DARLINGTON Mowden Park’s miserable run continued and they are in serious danger of being drawn into the relegation scrap after a good weekend for North-East neighbours Blaydon.

While Mowden’s position worsened by failing to claim a point for the fifth game in a row, the men from Tyneside closed the gap to those above them.

Second from bottom Blaydon crushed Hull Ionians, the side sitting above them, 66-14 to move level on points after 11 matches in National League One.

Blaydon have been rejuvenated recently and they were unstoppable as they crushed Hull with nine tries and that helped them to a try bonus point within 26 minutes in the battle to beat the drop.

Hooker Mark Thompson claimed a hat-trick and the only frustrating spell on a productive afternoon was when Hull earned two tries in three second half minutes.

Otherwise it was Blaydon’s day. As well as Thompson – who opened the scoring – crossing the line, Chris Wearmouth was second to get on the scoresheet before they were also handed a penalty try.

Things got harder for Hull when David Laverick was yellow carded and moments later Andrew Archibald was red carded for a head high tackle on James Cooney. That meant Blaydon were 36-0 up at the break and there was no way back.

Andrew Baggett, Jack Davidson, Andrew Foster and Smithson finished off the try scoring, while Baggett also converted six times and scored a couple of penalties. Ryan Foreman fired over a lovely drop goal.

The handsome win for Blaydon means they are also just two points behind Mowden Park, who sit fourth from bottom after another frustrating afternoon at The Northern Echo Arena.

It was always going to be hard for the County Durham side against a Blackheath team in with a chance of taking over in second spot from Birmingham Moseley.

That was how it proved, even though the signs were good when James Fitzpatrick went over to open the scoring. Blackheath, however, recovered and were not really in trouble after scoring a first penalty.

It could have been made harder when James Penman was red carded but they still went over for two unconverted tries and scored two penalties before half-time. They also added another try after the break and finished things off close to the end to win 31-5.

Billingham lost further ground on the teams above them by slipping to a 17-11 defeat at Rossendale in National League Three North, while West Hartlepool’s push for promotion took a knock.

West’s lead at the top has been cut down to just three points in North One East after suffering an 18-9 reversal at the team sitting third; there are now five points separating them.

It was West’s first defeat of the season when a James Bird try five minutes from time clinched the win for Alnwick.

West were unable to cross the line and it was Gavin Painter’s boot, with three penalties, that kept them in an absorbing game.

Barnard Castle are also heading for a title party if they continue their excellent form. They won for the sixth game in a row and have a lead of three points at the top of Durham Northumberland Division One.

They brushed aside third-placed and well fancied Northern with relative ease even though they had to travel. Barnard Castle won 31-13.

Youthful Stockton, showing the signs of form that club officials believed they possessed, recorded a morale boosting win by returning from Sutherland Park with the points in Durham Northumberland Division One after another improved display on the road.

They led 10-5 at the break and pressed on to win 24-12 despite two yellow cards.

Strong running centre Steve Tampin and dynamic young flankers Charlie Doherty and Liam Healey claimed the tries, while winger Steve Bartliff converted all three and added a penalty.