AN afternoon of gripping drama in front of Kingston Park's second capacity crowd of 10,000 was marred by a second minute injury to Jamie Noon, of all people.

It happened on the day he was setting a Premiership record of 47 successive appearances, and the medics will decide today whether concussion will rule him out of the Powergen Cup final in two weeks.

The Newcastle centre had not missed a second of the previous 46 games, stretching back over two years, but no sooner had he broken the record held by Pat Howard for Leicester than he confronted the bullocking Henry Tuilagi head-on. The resultant poleaxing left Noon with no chance of continuing.

But the early blow was long forgotten by a crowd witnessing the ground's most enthralling match of the season by the time an excellent kick by David Walder clinched a draw for the Falcons for the second successive week.

The match was about to enter added time when Jonny Wilkinson's deputy converted Jon Dunbar's try from wide on the left, and still the Falcons could have won it. But after a superb move up the other touchline Mark Mayerhofler failed to hang on to a low pass from the outstanding Hugh Vyvyan with the line at his mercy.

While the Tigers' three tries all came from close range, Newcastle's came from superb attacks from much deeper, with Vyvyan heavily involved in two of them.

Despite leaving in the summer to join Saracens, the No 8 is clearly determined to give his all until the end of the season.

Leicester's physical approach had looked likely to earn their fourth successive Premiership win, but Newcastle's greater endeavour produced a deserved reward as the teams remained locked together on 40 points.

It was ironic that after a bruising opening half hour, which brought five substitutions, the first try was a soft one.

As home centre Mayerhofler lined up his clearance kick ten metres from the line everyone else in the ground could see that Jaco van der Westhuyzen was going to charge it down.

The ball sat up nicely to give him the simplest of touchdowns.

Leicester needed three more to gain only their second try-scoring bonus of the season and climb further up the table, and when van der Westhuyzen scored again after 56 minutes and Neil Back touched down seven minutes later a five-point maximum was on the cards.

The Falcons were not to be battered into submission, however.

Having set up his side's second try, Vyvyan was heavily involved in the third in the 80th minute as the Falcons attacked up the left, where prop Ian Peel brought the ball back inside and Dunbar rode a tackle to score from 15 metres.

Former England captain Martin Johnson became only the third Leicester player to appear in 200 league games, following Darren Garforth and Graham Rowntree.

Johnson is due back at Kingston Park next Saturday to play in the benefit game for the family of former Falcons flanker Soa Otuvaka, for whom a minute's silence was held yesterday following his death from a brain tumour.

Epi Taione was called off the bench after only a minute when another Pacific Island big-hitter, Tuilagi, brought Noon's celebrations to a shuddering halt.

Taione went on to the wing with Tom May switching to centre, but although Newcastle's enterprise provided Taione with plenty of ball over the next 20 minutes he was well policed.

The other winger, Michael Stephenson, was put away in his own half after 12 minutes and his kick ahead pinned Andy Goode in the corner. After the white-booted full back's hasty kick to touch, home scrum half Hall Charlton made a break from the line-out but the Leicester defence quickly regrouped to snuff out the threat.

The Falcons had to make a second substitution after 20 minutes when full back Joe Shaw was stretchered off to be replaced by New Zealander Daryl Lilley.

They went ahead shortly afterwards, however, through a sweetly-struck penalty by Walder from three metres inside halfway.

Newcastle deserved the lead, but it seemed to galvanise Leicester, who quickly drew level when Goode made a half break and slipped the ball to Geordan Murphy.

The Irishman was halted 12 metres from the posts, but Newcastle killed the ball and Goode slotted the penalty.

Goode converted but Newcastle came back with a superb kick to the right corner by May. They kept the pressure on and kicked a penalty to the same corner after 42 minutes, following which Taione appeared at centre and floated a perfect long pass to Stephenson, who raced over from 15 metres.

An exchange of penalties left Leicester 13-11 ahead at half-time, but Newcastle came out strongly and went back in front after 52 minutes when Vyvyan gathered a loose ball just inside halfway.

He charged away with May unmarked on his right and rode a tackle before giving the club's leading try scorer a clear 25-metre run for his 11th of the season.

Walder converted for an 18-13 lead, but again the lead was shortlived as another bullocking run by Tuilagi set up the opportunity for van der Westhuyzen's second try.

When Back then scored in the right corner it looked all over, but there was to be a sting in the tail.

Result: Newcastle Falcons 25 Leicester Tigers 25.