RIDING the roller-coaster of rugby at its lower levels has its compensations, particularly for old stagers who reminisced about the Durham City v Billingham county cup final in 1958.

Len Ferguson and Billy Hay, members of the City side which won that match 9-5, were present on Saturday and recalled how they had to fight back from 5-0 down.

That was during the period when City won the cup eight times in 11 years and the team on that day in 1958 included two internationals in Mike Weston and Stan Hodgson.

The clubs had met once since, in a county cup tie in 1968. But Billingham were in decline by then and it is only in the last few years that they have enjoyed a revival, bringing about this enjoyable fixture in Durham and Northumberland Division One.

This is the level at which the tight head prop's kit disappears on the second team bus to Ashington, and the visiting fly half could generously be described as rotund.

There is still a Hay in the City side - Billy's son Michael - plus 50-year-old Wally Howard at lock and coach Jon Bland at fly half.

But there are also two wingers by the names of Higuchi and Hryniszak, who scored three tries between them as City forged a 24-0 lead before Billingham found the form which had taken them to second place.

Nine years ago the clubs were seven divisions apart, with City in National League Four North and Billingham in D and N Division Three.

But club president Tony Howe insisted there is a better spirit at City now the slide has bottomed out and the alliance with the university, forged last year, is reaping some dividends.

"We are making this the home of Durham rugby," he said.

"The alliance isn't providing us with any first team players at the moment, but it gives us better bar takings and gives the students a home.

"We are always living on the edge, but we are reducing our debt every year.

"There was a degree of inevitability about our slide when the game went professional because a lot of players went elsewhere for money and we always said we wouldn't pay anything.

"It is quite refreshing in some ways to play at this level. We are saving on costs, we can compete and it's nice to see old friends. But that's not to say we won't look for promotion."

The university first team use Hollow Drift for most of their games - they play Loughborough on Wednesday (2.30) - while the county under 20s have joined the inter-collegiate floodlit competition on Monday nights.

Toru Higuchi, a Japanese post-graduate student who is not involved in university rugby, has scored five tries in the last two games to help City into third place.

His first on Saturday followed a break by lively centre Alex Gardiner, who also scored the first try after two minutes.

Full back Paul Lindsay was also a threat in attack, setting up Hryniszak's try on the left wing and breaking from halfway to send Bland over.

Billingham coach Micky Conlon, who is joined in the front row by his ex-Stockton teammate Mick Wilson, retired from the fray at half-time and around 15 minutes later his team began to get into the game.

With the flying wedge now outlawed, they tried a static version from a penalty five metres out and when City engaged them in contact Billingham drove through for Wilson to touch down.

They tried it again without success, then from another penalty Duane Ravill floated out a pass for replacement winger Colin Macdonald to score.

Finally they scored the try of the game when they attacked almost from their own line, allowing winger Alex Garbutt to show his paces as he scorched into the City half, kicked on and won the race to touch down near the posts.

It's too early to say the City slickers are on their way back, but Hollow Drift is alive and buzzing with good old-fashioned rugby camaraderie