WITH only next Saturday's visit to champions Doncaster to come in their National Three North programme, Mowden Park's sights are on regaining the Durham Cup.

But if they were saving themselves on Saturday for tomorrow's semi-final at home to Westoe it was to no avail as Westoe pulled out last night.

"They can't get a team out on the day," said county secretary Chris McLoughlin. "The Mowden players had arranged their shifts to play on Tuesday and in disputes like this we have to stick with what we have agreed.

"It's extremely disappointing because we went to a lot of trouble to split the competition and avoid mismatches. But we still get cry-offs. It's a matter of grave concern for the game."

Mowden had enough ball to overhaul Saturday's 17-0 half-time deficit.

Half backs Richard Holborough and Kevan Oliphant often used their speed off the mark to create openings, and Mark Bedworth was again impressive at full back, but the ball rarely reached the wings.

If they were keen to avenge their heavy defeat at Scunthorpe there was little sign of it in the first half, but they came back strongly and might have won had they paid more regard to the referee's nitpicking.

Line-out throws had to be only fractionally off line to be called not straight, and when Darren McKinnon ran a penalty too hastily it was adjudged not to have been taken through the mark.

That was the killer blow as it was close enough to the line to have brought some reward just before the game entered injury time.

Both of Mowden's tries came from quickly-taken penalties, but too many others were kicked to the corners when there was always a high risk that the throw would be ruled not straight.

Scunthorpe's coach, former Newcastle and West Hartlepool lock Kevin Westgarth, played an influential role until he limped off after 25 minutes with his team 10-0 up.

Jonny Martson won most of Mowden's line-out ball after being drafted in when Richard Mangles suffered a back spasm in the warm-up.

Although the visitors displayed no midfield skills, they had a useful full back in Tim Robinson. He kicked an early penalty and added a good conversion after a penalty was kicked to the corner and the forwards drove over.

It took Mowden 30 minutes to get into the visitors' 22 with a good run up the narrow side by Chris Mattison, whose return pass to Holborough almost put the scrum half over.

But they spurned the chance of three points and after kicking two penalties to the left corner they lost the ball and poor tackling allowed Scunthorpe to score another converted try when they ran a free kick 20 metres out.

A 60-metre run by centre Chris Strong kick-started Mowden's comeback and eight minutes after the break prop James Isaacson bulldozed over near the posts after Holborough took a quick penalty.

Bedworth converted and another tap penalty brought a 40-metre run from Mick Kent, continued by back row men McKinnon and Tim Wilks almost to the line, where another penalty was awarded and Mowden opted for a scrum. They lost it, although it was highly questionable whether the ball actually went into the scrum.

Mowden were almost over following a penalty to the corner, then they went for a pushover try and lost control of the ball.

With 12 minutes left Mowden again ran a penalty, McKinnon set it up and Oliphant's short pass put Bedworth through a gap to score wide on the left. His conversion attempt hit the left post.