THE disappointment of Orrell's failure to turn up on Saturday turned to agony for Darlington with the news that West Park St Helens had gained the one point they needed to ensure survival.

Despite losing 38-29 at home to Preston Grasshoppers, West Park earned a four-try bonus, which confirmed Darlington's relegation from National Three North.

As relegation could have been affected, league officials rearranged Orrell's visit to Darlington for April 28 when the bottom club announced on Friday night that they could raise only 12 players.

But even if Orrell also fail to fulfil their final scheduled match against mid-table Morley next Saturday it will have no bearing on the top or bottom, so there is every chance the games will remain unplayed.

Orrell's sad demise has seen them concede 100 points three times recently, so it has always been likely that they would fail to complete the season.

One option is to expunge all their results from the table, but that would affect promotion as Tynedale failed to gain a four-try bonus point in their win at Orrell.

While Darlington have lost money through the loss of a home fixture, some players could become involved in a club v county tussle if Orrell do agree to play on April 28, when the County Championship kicks off.

While Durham, who start away to Leicestershire, are unlikely to want more than a couple of Darlington players, skipper Richard Snowball will again be wanted by Yorkshire.