any period,
      the remainder of (a) Borrower's Consolidated EBITDA for such period, minus
      (b)

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      Borrower's  Consolidated Net Interest  Expense for such period,  minus (c)
      all income and franchise  Taxes  actually paid in cash by Borrower and its
      Consolidated Subsidiaries during such period.

            "Loan  Papers"  means  this  Agreement,  the Notes,  the  Restricted
      Subsidiary  Guarantee,  the Restricted  Subsidiary Pledge  Agreement,  the
      First  Amendment,  all  Mortgages now or at any time  hereafter  delivered
      pursuant  to  SECTION  5.1,  and  all  other  certificates,  documents  or
      instruments delivered in connection with this Agreement,  as the foregoing
      may be amended from time to time.

            "Termination Date" means July 15, 2000.

               1.2. ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS.  Section 1.1 of the Credit Agreement
          shall be amended to add the following definition to such Section:

            "First  Amendment" means the First Amendment to Amended and Restated
      Credit  Agreement  dated  as of May 1,  1997,  entered  into by and  among
      Borrower, Agents, and Banks.

      SECTION 2.  BORROWING  BASE. In accordance  with SECTION 4.2 of the Credit
Agreement,  effective  May 1, 1997 and  continuing  until the earlier of (i) the
next  Periodic  Determination,  or (ii)  the  next  Special  Determination,  the
Borrowing Base shall be $110,000,000.

      SECTION 3.  REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES.  In order to induce Agents and
Banks to enter into this Amendment,  Borrower hereby  represents and warrants to
each Agent and each Bank that:

      (a) each  representation  and  warranty  of  Borrower  and the  Restricted
Subsidiaries  contained  in the Loan Papers are true and correct in all material
respects as of the date hereof  (except to the extent that such  representations
and warranties  are expressly made as of a particular  date, in which event such
representations and warranties were true and correct as of such date);

     (b)  neither  a  Default  nor an Event of  Default  has  occurred  which is
continuing; and

     (c)  Borrower  has no  defenses  to  payment,  counterclaims  or rights of
set-off with respect to the Obligations on the date hereof.

      SECTION 4.  MISCELLANEOUS.

      4.1  REAFFIRMATION OF LOAN PAPERS;  EXTENSION OF LIENS. Any and all of the
terms and provisions of the Credit  Agreement and the Loan Papers shall,  except
as amended and modified hereby, remain in full force and effect. Borrower hereby
extends the Liens securing the Obligations  until the Obligations have been paid
in full, and agrees that the amendments and modifications herein contained shall
in no manner affect or impair the Obligations or the Liens securing  payment and
performance thereof.

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      4.2 PARTIES IN INTEREST. All of the terms and provisions of this Amendment
shall bind and inure to the benefit of the parties  hereto and their  respective
successors and assigns.

      4.3 LEGAL EXPENSES. Borrower hereby agrees to pay on demand all reasonable
fees and expenses of counsel to Administrative  Agent incurred by Administrative
Agent in  connection  with the  preparation,  negotiation  and execution of this
Amendment and all related documents.

      4.4 COUNTERPARTS.  This Amendment may be executed in counterparts, and all
parties need not execute the same counterpart;  however, no party shall be bound
by this Amendment until this Amendment has been executed by Borrower, Agents and
all Banks at which time this Amendment shall be binding on, enforceable  against
and inure to the benefit of Borrower, Agents and all Banks.

Facsimiles shall be effective as originals.

     4.5 COMPLETE AGREEMENT.  THIS AMENDMENT, THE CREDIT AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER
LOAN  PAPERS  REPRESENT  THE FINAL  AGREEMENT  AMONG THE  PARTIES AND MAY NOT BE
CONTRADICTED  BY EVIDENCE OF PRIOR,  CONTEMPORANEOUS  OR ORAL  AGREEMENTS OF THE
PARTIES. THERE ARE NO UNWRITTEN ORAL AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE PARTIES.

      4.6  HEADINGS.  The  headings,  captions  and  arrangements  used  in this
Amendment are, unless specified otherwise, for convenience only and shall not be
deemed to limit,  amplify or modify the terms of this Amendment,  nor affect the
meaning thereof.

      IN WITNESS  WHEREOF,  the parties  hereto have caused this Amendment to be
duly executed by their respective Authorized Officers on the date and year first
above written.

                                    BORROWER:

                          PATINA OIL & GAS CORPORATION,

                                    a Delaware corporation

                                    By:   /S/ DAVID J. KORNDER
                                              David J. Kornder,
                                    Its:  Vice President

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                                    ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT:

                                    TEXAS COMMERCE BANK
                                    NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

                                    By:   /S/ DALE S. HURD
                                              Dale S. Hurd,
                                    Its: Senior Vice President

                                    DOCUMENTARY AGENT:

                                    NATIONSBANK OF TEXAS, N.A.

                                    By:   /S/ J. SCOTT FOWLER
                                              J. Scott Fowler,
                                   Its:  Vice President

                                    CO-AGENTS:

                                    CIBC, INC.

                                    By:   /S/ ALEKSANDRA K. DYMANUS
                                              Aleksandra K. Dymanus,
                                    Its:  Authorized Signatory

                                    CREDIT LYONNAIS NEW YORK BRANCH

                                    By:   /S/ PASCAL POUPELLE
                                              Pascal Poupelle,
                                   Its: Senior Vice President

                                    WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A.

                                    By:   /S/ GREGORY J. PETRUSKA
                                              Gregory J. Petruska,
                                    Its:  Vice President

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                                     BANKS:

                               TEXAS COMMERCE BANK
                              NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

                                    By:   /S/ DALE S. HURD
                                              Dale S. Hurd,
                                    Its: Senior Vice President

                                    NATIONSBANK OF TEXAS, N.A.

                                    By:   /S/ J. SCOTT FOWLER
                                              J. Scott Fowler,
                                    Its:  Vice President

                                    CIBC, INC.

                                    By:   /S/ ALEKSANDRA K. DYMANUS
                                              Aleksandra K. Dymanus,
                                    Its:  Authorized Signatory

                                    CREDIT LYONNAIS NEW YORK BRANCH

                                    By:   /S/ PASCAL POUPELLE
                                              Pascal Poupelle,
                                    Its: Senior Vice President

                                    WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A.

                                    By:   /S/ GREGORY J. PETRUSKA
                                              Gregory J. Petruska,
                                    Its:  Vice President

                                    BANK ONE, TEXAS, N.A.

                                    By:   /S/ BRAD BARTEK
                                              Brad Bartek,
                                    Its:  Vice President

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      SWAT hereby  acknowledges and agrees that the terms and provisions of this
Amendment as set forth above shall not in any manner release,  diminish, impair,
reduce or adversely effect the obligations of SWAT under, in connection with, or
related to any Loan Paper (to the extent a party  thereto),  including,  without
limitation,  the Restricted  Subsidiary Guarantee executed and delivered by SWAT
pursuant to SECTION  5.2 of the Credit  Agreement,  and SWAT  hereby  waives any
common law, equitable, statutory or other rights which SWAT might otherwise have
as a  result  of,  or in  connection  with,  the  amendments  and  modifications
contained in this Amendment.

                                    SOCO WATTENBERG CORPORATION

                                    By:   /S/ DAVID J. KORNDER
                                              David J. Kornder,
                                    Its:  Vice President

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