FORMER Premiership winger Mike Wood cast off the mothballs at the age of 37 to score two tries on his Darlington Mowden Park debut on Saturday.

With last season’s leading try scorer, Chris McTurk, making his comeback in the second team, Mowden now face a selection dilemma ahead of tomorrow’s tough trip to fourthplaced Sedgley Park.

National Two North’s top two also clash tomorrow, with Macclesfield visiting Stourbridge, who are only one point ahead of Mowden.

The 51-3 win against Sheffield Tigers meant in four matches at The Northern Echo Arena Mowden have scored 223 points and conceded 36.

Wood, who comes from a farming family in the Sedgefield area, played in the top flight for West Hartlepool and Newcastle before spending four years with Rotherham.

A desire to be involved in the exciting developments at Mowden persuaded him to dust off his boots and he showed he still knows the way to the line.

Young flanker Jack Allcock won the man of the match award, underlining another selection dilemma as his rival for the No 7 shirt, Liam Riley, came off the bench at half-time and showed his class, despite injuries forcing him to play in the second row.

Full back Henry Robinson was also outstanding. After two weeks without touching down, the league’s leading try scorer took his tally to 11 and also launched two brilliant late counterattacks from his own 22.

For the first he slid on to the ball five metres from the line after the Tigers had hacked on, then swiftly regained his feet and broke down the middle in a move which ended with Callum McKenzie being stopped just short.

Then came a sensational try to round off the game when Robinson broke again and linked with Rory Duff. He put Riley away up the left and the youngster stepped past a tackle before passing inside for winger Tom Kill to go under the posts for the ninth try.

With the forwards again driving the mauls to good effect, three of the four first half tries came from close range, finished by McKenzie, hooker Ross White and Wood. Skipper Cameron Mitchell also cruised over after a break by McKenzie, his fellow centre.

It was 20-3 at half-time, then Wood produced a classy finish on the right wing after Mitchell made the running.

Midway through the second half Mowden scored three tries in four minutes. Robinson grabbed a loose ball on the blind side of a ruck to dart over and from the restart Riley broke away and linked with Guy Van Den Dries, who sent replacement hooker Ross Doneghan over.

After the next restart the Tigers were penalised and Gavin Painter took a tap penalty to launch an attack which featured Mitchell and Robinson and was finished by Grant Connon.

Kill’s seventh of the season completed the rout. Darlington won 25-0 at home to Gosforth to move level with Blyth at the top of Durham and Northumberland One.

A young, fit Gosforth side defended stroutly to restrict their hosts to an 8-0 lead until they scored three tries in the last 15 minutes.

Given the unusual situation of having four props to choose from, Darlington began with skipper Paul Shepherd and Joe Hargreaves, with player-coach Dan Miller going on for the second half.

Lock Kevin Gilroy did well on his return and Jamie Chalmers impressed at blind side.

Scrum half Mark Baldwin nipped over for a try after ten minutes and his brother Nick added a penalty. But Darlington couldn’t break down the defence again until centre Dan Carter, Nick Baldwin and No 8 Colin Rogers scored the late tries.

Blyth won 15-12 at Durham City, while another narrow away win saw Bishop Auckland triumph 16-15 at Gateshead.

Bishops are at home to City tomorrow, when Darlington visit Consett.

Middlesbrough moved up to fourth from the bottom in North One East when they won 23-12 at home to basement club Sheffield.

Winger Jack Bircham, returning in place of the injured Rhys Kilbride, set up the first try for skipper Rob Bellerby and scored 13 points himself from a try, two penalties and a touchline conversion.

Boro trailed 7-5 at half-time but took control with the wind behind them. There was also a try for hooker Ashley Kearney before Sheffield scored late in the game.

Stockton bounced back from their heavy defeat by Horden to win 19-13 in poor conditions at Novos. Centre Craig Slaughter and No 8 Todd Highfield crossed for a 12-8 half-time lead, which was stretched when flanker Martin Howe touched down and Jeremy Good added his second conversion.

A hat-trick of tries by Greg Aspin helped Northallerton secure their third successive league victory by beating Thornensians 29-13.

With a couple of key players missing, young prop Phil Swall switched to No 8 and continued his good form with his fifth try of the season.

But in one of the team’s best displays of the season it was Aspin who stole the show, two of his tries resulting from long, looping passes by skipper Dougie Mulholland. For the third he showed blistering pace after intercepting in his own half.

The final try came from utility player Tom Young, who can switch from hooker to centre to flanker, while Mulholland landed two of the five conversions to cap a fine performance.

Nick Bainbridge, a first team prop for nearly 30 years, managed a creditable 30 minutes as a replacement.

Northallerton visit Hemsworth tomorrow, when the seconds hope to get back into action at home to West Hartlepool thirds.

They had no game last week, but third team captain Giles Drew kept faith with his regular players, who rewarded him with a 22-0 win against Stocktonians.

The tries came from the ever-improving Matt Wheeler (2), Richard Ryder and Christopher Mulholland, who was celebrating his 60th birthday and also landed a conversion.

The thirds are away to West Hartlepool fourths tomorrow, when all kick-offs are at 2.15.

  • There was cause for celebration at Northallerton Rugby Club on Saturday when Chris Mulholland marked his 60th birthday by scoring a try.

The father of first team captain Doug, second row forward Chris touched down in a 22-0 win for the third team against Stocktonians in his first appearance of the season.

“My wife is well known for her cricket teas at Darlington, where Doug’s the professional,” he said. “She bakes a lot and brought a cake to the rugby club to help start the celebrations after the match. We kicked things off in the changing room with the help of my home-made wine then continued in the clubhouse.

“I was nominated player of the day for the thirds and Doug for the firsts, so it was a good night.”

Originally from the Lake District, Chris played in the back row for Cumberland Schools, then for Sheffield Tigers during college days.

A chartered surveyor, he was in business on Teesside and played for Stockton before giving up rugby in his mid-30s because of back trouble.

He started again when Doug got involved at Northallerton and said: “I played two or three times last year, but we struggled to get a third team out.

“We started late this time when the farmers became available.

I wouldn’t want to keep a youngster out, but I’ll play when I’m needed.”