Mowden victory offers hope ahead (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Mowden victory offers hope ahead

10:04am Monday 15th September 2008

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FORMER Barnard Castle Schoolboy Adam McKenzie, a Scotland Under 20 squad member, made an impressive debut in senior club rugby as Darlington Mowden Park beat Caldy 18-13.

Victory reassured Mowden fans that their rebuilt team will still be able to compete in National Three North as they grew in confidence after defending stoutly early on.

They found themselves under pressure up front for the first 15 minutes and lost scrum half Martin Lithgo with an elbow injury, John Newton going on.

Caldy’s No 8 eventually scored in the corner, but Mowden came back strongly and forced a series of penalties for killing the ball around the 22.

Fly half Jon Benson kicked two of them for a 6-5 lead at half-time.

Full back Ben Snook retired with a dislocated finger to be replaced by Gavin Painter, but Mowden stepped up the pace and McKenzie burst through.

He was stopped just short, but six phases later winger Gavin Clegg crossed in the corner.

With Mowden dominating in the loose, McKenzie again broke through from halfway and scored under the posts, Benson’s conversion putting them 18-5 ahead.

Mowden were out of luck when, after working the ball out of defence to halfway, it popped out of the side of a ruck for the Caldy No 7 to pick up and race under the posts.

Clegg blocked the conversion and after the visiting kicker atoned with a penalty Mowden held out comfortably for the last ten minutes, well led by skipper Danny Brown.

Three tries by brothers Colin and Andrew Cheslin, playing on the wings, helped promoted West Hartlepool to start their North One programme with a 36-13 win at home to Middlesbrough.

With Jamie Connolly and Gareth Kerr forming an effective centre partnership, West ran the ball at every opportunity.

Two penalties by Simon Moore either side of Colin Cheslin’s first try after 27 minutes saw Boro trail only 7-6 at half-time after defending well.

But when they fumbled the ball shortly afterwards West hacked on for Andy Cheslin to score and towards the end of the game they were well in control.

Flanker Jon Boatman scored twice, Iain Dixon also crossed and Paul Moss’s second conversion made it 31-6 before Boro replied with a well-worked try by scrum half Peter Wright.

As fly half Simon Moore had gone off injured, full back Callum Campbell added the conversion to cap a promising debut. Colin Cheslin scored his second trick late in the game.

Darlington lost 33-17 at home to Birkenhead Park, who sealed the match during a purple patch in the second half when they increased a 16- 10 lead through a penalty and two tries. Darlington pressed for much of the second half but had only a late try to show for it from centre Andrew Pugh following a 30-yard run by lock Chris Oakley.

Both teams scored one converted try in the first half, but the visitors added three penalties to lead 16-7.

Darlington led 7-3 after winger Pedro Salashouri finished a well-worked move and full back Alex Lineton converted.

He also kicked a penalty after featuring strongly in a good start to the second half.

Billingham won their first match following promotion to North Two East 26-15 at Carlisle, while Durham City lost 15-5 at Old Crossleyans.

In Durham and Northumberland One relegated Hartlepool Rovers began with a 76-8 home win against Sunderland, with Chris Sainty converting nine of their 12 tries.

He scored two of those for a personal tally of 28.

The Foreman brothers scored five between them with two each for Andrew and Gareth and one for Brian.

Stockton lost 9-3 at Gosforth on the all-weather pitch on which they declined to be cast as guinea pigs last season.

Despite the firm surface, it remained 3-3 for most of the game until Gosforth added two late penalties.

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