Barnard Castle 59 Blyth 6

BARNARD Castle will be rubbing shoulders with Hartlepool Rovers, Gosforth and possibly Middlesbrough and Westoe next season with promotion all but assured after Saturday's results.

Third-placed Redcar's defeat at Hartlepool left them 13 points adrift of Barney, who have a game in hand as they prepare for their first foray into Durham and Northumberland One.

It was also the day when Darlington's relegation was confirmed and, considering the clubs' respective facilities, Barney president John Lowery admitted: “It's weird to think we will be in a division higher than them.

“We thrive because we are a friendly club with a strong community spirit and we are confident we can keep this squad together. They are a good blend of youth and experience.”

Former Mowden Park skipper Junior Fagalilo has agreed to continue next season as part of a three-man coaching team also involving two other ex-Mowden men in Luke Monument and Chris McTurk.

All have played this season, but none did so on Saturday as the youngsters who have been blooded recently showed far too much pace for opponents who had to field 13 forwards.

Whenever Blyth tried to attack Barney looked dangerous as spilt ball would invariably present the chance of a breakaway try.

But equally impressive was Barney's stoic defence when, with the game long since won and the replacements on, they kept their line intact under intense pressure in the last ten minutes.

Club chairman David Jackson was absent on county duty as the Durham president and Lowery said: “In doing the rounds this season David has noted the level of hospitality at higher clubs. We are sure we can match that, although it might involve a bit more expense.”

That's an issue for treasurer Frank Nelson, who spent 21 seasons in the same role with Darlington and is on the lookout for more Barney sponsors.

While the clubhouse is cosy, teams with plush facilities might not appreciate having to jog half a mile to play on a rustic pitch on land owned by Raby Estates and protected by covenants.

But progress is being made towards securing a lease and following a £2,000 grant from the NatWest Rugby Force the RFU's head groundsman is to visit next month to advise on improvements.

Right winger Ed Kirby scored three of the nine tries, seven of which were converted by full back Greg Upton.

Doctor's son Bill Neville scored first from a catch-and-drive before Blyth kicked a penalty. A tight game was in prospect until Barney scored three breakaway tries in ten minutes through Kirby, centre Lucas Summers and open side Tom Hunter.

The other centre, Adam Kicks, made the running for Kirby's first and scored the fifth himself just before half-time for a 33-6 lead.

There were times when Blyth shunted the home pack backwards, but they never looked like scoring a try and continued to gift-wrap scores for their hosts.

Counter-attacks launched from Barney's 22 resulted in Kirby and fly half Ollie Pearse racing over, while Kirby and No 8 John Stanwix both shrugged off feeble tackles to complete the tally.

After passing 40 points for the third successive week, even with key players missing, it is clear that Barney are ready for higher things.