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Benson the key to Mowden’s ambition
WHILE Darlington Mowden
Park will hope to get fly half
Jon Benson fit for Saturday's
promotion play-off at
Cinderford, it would be tough
on replacement Charlie Rayner
if he again has to start on the
bench.
The young utility back had to
make way for winger Gareth
Kerr to return after injury at
Morley, but he replaced Benson
at half-time and crowned a good
display with two excellent
penalties into the wind to clinch
a 27-25 win.
The two kicks came either
side of the 80-minute mark and
followed hard on the heels of a
77th minute try by flanker
Aaron Myers as a 13-point burst
settled the game.
Mowden had trailed 18-14, but
at 27-18 ahead they were safe
and when Morley scored their
third try the conversion proved
to be the last kick of the match.
With a place in National Two
at stake, Mowden will want
Benson's experience at
Cinderford and will be hoping
he recovers from a blow on the
head.
Prop Dan Miller also retired
with a calf injury after 65
minutes, while his front row
colleagues Ross Batty and
Danny Brown were sin-binned
during a second half period
when Mowden were under
pressure and kept infringing.
Batty was otherwise
outstanding, while Kerr did well
on his return and Peter Browne
did enough when introduced at
No 8 at half-time to warrant
further involvement this week
against his former club.
Mowden will want to return
to their more aggressive
defence in Gloucestershire as
they spent too much time on the
back foot at Morley, for whom
defeat brought relegation.
With the wind behind them in
the first half, Mowden failed to
use it as planned and led only
14-10. They trailed 3-0 until Kerr
cut inside to finish a wellworked
try, then scrum half
Andy Foreman nipped over on
the blind side.
Benson converted both, but
Morley came back with a
converted try just before halftime
and a penalty reduced the
gap to one point after 54
minutes.
That was when Batty received
the first yellow card and things
looked ominous when Brown's
departure ten minutes later was
swiftly followed by the try
which put Morley 18-14 ahead.
But once Mowden were back
to full strength they dug deep
and the forwards advanced
through pick-and-drive for
Myers to score.
Rayner converted and two
minutes later landed his first
superbly-struck penalty, which
he followed with another in
injury time to make the game
safe.
Blaydon's decline since
clinching safety in National
Two continued when they lost
24-11 at home to Southend.
Having lost their recruits
from Newcastle, Blaydon were
further depleted by the late
withdrawal of leading try
scorer Andrew Fenby and were
under pressure from the start.
Three missed tackles allowed
Southend to score their first try
and the second came from one
of many penalties kicked to the
corner.
Just before half-time No 8
Jason Smithson took a quick
tap penalty and slotted a huge
drop goal, and when fly half
Richard Windle added a penalty
after the interval Blaydon were
back in it.
But after working hard to get
into a good position they lost
possession and Southend scored
their third try, the conversion
making it 9-6.
The visitors hacked on to
score again after a Blaydon pass
went astray and the only home
try came two minutes from time
when Smithson was driven over
from a line-out.
Former England captain Bill
Beaumont, whose son Sam was
in the visiting pack, presented
the National Three North
trophy to Tynedale captain Phil
Belgian after a 22-7 win.
One of the biggest crowds of
the season watched the
Corbridge club's 25th successive
home win, although they were
given a tough fight after racing
into a 10-0 lead.
Despite facing the wind,
Fylde dominated for 30 minutes
but were unable to score and
conceded another try just
before half-time.
A try by former Durham
County winger Oliver Brennand
cut the gap to 15-7, but
Tynedale's third try ended
Fylde's hopes of pipping
Mowden Park for second place.
Penrith's brave bid for North
One survival was foiled, despite
a late penalty giving them a 23-
20 win at Middlesbrough.
Boro started well and led 12-0
after 15 minutes, with good
work by the forwards producing
a try in the corner for left
winger Paul Norris.
Then centre Rob Bellerby
intercepted to go under the
posts, but Penrith replied with a
try after 23 minutes then scored
from an interception of their
own to level the scores.
A drop goal just before halftime
put the visitors ahead and
they added a well-taken try
before Boro got back into it
through a Simon Moore penalty.
It became 20-20 after 68
minutes when Boro kicked a
penalty to the corner and drove
on before scrum half Peter
Wright nipped over.
Penrith's late penalty brought
very shortlived joy as
Darlington's win meant the
Cumbrians were unable to
overhaul them.
Hartlepool Rovers were
relegated from North Two East
when they lost 22-17 away to
champions West Hartlepool.
The hosts dominated up
front, and although Rovers led
10-5 at one stage they were well
beaten by the time they scored
a converted try at the death.
Winger Rob Thorn, possibly
playing his last game for West,
scored two first half tries, the
first after a blind side break by
Dave Tighe and the second after
a big forward drive.
Another big drive was
finished off by lock Tom Dixon,
Paul Moss converting, and
winger Andrew Cheslin
squeezed in at the left corner
for West's fourth try
Chris Sainty scored 12 of
Rovers' points with a try, a
penalty and two conversions,
while the late try was a fine
individual effort by full back
Mark Shires.
Jubilant Billingham will be
in North Two East for the first
time next season, but they were
made to fight all the way before
clinching the Durham and
Northumberland division one
title with a 10-9 home win
against Stockton.
Stockton led until ten
minutes from time, when
Billingham finally worked the
ball out for winger Paul
Shepherd to score in the corner,
to the relief of most in the 300
crowd.
Billingham ran three kickable
early penalties to no avail as
Stockton defended stoutly, and
visiting fly half Jeremy Good
kicked two penalties for a 6-0
interval lead.
Two minutes after the break
Good was sin-binned for killing
the ball near the line and from
the penalty Billingham rumbled
over for Steve Hutchinson to get
the touchdown.
Good returned to kick his
third penalty after 58 minutes,
but Stockton were hanging on
from that point and Billingham
finally had their reward.
10:22am Monday 21st April 2008
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