DESPITE clinching a 15-14 win at home to Blaydon last Saturday with the last kick of the match, Darlington Mowden Park will need a big improvement at Ampthill tomorrow.

The ambitious Bedfordshire club have started with two wins and again look likely to compete near the top end of National One.

The same cannot be said of the North-East rivals based on Saturday's showing.

Mowden have to contend with the annual problem of bedding in a host of new players and they played like a bunch of strangers until a 14-0 deficit galvanised them in the last 20 minutes.

Having missed the conversion which would have levelled the scores five minutes earlier, new full back Caolan Ryan slotted the winning penalty.

It was awarded when winger Peter Homan kicked ahead from halfway and was brought down. The penalty should have been awarded where the kick landed and the referee's judgement of that appeared very favourable as Ryan struck the target from 15 metres in from the right touchline, just outside the 22.

Given their lack of front five men, Mowden had to opt for a fluent game and played local lad Joe Craggs in the second row.

For a flanker he did remarkably well, but the game plan wasn't helped by some poor handling.

Mowden had former Newcastle Falcons centre James Fitzpatrick making his debut, but his passing suggested he has yet to master an art he could ignore when he used to run through opponents for Westoe.

Teessider Andrew Baggett landed the first of his three penalties for Blaydon after four minutes. His third made it 9-0 when Mowden were penalised for crossing at the second-half kick-off.

Eight minutes later Blaydon scored a try but crucially, as it turned out, Baggett missed the conversion and Mowden's fightback began with a chip and chase out of defence by Ryan.

Ten minutes of pressure earned a series of penalties, which they either ran or opted for scrums. After 65 minutes they had their reward when the ball was spun out following a penalty to touch and Ryan nipped under the posts.

With five minutes left a penalty was run from just outside the 22 and Ryan's chip and chase took him almost to the line, where Fitzpatrick was on hand to force his way over.

Although Ryan's conversion drifted left, he made no mistake with the winning penalty.

Middlesbrough's hopes of getting out of Durham and Northumberland One at the second attempt suffered an early blow with a 12-7 home defeat by Horden and Peterlee.

Euan Tremlett improved Boro's line-out, but neither he nor brother Toby are expected to be regularly available, while star half back Sam Gaudie has joined Wharfedale.

Boro were ahead at half-time after prop Myles Colvin touched down and young fly half Angus McColl converted. But after a Horden try early in the second half, a stalemate ensued.

Stockton lost 25-24 to the last kick of a game at Gosforth in which the lead changed hands seven times. All 24 points came from winger Steve Bartliff with a hat-trick of tries and three penalties.

Despite losing 31-26 at Gateshead, Barnard Castle again underlined their ability to compete at this level. A try by former Mowden winger Chris McTurk put them ahead, but they trailed 31-12 before fighting back to earn two bonus points.

In Durham and Northumberland Two, Darlington recorded their first win for well over a year with a 31-5 victory at Blyth. They will face a stiffer test tomorrow at home to Ponteland, last season's other relegated club.

Northallerton are still looking for their first win after a 31-36 defeat at home to Goole in Yorkshire Three.

North started well and scored within three minutes when Sam Taylor used his pace to beat three defenders.

Goole came back with an unconverted try following missed tackles out wide, but five minutes later North regained the lead when, from a line-out, they started a 10-metre rolling maul. Simon Manthorpe touched down for his first try for the club and Jed Bainbridge added his second conversion.

Goole came back with two tries in five minutes, but just before half-time Bainbridge landed a long-range penalty from an acute angle to make it 17-17 at the break.

North resumed on the front foot and scored the try of the game. Captain Jonny Franks produced a moment of magic in midfield, suddenly changing the direction of play with a sublime reverse pass to Baz Rolfe, who sent out a long pass for Taylor to score.

Bainbridge missed the conversion, but atoned with another penalty, only for North to make too many mistakes and hand Goole three more easy tries. North could only respond with two more penalties from Bainbridge.

In the dying seconds, trailing by five points, North were awarded a penalty. But a silly comment to the referee saw the penalty reversed.

North travel to Baildon tomorrow, while the seconds are at home to Wensleydale following the cancellation of last week's game against Richmond due to a lack of players.