Seaham R.F.C. 5 , Bishop Auckland R.U.F.C. 58

BISHOP Auckland made light of atrocious conditions last Saturday as they ran in nine tries against a spirited but struggling Seaham side.

By far the star of the show was 18-year-old Chris West, starting his first match as the 1st. XV hooker. Any thoughts that he might have been overawed by the occasion were quickly dispelled. His throwing in at lineouts was near perfect as time and again he found his target jumpers, no mean feat with a gale blowing downfield, while his cover tackling and support at the front of the line were classic applications of midweek coaching.

Even more encouraging was his readiness to run at the opposition with all the confidence of a seasoned campaigner, setting up an attacking platform for the rest of his forwards. His opening performance promises much for the future.

With the wind in their favour, Seaham started with a strong attack on Bishop's line which brought them an early try. Bishop responded with a number of forward drives culminating in a Ruddick try converted by Richard Macnair. Bishop continued to press but their support was too slow in arriving to allow them to benefit fully and eventually they settled for a Macnair penalty. This was quickly followed by a strong forward attack, which ended with the pack driving Gallone over for a try. On the stroke of half-time Macnair broke clear and sent full-back Sayer over in the corner for a comfortable 20-5 lead.

With the wind and the slope in their favour, Bishop spent the second half accumulating points. Ruddick opened the scoring with a typical charge through the defence and Gallone added a classic no. 8 pick up and drive over the line. From good lineout ball Macnair again made space for Sayer to score and in the face of a spirited Seaham attack Ruddick broke downfield and sent Fairley over by the posts. With the home side losing their concentration Ruddick set up Macnair over for a simple try and from more good lineout possession Sayer struck again to complete a hat-trick of tries. Macnair kicked four second half conversions for a personal tally of 18 points.

Newton Aycliffe Rugby Club

Chester le Street 2nd 12 Newton Aycliffe 31

NEWTON Aycliffe Rugby Club recorded their third consecutive win in the Durham Junior League by beating Chester-le-Street 2nd XV 31-12 at the Riverside. Chester, short of players, were augmented by a number of Washington players.

After absorbing initial Chester pressure, Aycliffe scored first when a dazzling run by Gareth Parsonage saw the defence shredded and lock-forward Andrew Parkin pop up on the wing to finish off the try. A solo effort by Luke Tinkler saw the lead increase before two Chester tries resulting from poor Aycliffe play left the score 14-12 to Aycliffe at the break.

In the second half, Aycliffe gradually re-imposed their superiority and Tinkler added his second try. The best move of the day saw good Aycliffe rucking followed by slick passing by the backs result in a fine try for Richie Hackett. A perfect 5 kicks out of 5 from Tommy Cooper crowned what was ultimately a clear Aycliffe victory.

On Saturday, December 2 Aycliffe host Richmondshire 2nd XV for a friendly. Newton Aycliffe Rugby Club thanked all their sponsors, in particular, ServiceForce. More details are available on the website at www.ayclifferugby.co.uk.