JUST when the threat of relegation from National Three North had become serious, Darlington Mowden Park raised their game magnificently last Saturday to end their seven-match losing run.

After losing at home to Blaydon three weeks earlier, they beat them 34-13 in the rearranged game at Crow Trees to move two places up the table.

They leapfrogged Darlington, who have to wait until April 16 for their rearranged game at Fylde and went ahead instead with their Durham Cup first round tie at home to West Hartlepool, which they won 40-19.

Both Darlington clubs now need Blaydon to do them a favour tomorrow by winning at home to Cleckheaton, who occupy the third relegation place.

Mowden face a tough match at Kendal and Darlington are at home to second-placed Macclesfield, but both will be concerned about whether skipper Dave Guthrie is fit to resume for Blaydon.

It seems they can't win without the experienced lock forward as they lost six on the trot when he was injured earlier in the season, and were unable to match Mowden's spirit and commitment when he was ruled out last Saturday.

Mowden were also badly affected by injuries. In fact, they were down to the bare bones and had to play back row man Fosita Tanginoa on the wing while naming backs coach Kevan Oliphant on the bench.

Scrum half Shaun Richardson, centre Matt Howland and prop Ian Keeligan were the latest casualties, but they were able to call on three Newcastle Development players.

Peter Phelan, who has been playing on the wing, switched to scrum half, Ed Kalman made his Mowden debut at prop, and Jason Smithson returned at open side.

Matt Holmes was back from injury and completed an impressive back row with Smithson and No 8 Paul Evans.

The front row of Danny Brown, Tasi Tuhana and Kalman laid the foundations, but Mowden were unfortunate to lose both locks. Ian Robinson went off at half-time with a knee injury and Luke Monument was sent off following a second yellow card as the game entered injury time with the score 26-6.

Both cards were for pulling down in the line-out and the second one resulted in a penalty try for Blaydon, the conversion making it 26-13.

With replacement flanker Matt Wright in the sin-bin, Mowden were down to 13 men and under intense pressure with four minutes of injury time left.

But Iain Dixon kicked a penalty, then ended the game by breaking from his own 22, dashing up the wing and cutting inside one defender and outside another to score.

Mowden had gone ahead after four minutes when the forwards won good ball and fly half Martin Shaw surged through a gap to score under the posts.

They continued to take the game to Blaydon, who did eventually manage 15 minutes of pressure, which ended with Mowden breaking away to score.

Shaw was again involved, along with the back row, and Evans finished the move, with Dixon converting for a 14-0 interval lead.

Helped by the diagonal wind, Blaydon came out strongly after the break and Dan Clappison kicked two penalties, while Mowden had to send on Peni Fakalelu for Kalman, who had a shoulder injury.

Mowden were still proving stronger in the maul and after 49 minutes Fakalelu was driven over. More forward pressure brought a try for Tuhana with ten minutes of normal time left, Dixon converting prior to his injury time heroics.

Mowden expect to play their Durham Cup tie at home to Hartlepool Rovers on the scheduled semi-final date of March 26 and will hope to avoid their neighbours in the draw.

Darlington had no problems in easing through to the semi-finals, but the likelihood is they will have a free day on March 26 as they wait for the other first round ties to go ahead.

Against a West Hartlepool team they beat comfortably when they last met in North One two years ago, the gap of two divisions was obvious during the crucial period early in the second half.

Playing into a strong wind in the first half, Darlington were content to lead 12-5 and it became 35-5 before they eased off in the last ten minutes.

Player-coach Craig Lee chose to sit out the meeting with the club he played for in the top flight, giving newcomer Neil Howe, a Hartlepool man, his first start at centre.

Highly-rated loose head prop Paul Scott and hooker Rob Goddard came into the front row, with Dan Miller on the bench alongside three Catterick-based Fijians.

Joe Naga went on at blind side for Michael Taylor at half-time, while centre Phil Qaimura and winger Koro Niubalavu went on later.

The latter was a little too keen to make an impression, or perhaps it was typical Pacific Island exuberance, as he reacted with a nasty high tackle when West's 17-year-old winger Chris Lambert tried to go outside him.

Referee Steve Havery took a lenient view and also ignored a fracas ten minutes from time, when something seriously annoyed the normally placid Darlington lock Richard Snowball.

West lock Andrew Davies was the only player sin-binned for preventing a penalty being quickly taken, which was a minor sin for a player whose appalling disciplinary record includes a sending-off on this ground two years ago.

At the time West's niggly approach suggested they resented being overhauled by Darlington, but on Saturday they generally seemed to appreciate that it would be pointless trying to out-muscle their hosts.

With fly half David Tighe putting in some big clearances downwind, West hung on until half-time. But two simple penalties by David Kell widened the gap then Darlington scored three quick tries, with right winger Frankie Coulson finishing two of them.

They had led from the 12th minute, when half backs Rob Stewart and Paul Lee broke up the blind side then winger Kell kicked ahead ten metres from the line. He was late tackled, persuading the referee to award a penalty try, which Kell converted.

West replied with a good attack down the left and scrum half Darren Thomas wriggled over, but after defending well they allowed home full back David Glendenning to bounce off two tackles to score after Lee took a quick penalty on the 22.

After Kell's two penalties made it 18-5, Davies was sin-binned and Darlington sent on Qaimura, who was immediately involved in a good attack. It was finished by Snowball, whose mixture of strength and side-step saw him shrug off two tackles to score from 15 metres.

Coulson had an easy run-in when West dropped the ball and Scott counter-attacked strongly, then a powerful break by Stewart set up Coulson's second. With victory assured, Darlington eased off and the West forwards drove over for a converted try, only for Darlington to reply through Miller, who had replaced Joe Oselton.

They ran the ball on the restart, but Lambert intercepted Glendenning's long pass to go under the posts, Tighe adding his second conversion.