Darlington Mowden Park 48 Esher 31

THE return of hooker Santiago Socino, coupled with the immaculate kicking of Warren Seals, halted Mowden Park's worrying slump.

Their fourth try in the 54th minute gave them their first point for seven games and opened a 34-16 lead.

Esher came back strongly, but Mowden were not to be denied and fly half Seals maintained his 100 per cent record when he added his fifth conversion to his two penalties. He had left the field by the time the sixth try went in nine minutes into added time.

The bustling Socino set the tone with a first-minute break as Mowden shrugged off their woes with a lively start.

The Argentine continued to make telling thrusts and on-loan prop Joe Sproston also used his burly frame to good effect prior to switching to No 8 as part of a tactical master stroke in the 70th minute.

Esher had narrowed the gap to 34-26 and looked likely to repel Mowden pressure when they had the put-in at a scrum five metres from their line.

Mowden sent on former skipper Gareth Nesbit at loose head and although Esher won the strike they held the ball in the scrum and Mowden drove them off it. When the ball squirted out replacement flanker Callum Mackenzie pounced to score.

Like the previous four tries, this killer blow was scored wide on the left but Seals nailed the conversion.

Once the South African is recalled by Yorkshire Carnegie, Mowden have the option to switch Garry Law to fly half after making his comeback at inside centre.

He even moved briefly to the back row after No 8 David Fisher joined the long list of casualties from that department and his replacement, Rory Duff, also limped off.

Considering it was a high-scoring game following Mowden's try drought, few scores resulted from open play. Most of the tries followed penalties to the corner, starting when Fisher drove over in the fifth minute.

Socino finished a catch-and-drive and Esher managed something similar just before half-time after staying in touch by kicking three penalties.

They had the gap down to 17-16, but Seals landed a penalty with the last kick of the first half and on the resumption Socino made a break then exchanged passes with Law before sending Ben Frankland over.

After another penalty to the right corner the ball was moved left and full back Josh Bragman made a half break before off-loading for winger Adam Radwan to score.

Esher suddenly showed more urgency and looked dangerous as they went through the phases before the scrum half nipped under the posts.

When they added their fourth penalty the gap was down to eight, but then came the decisive introduction of Nesbit.

As was his wont as captain, he gave the referee the benefit of his advice during an interminable bout of scrum re-setting deep into added time. Mowden's sixth try duly followed.