DARLINGTON Mowden Park comfortably booked a home tie against Division Two club Wharfedale on September 20 when they thrashed Kendal 70-8 in the first round of the Powergen Cup.

Given the freedom of Yiewsley Drive by surprisingly modest opposition, the Mowden backs were able to execute their well-rehearsed moves at high speed and scored eight of the ten tries.

Dave Richardson scored three after being switched from full back to centre, while replacement winger Andy Foreman got two after going on when Sandy Mitchell was injured after 20 minutes.

Fly half Mark Bedworth missed two early penalties but then began to land conversions from everywhere.

The only try he didn't convert was the one he scored himself, when Richardson took the kick.

It was because the registration of one of the Newcastle Academy players had not gone through that Richardson was handed his chance at centre and he staked a very strong claim to stay there.

Iain Dixon reported fit and stepped in at full back, scoring the first try after two minutes.

It was 22 minutes before Richardson got the next, but two more made it 28-3 at half-time.

Hooker Tasi Tuhana touched down from a line-out drive on the resumption and after Richardson completed his hat-trick the next came from flanker Tom McLaren.

This was again set up by the backs, with scrum half Richard Holbrough finally popping the ball up for McLaren to force his way over and crown a fine debut.

Bedworth, Foreman and Holbrough scored in the last ten minutes, the final one being a cracking try when the forwards drove on and the ball was spun out with Holbrough looping round to take an inside pass from the winger and go under the posts.

With player-coach Richard Arnold expected to be fit for Saturday's visit of Blaydon, Mowden will have some interesting selection options.

Middlesbrough won their home derby 34-8 against Stockton in North Two East, despite the visitors having more than their share of possession.

In a good, open contest Stockton took the game to their hosts and often got within ten metres of the line, only to be thwarted by good defence.

The game was played in a good spirit, marred only by Stockton flanker Wayne Brown being sent off early in the second half for a second yellow card offence.

He and teammate Steve Thornton had been sin-binned following a brief fracas in the first half.

Scrum half Peter Wright broke from a scrum to set up Boro's first try after ten minutes for winger Lee Davies, who also scored the second after a break by fly half Ross McNeill.

The third came when Stockton lost the ball on their own put-in at an attacking scrum and had no cover when Boro cleared. The ball bounced kindly for Andy Micklewright to score.

Three conversions and a penalty by McNeill made it 24-0 with Graham Kell kicking a penalty for Stockton just before the break.

McNeill kicked another penalty before replacement No 8 Scott Powell marked his debut with a try for Stockton.

Following a forward drive flanker Mark Hatfield scored the final try for Boro, which was again converted.

Horden felt there was room for improvement, despite winning 25-18 at home to Northern.

Bolstered by the signings of winger Brian Foreman from Hartlepool and centre Paul Scott from Ashington, Horden led 15-0, but the visitors' South African fly half kept them in the game.

Winger Chris Purvis chipped ahead from 40 metres and won the race to score Horden's second try after prop Graham Holloway touched down.

The gap was down to 18-15 at half-time, but full back Andrew Evans scored the decisive try for Horden, for whom Andrew Turner added two conversions and two penalties.

West Hartlepool beat a poor Sandal side 49-10 with new skipper Tim Sawyer scoring twice before half-time.

There were also two from replacement back row man Stuart Bennett and further tries came from Andrew Davies, Brett Cullinane and Andrew Hair. David Tighe added two penalties and four conversions.